IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cog/socinc/v12y2024a8672.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Through Their Eyes: Contextualized Analysis of Drawings by Former ISIS Child Soldiers in Iraq

Author

Listed:
  • Aisha-Nusrat Ahmad

    (German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM), Germany / Institute of Social Psychology, International Psychoanalytic University, Germany)

  • Phil C. Langer

    (Center for Transdisciplinary Gender Studies, Humboldt University Berlin, Germany)

Abstract

This article presents a contextualized interpretation of drawings created by former child soldiers of the so‐called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The drawings were generated as part of a collaborative storytelling project in Northern Iraq in 2019 that aimed at identifying the psychosocial needs of these militarized children. The analysis focuses on two distinct groups: Arab‐Sunni and Yezidi boys, each representing different pathways into and experiences within ISIS, leading to varied forms of social stigmatization. The findings reveal significant differences in how violence, agency, and social attributions are represented in the narratives and drawings of the two groups. The study underscores the importance of collaborative meaning‐making in representing marginalized groups and highlights the potential to combine drawings with other qualitative methods to minimize the risk of over‐interpretation. This approach provides nuanced insights into the children’s struggle for agency and interpretative ownership in the face of powerful social narratives. This article contributes to the broader discourse on child soldiers and the use of visual methodologies in conflict‐affected areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Aisha-Nusrat Ahmad & Phil C. Langer, 2024. "Through Their Eyes: Contextualized Analysis of Drawings by Former ISIS Child Soldiers in Iraq," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 12.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:socinc:v12:y:2024:a:8672
    DOI: 10.17645/si.8672
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/8672
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.17645/si.8672?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Khanna Omarkhali, 2016. "Transformations in the Yezidi tradition after the ISIS attacks. An interview with Ilhan Kizilhan," Kurdish Studies, Society of history and cultural studies, Hong Kong, vol. 4(2), pages 148-154, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pia Jäger & Claudia Rammelt & Notburga Ott & Angela Brand, 2019. "Narrative Review: The (Mental) Health Consequences of the Northern Iraq Offensive of ISIS in 2014 for Female Yezidis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-17, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cog:socinc:v12:y:2024:a:8672. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: António Vieira or IT Department (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cogitatiopress.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.