The Politics of Widowhood in Nagorny Karabakh

This chapter explores the everyday challenges of widows in Nagorny Karabakh. Widowhood is an under-recognized, albeit significant aspect of life in every region and in every country. However, the scant literature dealing with contemporary narratives of widowhood among women as a consequence of conflicts indicates that this aspect of lived experience remains underexplored. Although loss is integral to life in Nagorny Karabakh, it is often overlooked because of the unsettled politics in the region. The long-standing conflict over Nagorny Karabakh has generated and continues to generate severe consequences for society—sporadic clashes along the border with Azerbaijan remain common to this day. Thus, for women married to soldiers, confronting death is part of life. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the everyday experiences of women in the region, understanding and reworking the concepts of widowhood. In this way, this chapter is intended to stimulate discussion on the relatively neglected subject of widowhood, both in the region and in broader comparative terms.