Trauma and Identity in Gharbi Mustafa's When Mountains Weep

Abstract

This paper explores the intricate interplay of trauma, identity, and otherness in Gharbi Mustafa’s memoir novel When Mountains Weep (2013), situating it within the broader context of Kurdish literature and historical oppression. By examining Hamko’s coming-of-age amidst Ba’athist persecution, forced assimilation, and the fracturing of Kurdish communities, the study highlights how trauma is both personal and collective, shaping selfhood, social relations, and cultural memory. Drawing on postcolonial theory, psychoanalytic trauma studies, and Kurdish socio-historical contexts, the paper argues that Mustafa’s narrative transforms individual and generational suffering into a powerful testimony of resilience, resistance, and identity reconstruction. It foregrounds the dual dimensions of otherness, both externally imposed by dominant regimes and internally negotiated within Kurdish communities, demonstrating how literature functions as a medium for processing trauma, asserting belonging, and reclaiming cultural agency.

Keywords: Trauma, Kurdish literature, Identity, Otherness, Postcolonial theory, Collective memory