Dr. Mechthild Exo, Dr. Nicholas Matheou and Dr. Amber Huff, who work at different universities across Europe, assessed the meaning of the slogan “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” (Women, Life, Freedom) in the contemporary European context and discussed the political content of the concept of “hope” against the backdrop of the attacks on Rojava. The academics said that the slogan goes beyond a call for protest, offering a profound analysis of relations of domination and pointing toward a model of democratic society.
Dr. Mechthild Exo, Dr. Nicholas Matheou and Dr. Amber Huff spoke to ANF at the seminar titled “Towards a Sociology of Freedom,” held at Lichthof Ost at Humboldt University of Berlin.
It calls for thinking about freedom from where it was lost
Dr. Mechthild Exo, from the Department of Social Work and Health at Emden/Leer University of Applied Sciences in Germany, said that “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” is not merely a protest slogan, but also offers a perspective on how social relations should be analyzed.
According to Dr. Exo, “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” points to the historical roots of relations of domination and oppression, namely the colonization of women and hierarchies between genders. She said that the subjugation of women constitutes the first form of oppression, and that other forms of domination, such as state repression, capitalist exploitation and racism, are built upon this foundation.
Exo said, “If we are to think about freedom, we must start from where it was lost,” and added that patriarchal violence continues to shape all social relations today. She said that the slogan expresses how social conditions should be viewed and how a perspective of freedom can be constructed.
Exo said that this approach is not limited to the Kurdish Freedom Movement or the Middle East, noting that patriarchy is a global phenomenon. She said that a perspective of democratic and non-violent struggle must be sustained while preserving its radical depth and drew attention to the central role that women’s organizations should play, particularly in any potential peace processes.
Dr. Exo said that women’s organizations must assume a leading role in building a democratic society through their anti-patriarchal analyses. She said, “What is needed is not a superficial peace, but a social transformation grounded in real justice and freedom.”
This slogan is valid for all of humanity
Dr. Nicholas Matheou, a lecturer in Global Medieval History and Marxism at the University of Edinburgh, said that “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” does not carry a meaning limited solely to Kurdish geography.
Dr. Matheou said that viewing “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” only within the framework of the Kurdish Freedom Movement or the Middle East constitutes an “orientalist limitation,” underlining that patriarchy persists on a global scale, including in Europe and the United States.
Assessing the issue from a Marxist-feminist perspective, Matheou said that processes of production are not confined to factories, and that workers and life itself are produced within the home. He said that the question “Where and by whom is life produced?” is fundamental, adding that the home and care labor are defined as a feminized sphere, which plays a central role in the functioning of the capitalist system.
Matheou also said that “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” goes beyond this framework, noting that viewing women, who are responsible for the creation and preservation of life, as the starting point of freedom is an extremely powerful approach.
Dr. Matheou said that placing women’s organization and resistance at the center makes it more difficult for society to be subjected to domination. He said, “This slogan must now be raised not only for Kurdistan or the Middle East, but for all of humanity.”
Real hope lies in our power to protect one another
Dr. Amber Huff, from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, said that 2026 has begun with war and attacks, and that assaults targeting Rojava have intensified, framing the concept of “hope” as a political category.
Huff said that in the West, hope is often understood as the expectation of “a force or a government that will save us,” but that she embraces a more radical understanding of hope, which she described as the hope people find in one another.
Huff said, “We cannot protect ourselves on our own. We must protect one another,” underlining that hope lies in the capacity for solidarity among communities that are struggling.
Amber Huff said that in struggles for land, autonomy, recognition and humanity, hope rests on the power to act together even in the most difficult times. She said, “Hope carries us beyond the horizon, into the future.”
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