Eszter Spät | Central European University (original) (raw)

Papers by Eszter Spät

British Journal of Middle Easter Studies , 2024

Amulets have long been an integral part of the religious landscape of the Middle East. They attes... more Amulets have long been an integral part of the religious landscape of the Middle East. They attest not only to the antiquity and endurance of the belief in objects possessing the supernatural ability to protect (or harm) but also to the contacts between different religious groups and their complex impact on each other. One arresting example of how different religious traditions may influence one another and create new, hybrid forms is the recent appearance of amulets with inscriptions among the Yezidis of Northern Iraq. Based on extensive field research in Northern Iraq, the author argues that the emergence of written Yezidi amulets, the methods of their creations and the market for them bear witness to the phenomenon of religious crossover between the different religious communities, especially between Yezidis and Muslims, despite the often tense social relations between the two groups. Written charms also provide an insight into how the emergence of school-based literacy and the transformation from oral to bookish is reflected in the changing religio-magical customs of Yezidis.

Oral Tradition among Religious Communities in the Iranian-Speaking World Khanna Omarkhali and Philip G. Kreyenbroek,, 2022

This article is based on repeated research trips in the Kurdish Region of Iraq between 2011 and 2... more This article is based on repeated research trips in the Kurdish Region of Iraq between 2011 and 2017. Two 1 of the xerîbîs, or laments, included below were collected in the course of my 2017 fieldwork supported by a generous grant from the Fritz Thyssen Foundation (grant number 2017-00830). I would also like to express my gratitude to George Soros for funding the late Central European University of Budapest, which used to provide a space for my research. My special thanks to Khanna Omarkhali for her invaluable help in transcribing and translating the laments in the article, and to Gulie Khalaf for her useful explanations and comments on the Sinjari expressions and images utilized in the laments. The New Year of Yezidis. 2 Muhacir; interestingly, Yezidi refugees use this word to denote themselves, though in Muslim societies 3 muhacir is usually exclusively used for Muslim refugees. I shall use the expressions "Sinjari" for Yezidis from the Sinjar region (near the Iraqi-Syrian border) and 4 "Welati" for Yezidis from the region lying east of the Tigris (traditionally referred to as Welat or "Homeland"). Yezidi women visit the graves of their dead on New Year and other holidays to perform ritual mourning. 5 However, people said that this old Sinjari refugee, Dêy Şîrîn, came almost every day at sunset, to sing laments at the grave of her granddaughter, who died as a result of an accident after fleeing ISIS. For Yezidi names and geographic names that are not well known, I shall be using the Kurdish alphabet and orthography developed by the brothers Bedirxan. (For pronunciation see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdish_alphabets#Comparison_of_Kurdish_ alphabets.

Yezidism Between Continuity and Transformation Edited by Khanna Omarkhali & Philip Kreyenbroek, 2021

At least theoretically. Reality, given the pragmatic attitude of Yezidis, is sometimes different.... more At least theoretically. Reality, given the pragmatic attitude of Yezidis, is sometimes different. See Spät 2018. 10 The report, EMANA 2019, was compiled by EAMANA (Endangered Architecture of the Middle East and North Africa), in cooperation with the NGOs Yazda and the RASHID International in preparation for possible persecution for war crimes with genocidal intent against Yezidis.

Late Antique Motifs in Yezidi Oral Tradition, 2010

Ten years ago, Eszter Spät embarked upon an adventurous enterprise, begirded by many dangers, int... more Ten years ago, Eszter Spät embarked upon an adventurous enterprise, begirded by many dangers, intellectual not less than physical. Originally a Latinist and a scholar of Late Antique Gnosis and Manichaeism, she decided to do fieldwork on a contemporary religious and ethnic minority, the Yezidis, a Kurdish group scattered between Iraq, Turkey and Armenia and having its own religion, transmitted via oral tradition. She embarked upon this unusual journey with a hypothesis: from what she learned from the literature that she had read about the Yezidis, she conceived the intuition that the Yezidis may preserve old Gnostic and Manichaean traditions, which, in other parts of the world only live on as objects of bookish scholarship. As this was going to be a Ph.D. work within the framework of a Department of Medieval Studies, which had an eye on Late Antiquity but not on the contemporary Middle East, this decision caused some apprehensions. Is it feasable? Is it methodologically sound? Will Eszter be able to manage to learn the necessary languages and the necessary skills of the anthropologist? Will she be able to manage all the background knowledge on the religious and factual history of medieval and early modern

Vigiliae Christianae, 2004

This paper aims to prove that the biography of Mani in the Acta Archelae of Hegemonius, which con... more This paper aims to prove that the biography of Mani in the Acta Archelae of Hegemonius, which contains a great number of completely fictitious elements, was in fact drawn up on the file of Simon Magus, pater omnium haereticorum, using the works of heresiologists and the apocryphal acts, especially the Pseudo-Clementine Recognitiones, as a model and source. There are a great number of elements in this Vita Manis that bear a strong resemblance to the well known motives of Simon's life. Projecting Simon's life over that of Mani serves as tool to reinforce the image of Mani that Hegemonius tried to convey: that of just another 'run of the mill' heretic, one in the long line of the disciples of Simon, and a fraud and devoid of any originality.

International Journal of Divination & Prognostication 2 (2020) 1-28, 2020

This article studies the "book," or defter, of Yezidi seers in Northern Iraq. Following an oral r... more This article studies the "book," or defter, of Yezidi seers in Northern Iraq. Following an oral religion in an Islamic environment where only "people of the Book" enjoyed legitimate status and social acceptance, Yezidis have developed various strategies to compensate for the absence of a written sacred book. The most unique among these is the phenomenon of "falling into book," which refers to the altered state of consciousness experienced by some Yezidi seers. "Falling into book" provides the seer with a glimpse into both the past and the future, thus serving as a source of divination and prognostication, which ranges from addressing personal problems to foretelling the (usually apocalyptic) fate of the Yezidi community and the world. Thus the "book" of the seers is perceived to be a kind of "heavenly knowledge," equal or even superior to the revealed texts of bookish religions. Keywords Yezidis-people of the Book-orality-seers-altered state of consciousness (ASC)-koçek-feqra-defterê keftin … The "book" of Koçek Dawûd first appeared last year. Now he "falls into book"1 every Wednesday evening and people go to his dîwan to ask him to 1 I translate the Kurdish idiomatic expression defterê keftin (the central topic of this article, extensively discussed below) as "falling into book"-that is, without the article before "book"

FAITH, DOUBT AND KNOWLEDGE IN RELIGIOUS THINKING RELIGIOUS ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDIES IN CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE 10. Edited by ÉVA PÓCS BEA VIDACS, BALASSI KIADÓ, 2020

HUNGARIAN ARCHAEOLOGY , 2019

This series of articles on the archaeological heritage of the Duhok Region of Iraqi Kurdistan is ... more This series of articles on the archaeological heritage of the Duhok Region of Iraqi Kurdistan is a result of nearly two decades of research in the region. Though my primary research focuses on the Yezidis, an ethno-religious community, the wider cultural environment where Yezidis have to make their own space was also of some relevance. Consequently, archaeological remains, the way they are treated today and their role in the cultural imagination and historical identity-making of the inhabitants of the Kurdistan Region, whether Yezidis, Muslims or Christians, attracted my attention. The second part of my work looks at four little-known sites in the governorate of Duhok and at locals' interest in them (or the lack thereof.)

HUNGARIAN ARCHAEOLOGY, 2020

This third and final part in a series of articles on the archaeological heritage of the Duhok Reg... more This third and final part in a series of articles on the archaeological heritage of the Duhok Region of Iraqi Kurdistan will look at the heritage and its role in the life of local society from the aspect of destruction left by the Saddam regime. The decades of Saddam's rule left an indelible mark on the social and cultural map of Northern Iraq, especially on the Kurdistan Region. His attempts at collectivization, sometimes in the name of modernization, sometimes as a punitive military measure against the local population, redrew the settlement pattern of the region, changed the traditional economic and social structure and destroyed much of the built heritage. 2 Some of this were historical monuments like the medieval monastery of Seje described below. Others, like village mosques, churches, local shrines, graves of saints, even houses where generations grew up, were of importance "only" for the local communities. These buildings were not discussed by scholarly studies, and they mainly remained unrecognized by academic research. However, their annihilation represented a rupture in the cultural fabric of the region, a loss keenly felt to this day. This is the case of the old Yezidi village of Khanke and the shrine of Bayazid.

HUNGARIAN ARCHAEOLOGY, 2019

During the last one and a half decade I spent several months in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, doi... more During the last one and a half decade I spent several months in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, doing field research on the religious heritage and oral tradition of Iraqi Yezidis. In the framework of these research periods I have also visited heritage sites recalling the rich and multicolored past of a region which has housed many cultures and religions over the centuries. This part of Iraq, on the periphery of the glorious cultures of Antiquity, has attracted much less attention, both among archaeologists and tourists, than other parts of Iraq. In this paper I have chosen to describe sites that are either completely unknown or though (somewhat) known, appear to be vulnerable and may disappear or become further damaged. As my own work focuses on various aspects of intangible cultural heritage, I looked at how these heritage sites are "used" by locals today, both as places of touristic recreation and as sites which have a role in constructing memory, both as regards traditional oral history and modern nationalist discourse.

Charms and Charming. Ed. Éva Pócs

ÁLDOZAT, DIVINÁCIÓ, ISTENÍTÉLET, 2018

Numen, 2018

The article studies the way Yezidis, a small ethno-religious group of the Middle East, appropriat... more The article studies the way Yezidis, a small ethno-religious group of the Middle East, appropriated the Muslim figure of Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiya, the second Umayyad caliph, based on analyses of myths and fieldwork material. In his Yezidi myth, he appears as a divine being who incarnated on earth in order to subvert sharia and replace it with a more spiritual form of Islam, equated with Yezidi religion at the time the myth was composed.

Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies , 2017

This article studies the impact of the ISIS attack and its political aftermath on the identity fo... more This article studies the impact of the ISIS attack and its political aftermath on the identity formation of Yezidis and their political ambition for a future in Iraq. Yezidis, a previously marginalized non-Muslim religious minority, came to play an important role in the Kurdish national movement both ideologically, as the "guardians of the original Kurdish faith", and practically, as a source of logistical support to the Peshmerga in the mountains. Attempts to coopt Yezidis for the Kurdish cause, contrasted to the memory of repeated persecutions by their Muslim neighbors, resulted in a shifting Yezidi identity, ranging from identifying as Kurdish to considering themselves a distinct ethno-nationalist group. The trauma of the ISIS attack and mass displacement, as well as disappointment in the Kurdish government weighed against the need for allies make the question of identity more relevant than ever, as it profoundly affects the ways Yezidis envisage their future existence in a post-ISIS Iraq.

Accepted for publication by Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies on March 30 2017

Holidays and associated rituals have always played a crucial role in Yezidi religious life. The a... more Holidays and associated rituals have always played a crucial role in Yezidi religious life. The attack of ISIS on Yezidis and the subsequent displacement of more than half the community has had a profound impact on the way these holidays can be celebrated. The fact that the Sinjari Yezidi community has lost access to its sacred landscape, which is the traditional focus of much ritual activity, as well as a semi-official ban on any public form of rejoicing at a time of mourning, constitute a threat to the continuation of ritual life. However, contrary to expectations, Yezidi religious and ritual life has become more intense rather than declining in the wake of the ISIS attack. The driving forces behind this phenomenon are the need for supernatural help, new opportunities, and a sense of defiance. The daily mixing of the two communities, local Yezidis and Sinjari refugees, with diverse traditions, has also led to an enrichment of ritual life and a new awareness of the multiform nature of Yezidi traditions as people exchange and adopt new customs. Abstract in Kurmanji Hola hola Tawûsî Melek, hola hola şehidêt Şingalê: Zulm û pêkhatina jiyana ayînî ya êzdî Cejn û merasimên li wan rojên cejnan bi rê ve diçin hergav xwedanê roleke serekî bûne di jiyana dînî ya êzdiyan de. Êrîşa DAIŞê bi ser êzdiyan û koçberbûna zêdetir ji nîvê cemaeta êzdiyan li dû wê êrîşê tesîreke mezin li ser awayê pîrozkirina wan cejnan kiriye. Cemaeta êzdî ya Şingalê ji devera xwe ya pîroz qût bûye, ku piraniya çalakiyên dînî lê bi rê ve diçin, û herwiha qedexeyeke nîv-resmî li ser her çi awayekî xweşhaliyê heye di vê dema şînê de. Ev herdu eger gefeke mezin in li ser berdewamiya jiyana ayînî an dînî ya cemaetê. Ligel vê jî, ber'eksê ya ku mirov li bendê be, jiyana dînî û ayînî/merasimî ya êzdiyan li dû êrîşa DAIŞê lawaz neketiye, belkî kûrtir û berfirehtir bûye. Li pişt vê diyardeyê sebebên wek pêdiviya alîkariya xwedayî, îmkanên nû, û hesta berxwedanê hene. Têkilbûna herdu cemaetên êzdiyên xwecih û koçberên ji Şingalê, ku xwedanê nerîtên cuda ne, rê li ber dewlemendbûna qewareya merasiman vekiriye û her ku endamên cemaetan dikevine danûstandinê û dab û nerîtên nû dinasin têgihiştineke nû ya tebîetê pir-şiklî ya nerîtên êzdî jî li bal wan peyda dibe.

“The Song of the Commoner: The Gnostic Call in Yezidi Oral Tradition.” In In Search of Truth: Aug... more “The Song of the Commoner: The Gnostic Call in Yezidi Oral Tradition.” In In Search of Truth: Augustine, Manichaeism and Other Gnosticism. Ed. J. A. van den Berg and J. van Schaik, 663-683. Leiden: Brill, 2011.