Narratives of Statelessness and Political Otherness: Kurdish and Palestinian Experiences

Citizenship is an inadequate solution to the problem of statelessness, as it assumes national sameness and involves sovereign practices of denial and assimilation of ethnic alterity. This book highlights the necessity of de-ethnicizing and decolonizing unitary nation-states that are based on the politico-cultural supremacy of a single,“core” ethnicity. It broaches questions of “majority” and “minority,” mobility,nationalism,home-making,equality,difference and universalism in the context of the nation-state and illustrates how stateless peoples such as Kurds and Palestinians endure and challenge their subordinate position in a hierarchical (geo-)political order.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 17 July 2021
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

This book makes a compelling case that citizenship is an insufficient solution to the issue of statelessness, based on a rigorous examination of the lived experiences of Kurdish and Palestinian diasporas in Western Europe. It delves into the profound impact of statelessness on various aspects of identity, including homelessness, belonging, non-belonging, otherness, voices, status, (non)recognition, (dis)respect, (in)visibility, and presence in the complex world of nation-states. Furthermore, it underscores that the dismantling of non-sovereign identities' subjugation to structural subalternization and everyday inferiorization necessitates rights that go beyond mere acquisition of juridical citizenship, which often presupposes national sameness. This assumption, in turn, involves sovereign practices of denial and assimilation of ethnic alterity.

The book thus highlights the urgent need for de-ethnicizing and decolonizing unitary nation-states that are founded on the politico-cultural supremacy of a single, "core" ethnicity as the sovereign legislator of the rules and regimes of national belonging and un-belonging. It raises thought-provoking questions about "majority" and "minority," mobility, nationalism, home-making, equality, difference, and universalism within the context of the nation-state and provides illustrative examples of how stateless peoples, such as Kurds and Palestinians, endure and challenge their subordinate position in a hierarchical (geo-)political order while still being bound by political otherness.

Through its comprehensive analysis, this book offers valuable insights into the complexities of statelessness and its far-reaching consequences for individuals and communities. It sheds light on the urgent need for alternative approaches and policies that recognize the diversity and uniqueness of all peoples, regardless of their citizenship status. It serves as a call to action for policymakers, activists, and society as a whole to address the systemic injustices and inequalities that perpetuate statelessness and work towards a more inclusive and equitable world for all.

Weight: 522g
Dimension: 156 x 220 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030766979
Edition number: 1st ed. 2021