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HomeAbstracta IranicaVolume 286. Religions (sauf Islam)6.3. Autres religionsE. Spät. « Changes in the Oral Tr...

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6. Religions (sauf Islam)
6.3. Autres religions
255

E. Spät. « Changes in the Oral Tradition of the Yezidis of Iraqi Kurdistan ». Journal of Kurdish Studies, V, 2005, pp. 73-83.

Christine Allison

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6.3. Autres religions
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1This article reflects the complexities and challenges of fieldwork experience amongst Yezidis in Iraq, whose faith is undergoing major changes. In the village and tribal environment of the past, traditional Yezidism was transmitted orally and its traditions were profoundly influenced by processes of non-literate composition, teaching and learning, and by the practical needs of the community. Yezidi religious experts have always been few and are now fewer, due to ‘TV culture’ which undermines folklore in general. Moreover the transition to higher levels of literacy has produced an unqualified respect for the written source by comparison with the oral and consequent canon formation and ‘scripturalisation’. The general process of re-evaluation of the religion also comprises many attempts to modernise mythology to make it more ‘scientific’, to reject Islamic elements in the belief system and in texts, and to search for non-Islamic origins. These attempts to make Yezidism more acceptable to those with a ‘modern’ world-view (and also to outsiders) are bringing about a radical transformation.

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Christine Allison, “E. Spät. « Changes in the Oral Tradition of the Yezidis of Iraqi Kurdistan ». Journal of Kurdish Studies, V, 2005, pp. 73-83.”, Abstracta Iranica [Online], Volume 28 | 2007, document 255, Online since 18 September 2007, connection on 12 July 2026. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/abstractairanica/12272; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/abstractairanica.12272

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About the author

Christine Allison

INaLCO / Mondes iranien et indien - Paris

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The text only may be used under licence CC BY-SA 4.0. All other elements (illustrations, imported files) may be subject to specific use terms.

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