“Tell the World We Are Not Terrorists; We Are Goddesses of Mesopotamia” A Profoundly Dizzying Mythological Narrative of Terrorism: PKK and Jineology

In this research, we analytically ask: How do PKK women (re)construct their identities and gender-centred violent narratives? How do mythological narratives function in this process? What are the political functions of these narratives? To this end, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the Jineology periodical through a gender lens, utilising the Discourse Mythological Approach and the core framing tasks of the Framing Theory: diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational. The philosophical foundation of our analysis is based on the German philosopher Blumenberg’s interpretation of myth as work on myth (Arbeit am Mythos) and Bottici’s approach to political myth. The following headings present the research’s main findings. Diagnostic Framing: Slave Woman, Queen of Commodities; Prognostic Framing: Killing the Dominant Male, Jineology; Motivational Framing: Ethics-Aesthetics, Self-Defence. Our findings reveal that the mythological-based jineology reconstructs women’s identity through the goddess Inanna/Ishtar symbol and serves as a political interpretative practice that underpins the ideological justification for the PKK’s political violence. By demonstrating how myths can illuminate our understanding of real-world problems, we highlight the analytical importance of gendered mythological narratives and contribute to both terrorism studies and counter-terrorism efforts.