The crime of genocide remains engraved in the collective memory of nations, carrying with it the painful stories of the past whose effects persist for generations. Revisiting the past can help uncover the causes of genocide, understand its dimensions, and work toward preventing its recurrence in the future. Collective memory plays a crucial and enduring role in preserving identity, history, and heritage. Today, the field of history is witnessing a period of renewal through growing attention to this subject. Recently, several scholars have reemphasized the importance of oral history and its essential role in documenting and preserving human memory.

Individual and collective memories provide historians with invaluable insights into recent events, enabling them to broaden the scope of available sources beyond official written archives. This conference highlights the vital role of documenting events in preserving and understanding human memory. Relying solely on written archives—often produced by state institutions or elites—tends to silence the voice of those most affected by such atrocities. This issue is particularly troubling when studying wars, massacres, and genocides committed against the Ezidis over past centuries. State archives usually contain the testimonies of perpetrators of violence rather than those of the victims and survivors. To achieve a diverse and inclusive understanding of these tragic events, historians must adopt memory documentation as a means of accessing living testimonies.

This conference seeks to serve as a comprehensive scientific, humanitarian, and human rights platform dedicated to documenting the genocide committed against the Ezidis in 2014 by the so-called ISIS organization. It aims to present an in-depth and holistic analysis of this crime in its historical, social, cultural, and psychological dimensions — not merely as a tragic event of the past, but as an open wound with ongoing consequences for individual and collective identity, for transitional justice, and for the historical memory of the Ezidi, Iraqis, and broader human communities.

The conference also aspires to be an interdisciplinary intellectual forum bringing together researchers and academics from diverse fields of knowledge — including History, Sociology, International law, Psychology, Anthropology, and Peace and Conflict studies — alongside survivors of the genocide, representatives of civil society, human rights defenders, and local and international policymakers.

The core vision of the conference is reflected in the following:

Documenting the crimes: Establishing a well-documented and accurate historical record based on live testimonies, legal investigations, and field data, thereby enhancing global awareness of the scope and depth of the tragedy.

Holding perpetrators accountable: Supporting local and international judicial efforts to prosecute those responsible for genocide and to ensure accountability through legal insights, evidence, and testimonies that promote justice.

Reviving collective memory: Resisting oblivion and marginalization by preserving the narratives of victims and integrating them into public consciousness, while reinforcing the Ezidi narrative as an integral part of Kurdish, Iraqi, and human history.

Transitional justice and recovery: Opening dialogue on mechanisms for redress and healing — psychological and communal — through programs of psychosocial support, social reintegration, trust rebuilding, and the material and symbolic reconstruction of Ezidi society.

Shaping future policies: Facilitating dialogue among policymakers, human rights organizations, and the academic community to develop sustainable policies for minority protection and the prevention of future atrocities, both nationally and internationally.