State Ideology and the Kurds in Turkey

Neophytos Loizides, Queen's University - Belfast

Article comments

This is a draft preliminary version. Please visit journal's website for final edited version.

Abstract

This article evaluates theories of nationalism by examining the formation of Kurdish nationalism in Turkey. It deals particularly with different manifestations of the contemporary Kurdish question and provides an account for the late development of nationalism in the Kurdish regions of the country. It situates the Kurdish experience within the broader experience of the post-Ottoman world and analyzes the awakening of Kurdish national identity among broader segments of the population. It provides an alternative to Ernest Gellner’s functionalist account of nationalism and industrialization by stressing the link between state policies and minority nationalism. It considers the political, psychological and other implications of state repression as well as the opportunities created in the diaspora or through external intervention. It argues that state policies in Turkey did not prevent and even contributed to the rise of minority nationalism. Finally, the article raises two interrelated questions: what types of nationalism have Kurds developed under conditions of limited expression and what options for conflict resolution are present particularly in light of Turkey’s EU accession process.