Mother of the Nation? The Digital Appropriation of Shanidar Z in Kurdish and Regional Identity Politics

ABSTRACT This article examines how the reconstruction of Shanidar Z, a 75,000‐year‐old Neanderthal woman discovered in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, became a focal point for digital negotiations of identity, ancestry, and belonging. Drawing on 51 Facebook and YouTube posts and 17,126 associated comments in Kurdish, Arabic and English, the study combines thematic analysis with a critical discourse approach to explore how prehistoric heritage is symbolically appropriated online. The findings show that Shanidar Z was rapidly transformed from a scientific object into a culturally and politically charged symbol articulated through symbolic boundary‐making, deep historical narratives, and affective framings. Although scientific, religious, and state‐centred interpretations were present, nationalist framings were dominant and reinforced through everyday digital practices such as naming, interaction, and visual circulation. The article contributes to research on digital nationalism by demonstrating how deep prehistory can function as a symbolic resource in contemporary identity‐making, particularly in stateless and contested contexts.