Ocalan: Women’s freedom is fundamental principle of socialism

Leader Abdullah Ocalan sent a message to the Women’s Science Conference in Europe, which was translated by ANF as follows:

Dear comrades,

The bearers of Jineolojî’s consciousness and labour,

The builders of a free life,

Ever since my childhood, I have carried a quest within me: to witness the free existence of women and to carve out a living space worthy of them. This quest deepened further when my playmates were taken away from their games and my sister was sent off to work in a sack of bulgur. I saw that liberation was possible in the silent resistance of the village women and in the rise of those who remained of the goddesses; I, too, pursued that belief. I always followed in their footsteps. For I knew that society’s deepest wound was the enslavement of women. Without understanding this, neither freedom, nor equality, nor true democracy could be possible.

When I introduced Jineolojî, my aim was not merely to coin a term. Redefining women’s existence in terms of its historical and social reality; liberating them from objectification and establishing them as subjects—this would be our most vital task to bequeath to history. I wanted to bring to light once more the wisdom of the goddess, which had been obscured by thousands of years of patriarchal civilisation, and the woman-centred way of life of the Neolithic era. The dagger in society’s back was the enslavement of women; without removing this dagger, no social problem could be resolved at its root. Jineology was born as a science that identifies this dagger, rips it out by the roots, and replaces it with the knowledge of a free life.

The efforts expended, the writings, the debates and the organising carried out in the name of Jineolojî to date have demonstrated that this science is, at the same time, a way of life. It served as a breath of fresh air for the women’s perspective. The liberation of women’s identity from sexist moulds, the creation of a space for independent thought and action, and the writing of their own history constituted the most vital task and duty to be bequeathed to human history. These have become the fundamental areas of focus and forms of struggle for Jineolojî. The maxim ‘One is not born a woman, one becomes a woman’ is important. However, this becoming must take place not within the boundaries imposed by men, but through women’s own inner strength. That is why we have said that every woman must have a space of her own, her own voice and her own knowledge.

As a man, I have constantly questioned and renewed myself throughout this process. We have given meaning to this and aimed to break free from centuries of male dominance. I have stated that the fundamental principle of socialism is women’s freedom. For the measure of whether a man can truly be a socialist lies in his ability to establish a correct, equal and free relationship with women. In most of history’s great socialist experiments, this principle was lacking. That deficiency led to the revolutions remaining incomplete. I strove to rectify this deficiency; I sought to be worthy of the goddesses. Transforming men and calling upon them to emancipate themselves alongside women became an indispensable duty for me.

Today, a new process lies before us. The quest for peace and democracy is as much a process of social reconstruction as it is a process of political negotiation. Women will take the lead in this reconstruction. For more than half of every significant step achieved to date has been realised through women’s labour, resistance and intellect. This will continue to be the case in the future. Jineolojî must continue to serve as the scientific and ideological foundation for this leadership.

I shall continue to stand by you, to think and to create alongside you whenever you need me. For, for me, the meaning of life is embodied in a woman’s ability to live freely.

May this conference discuss not only the past but also the future of Jineolojî. May it define women’s existence correctly. May it expand the knowledge of a free life. My unfinished project will find its completion through the power of these discussions. My faith in you is absolute. Remember that I am always with you.

With my endless longing and love,

 Abdullah Öcalan

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