Subjugated lexicons: Kurdish lexicography and the epistemic violence of the state

Abstract This study examines the oppressive conditions under which Kurdish lexicographical efforts have emerged – particularly in Iran, and to a lesser extent in Turkey – and their significance as forms of resistance. It draws on examples from across Kurdistan, analyzing how Kurdish intellectuals and lexicographers confront state-imposed marginalization that reduces Kurdish to a dialect or local patois. Despite these constraints, the past three decades have seen the publication of numerous dictionaries in diverse formats, documenting Kurdish vocabulary and challenging the linguistic dominance of official state languages. By treating Kurdish lexicography as both a means of cultural preservation and a mode of resistance, this study shows its role in contesting erasure and reclaiming linguistic agency. Through scholarly rigor and cultural assertion, Kurdish dictionaries function as vital repositories of identity, affirming the place of Kurdish language and culture within the region’s historical and political landscape.