Kurds in Dark Times: New Perspectives on Violence and Resistance in Turkey

The largest ethnic group in the world without an independent state is the Kurds, who live in Turkey and face state violence and conflict. Alemdaroglu and Göçeks' volume develops a fresh approach by moving away from top-down, Turkish nationalist macro analyses to a micro-analysis of how Kurds and Kurdistan as historical and ethnic categories were constructed from the bottom up and how Kurds experience and resist marginalization, exclusion, and violence.

Format: Hardback
Length: 432 pages
Publication date: 15 November 2022
Publisher: Syracuse University Press

The Kurds, a vast ethnic group numbering around 35 million, stand as the world's largest population without an independent state of their own. The majority of Kurds reside in Turkey, where they constitute a significant 18 percent of the population. Since the establishment of the Turkish republic in 1923, the history of the Kurds in Turkey has been marred by state violence and decades of conflict between the Turkish military and Kurdish fighters. Despite the well-documented struggle of the Kurdish people and the scholarly attention given to the political actors involved in the conflict, there has been limited exploration of the perspectives of the Kurds themselves.

In their groundbreaking volume, Alemdaroglu and Göçeks adopt a novel approach by shifting away from top-down, Turkish nationalist macro analyses to a micro-analysis of how Kurds and Kurdistan as historical and ethnic categories were constructed from the bottom up. The contributors delve into the experiences of Kurds and their resistance to marginalization, exclusion, and violence. They examine not only the political interactions with the Turkish state and society but also the informal ways in which Kurds navigate within society, which hold significant importance in fostering peace and reconciliation.

Kurds in Dark Times offers a vital glimpse into the lives of Kurds in Turkey, providing profound insights into their political interactions with the Turkish state and society, as well as the informal mechanisms they employ for social negotiation. This book serves as an essential window into the daily realities and struggles of the Kurdish community, shedding light on their resilience, creativity, and determination in the face of adversity. By delving into the experiences of the Kurds themselves, this volume contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics and challenges facing this marginalized population.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780815637707