The Kurdistan freedom movment at a crossroads

You are warmly invited to attend the second edition of the International Study Days of the Italian Network for Kurdish Studies – Rete Italiana di Studi Curdi (RISC), titled “The Kurdistan Freedom Movement at a Crossroads: Historical Roots, Ideological Shifts and Reconfiguration Processes,” which will take place on 26–27 March 2026 at the University of Turin.

This year’s conference brings together scholars, Kurdish political and institutional representatives, journalists, and figures involved in Kurdish academic institutions.

The conference will address several issues at the centre of current debates on Kurdish politics. These include the historical evolution of Kurdish parties in Syria, Arab-Kurdish alliances and rivalries, militant engagement and ideological change within the PKK, and the meaning of the organisation’s recent decision to disarm and dissolve. The programme also focuses on the future of academic institutions in North and East Syria, Kurdish organizations and armed actors in Iran in the context of war and regional escalation.

Organised within the framework of the Rete Italiana Studi Curdi, the conference aims to foster dialogue between academic research and ongoing political developments affecting Kurdish societies across the Middle East.