DOCSLIB.ORG

Mobilizing the Kurds in Turkey: Newroz As a Myth a Thesis

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Mobilizing the Kurds in Turkey: Newroz As a Myth a Thesis MOBILIZING THE KURDS IN TURKEY: NEWROZ AS A MYTH A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY DELAL AYDIN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN POLITICAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION DECEMBER 2005 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Sencer Ayata Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. Feride ACAR Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Assist. Prof. Necmi Erdoan Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mesut Yeen Co-Supervisor Supervisor Examining Committee Members Assoc. Prof. Mesut Yeen (METU, SOC) Assist. Prof. Necmi Erdoan (METU, ADM) Assist. Prof. Fahriye Üstüner (METU, ADM) Assist. Prof. Ferdan Ergut (METU, HIS) Dr. Mustafa EN (METU, SOC) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name: Delal AYDIN Signature : iii ABSTRACT MOBILIZING THE KURDS IN TURKEY: NEWROZ AS A MYTH Aydın, Delal M.S., Department of Political Science and Public Administration Supervisor : Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mesut Yeen Co-Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Necmi Erdoan December 2005, 132 pages This thesis analyses the role of Newroz in the process of mobilization of the Kurds with the claim of separate identity in Turkey. It is claimed that Newroz is utilized as an ideological tool in order to construct/create Kurdish cultural or national unity. This function of Newroz is examined through two theoretical perspectives which are related to each other. On the one hand, Newroz is taken as a myth which has been used in the construction of Kurdish national identity. On the other hand, Newroz is considered as a tool for counter-hegemony against the hegemonic culture to create cultural unity among the Kurds. Through this analysis, a hegemonic process over/through a myth is revealed. It is claimed that the utilization of Newroz in mobilizing the Kurds resulted in a remarkable success, which gave rise to its turning out to be an ideological battlefield between Kurdish and Turkish nationalisms. Keywords: Newroz, Kurdish nationalism, ideological struggle, myth iv ÖZ TÜRKYE’DE KÜRTLER MOBLZE ETMEK: BR MT OLARAK NEWROZ Aydın, Delal Master, Siyaset Bilimi ve Kamu Yönetimi Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi : Doç.Dr. Mesut Yeen Ortak Tez Yöneticisi: Yrd.Doç. Necmi Erdoan Aralık 2005, 132 sayfa Bu tez Türkiye’de Kürtler’in ayrı bir kimlik talebiyle mobilize edilmesi sürecinde Newroz’un rolünü incelemektedir. Newroz’un Kürt kültürel ya da ulusal birliini kurmak/yaratmak amacıyla ideolojik bir araç olarak kullanıldıı öne sürülmektedir. Newroz’un bu ilevi birbiriyle ilikili iki teorik perspektifin vasıtasıyla incelenmektedir. Newroz, bir yandan Kürt ulusal kimliini kurmak için kullanılan bir mit olarak ele alınmaktadır. Dier yandan, Newroz hegemonik kültüre karı Kürtler arasında kültürel birlik yaratmak için bir karı hegemonya aracı olarak dikkate alınmaktadır. Bu inceleme ile hegemonik bir süreç bir mit üzerinden/yoluyla gösterilmektedir. Newroz’un Kürtler’i mobilize etmekte kullanımının dikkate deer bir baarıyla sonuçlandıı; bunun da onun Kürt ve Türk milliyetçilikleri arasında ideolojik bir sava alanına dönümesine yol açtıı iddia edilmetedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Newroz, Kürt milliyetçilii, ideolojik mücadele, mit v To Emek Ajda and Uur Ura vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Assoc. Prof. Mesut Yeen for his guidance, advice, criticism, encouragements throughout the thesis. He endeavored as much as me for this thesis. I am also grateful to my co-advisor Assist. Prof. Necmi Erdoan for the academic inspiration he provided in his lectures as well as in the thesis process. I would also like to thank the members of my jury who kindly agreed to participate in my jury and shared their valuable comments on my thesis. I am especially grateful to Deniz Gündüz not only for his sincere friendship, but also his encouragement for working on such a topic. I would also like express my appreciation to Cemil Gündoan for his suggestions and comments throughout the thesis. My special thanks for my interviewees; F. Kanat, Mehdi Zana, Nurettin Elhüseyni, Naci Kutlay and Ruen Arslan who kindly accepted to reserve time for me and shared their memories, impressions and thoughts. I am also thankful to Hülya Cebeci, staff of the Parliamentary Library and Peter whose support was so valuable in providing me a plenty of materials about my topic. I also express my thanks to my friends Sevgi Çilingir and Azat Zana Gündoan for their intellectual and collaborative company. I appreciate to Ömer Ensari, Özlem Tatan and Meral Salman for their endless support and friendship. I am also deeply indebted to my family. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my father Kıyasettin Aydın, my mother Gülsabah Aydın and my sisters Nazlı Pınar, Helin and Dilan who have always believed in and unconditionally supported my efforts during my whole life. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM......................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT .............................................................................................iv ÖZ .............................................................................................................v DEDICATION..........................................................................................vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS........................................................................vii TABLE OF CONTENTS........................................................................viii INTRODUCTION....................................................................................1 I. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS .................................................5 I.1 The Construction of National Identity ..................................................5 I.2 The Possibility of Counter-Hegemony ..................................................9 II. HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF THE KURDISH MOVEMENT IN TURKEY .................................................................16 II.1 The Early Period of the Kurdish Nationalism ....................................16 II.1.a. The Social Structure of the Kurds in the Ottoman Empire Period............................................................................................17 II.1.b. Modernization and Centralization Attempts and Their Effects on Kurds ...........................................................................18 II.1.c. Kurdish Rebellions ........................................................................22 II.2. 1938-1960: Years of Silence ............................................................33 II.3. The Military Coup and New Constitution .........................................38 II. 4. Kurdish Movement Enconters Socialism .........................................42 III. INTRODUCING NEWROZ..................................................................45 III.1. Newroz as an Antique Festival ........................................................45 III.2. Newroz in Texts .............................................................................49 III.2.a. ehname.......................................................................................49 III.2.b. erefname ....................................................................................54 IV. THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEWROZ AS A MYTH ........................57 IV.1. First Attempts of Construction: The Kawa Legend..........................59 IV.1.a. Jin: The Beginning of the Invention..............................................59 IV.1.b. hsan Nuri’s Failed Attempt .........................................................64 IV.2. Newroz as a Tool for Counter Hegemony.......................................68 IV.2.a. Kawa the Proletarian ....................................................................68 IV.2.b. “Contemporary Kawa” ................................................................78 viii V. NEWROZ AS AN IDEOLOGICAL BATTLEFIELD .........................84 V.1. Newroz Appears as a “National Security” Problem ..........................85 V.2. Nevruz as a ‘Turkish Ergenekon Festival’ ........................................90 V.3. Discontinuities in PKK’s Discourse ...............................................101 V. 4. ‘W’ Crisis .....................................................................................108 V.5. Covering Newroz: Newroz in Newspapers .....................................110 V.5.a. Critical Liberal Columnists..........................................................110 V.5.b. Mainstream Nationalist Columnists .............................................112 V.5.c. The Extreme Nationalist Columnists ...........................................112 V.5.d. Islamist Columnists .....................................................................114 CONCLUSION .........................................................................................118 BIBLIOGRAPHY......................................................................................122 APPENDICES ...........................................................................................128
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Reconciling Statism with Freedom: Turkey's Kurdish Opening
    Reconciling Statism with Freedom Turkey’s Kurdish Opening Halil M. Karaveli SILK ROAD PAPER October 2010 Reconciling Statism with Freedom Turkey’s Kurdish Opening Halil M. Karaveli © Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program – A Joint Transatlantic Research and Policy Center Johns Hopkins University-SAIS, 1619 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036 Institute for Security and Development Policy, V. Finnbodav. 2, Stockholm-Nacka 13130, Sweden www.silkroadstudies.org “Reconciling Statism with Freedom: Turkey’s Kurdish Opening” is a Silk Road Paper published by the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and the Silk Road Studies Program. The Silk Road Papers Series is the Occasional Paper series of the Joint Center, and ad- dresses topical and timely subjects. The Joint Center is a transatlantic independent and non-profit research and policy center. It has offices in Washington and Stockholm and is affiliated with the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University and the Stockholm-based Institute for Security and Development Policy. It is the first institution of its kind in Europe and North America, and is firmly established as a leading research and policy center, serving a large and diverse commu- nity of analysts, scholars, policy-watchers, business leaders, and journalists. The Joint Center is at the forefront of research on issues of conflict, security, and development in the region. Through its applied research, publications, research cooperation, public lec- tures, and seminars, it functions as a focal point for academic, policy, and public dis- cussion regarding the region. The opinions and conclusions expressed in this study are those of the authors only, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Joint Center or its sponsors.
    [Show full text]
  • Intro Cover Page
    EXCERPTED FROM The Kurds of Iraq: Building a State Within a State Ofra Bengio Copyright © 2012 ISBN: 978-1-58826-836-5 1800 30th Street, Ste. 314 Boulder, CO 80301 USA telephone 303.444.6684 fax 303.444.0824 This excerpt was downloaded from the Lynne Rienner Publishers website www.rienner.com Contents Preface ix List of Acronyms xi Map of Kurdistan xiii 1 The Evolution of Kurdish Nationalism 1 Part 1: The Kurds and the Iraqi State, 1968–1980 2 The Long Road to Kurdish Autonomy 27 3 Paved with Good Intentions 47 4 Unholy Alliances 65 5 Deteriorating Relationships 83 6 Marginalizing the Kurds 99 7 An Imposed Autonomy 113 8 A Time for War 125 9 Interregnum 153 Part 2: Caught in the Crossfire, 1980–1998 10 “One War Begets Another”: The Iran-Iraq War 169 11 Rising from the Ashes 197 12 The Birth Pangs of Kurdish Self-Rule 209 13 Uncivil War in Kurdistan 231 vii viii Contents Part 3: A Kurdish Entity in the Making, 1998–2010 14 The Foreign Relations Imbroglio 245 15 From Victims to Victors 273 16 The Great Leap Forward in Post-Saddam Iraq 297 Part 4: Conclusion 17 “No Friends but the Mountains” Reconsidered 315 Bibliography 321 Index 331 About the Book 346 1 The Evolution of Kurdish Nationalism I met her in a Parisian café in October 1993. She had fled sometime before from Saddam‘s Iraq, where she had worked as a scientist. She was very friendly but, at the same time, extremely frightened. She dis- closed neither her name nor any personal details, except for the fact that she was a Kurd and had lived a nightmarish existence in Iraqi Kurdistan.
    [Show full text]
  • The Kurds; History and Culture
    Western Kurdistan Association publications Jemal Nebez The Kurds; History and Culture Jemal Nebez THE KURDS History and Kulture Presentation held in German on the 19th September 1997 in the Kurdish Community- House in Berlin, Germany First published in German in 1997 by: The Kurdish Community House in Berlin, Germany First publication in English, including a Bio-Bibliography of Jemal Nebez, by: WKA Publications - London 2004 Translated into English by: Hanne Kuchler Preface by: Dr. Hasan Mohamed Ali Director of the Board of the Kurdish Community House in Berlin, Germany 1 Jemal Nebez The Kurds; History and Culture 2 Jemal Nebez The Kurds; History and Culture PREFACE On the occasion of the inauguration of the Kurdish community-house in Berlin, Germany in September 1997, the well-known Kurdologist Dr. Jemal Nebez held a warmly received speech under the title: The Kurds – their history and culture. This speech was not only of great importance because of its contents and coverage, but also because it was based on precise data and historic scientific evidence. In his speech Dr. Nebez covered various subjects, e.g. pre- Christian ancient history and the mythology of the Kurds, the cultural height and depth of the Kurdish people in the shadow of the numerous expeditions by alien peoples through Kurdistan, the astounding variety of religions in Kurdistan, with special stress on syncretism as the most striking feature of the Kurdish religious culture, delineating syncretism as inherently different from mixed religions. As an analytically thinking scientist (physicist) the speaker did not get stuck in the past, nor was his speech 3 Jemal Nebez The Kurds; History and Culture an archaeological presentation, but an Archigenesis, which in fluent transition reaches from past epochs to the present situation of the Kurdish people.
    [Show full text]
  • Armenian Involvement in the 1925-1946 Kurdish Rebellions in Republican Turkey: Trying to Map the Origins of “Hidden Armenians
    Armenian Involvement in the 1925-1946 Kurdish Rebellions in Republican Turkey: Trying to Map the Origins of “Hidden Armenians By: GARABET K MOUMDJIAN Abstract: The history of Armenian-Kurdish relations extends over centuries. In the 1800’s, Armenians were involved in the Kurdish rebellions in Kurdistan proper. The rebellions were crushed by Ottoman military might.1 After the Armenian Genocide of 1915, a new phase of Armenian involvement in yet a new episode of Kurdish rebellions ensued in Republican Turkey. This new collusion lasted all the way to the late 1930s. The aim of the ARF (Armenian Revolutionary Federation, AKA Tashnagtsutyune) at the time was twofold: Dispersion into the Middle East was considered to be a temporary sojourn and the ARF was adamant in its thinking that Armenians should repatriate to their historic homeland. The ARF attempted such an adventurous plan due to its knowledge that many pockets of Armenians—ergo, what would later become known as “Hidden Armenians”—existed in the Eastern Provinces of the newly established Turkish Republic. Toward the end of World War II there was some optimism that the Soviet Union could reoccupy some of the historical Western Armenian lands and incorporate them into the Soviet Armenian Republic. The ARF, regardless of its ideological opposition to the Soviet Union at the time, agreed to a détente with its arch-enemy for such a nascent purpose. Having access to archival material from republican Turkey, the Soviet Union, Armenia, France, Britain, as well as the memoirs and letters of some prominent ARF leaders involved in the Kurdish rebellions of the time creates a unique opportunity to present a more detailed account about the period under.
    [Show full text]
  • Istanbul Technical University Graduate School of Arts
    ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES TRANSFORMATIONS OF KURDISH MUSIC IN SYRIA: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FACTORS M.A. THESIS Hussain HAJJ Department of Musicology and Music Theory Musicology M.A. Programme JUNE 2018 ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES TRANSFORMATIONS OF KURDISH MUSIC IN SYRIA: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FACTORS M.A. THESIS Hussain HAJJ (404141007) Department of Musicology and Music Theory Musicology Programme Thesis Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. F. Belma KURTİŞOĞLU JUNE 2018 İSTANBUL TEKNİK ÜNİVERSİTESİ SOSYAL BİLİMLER ENSTİTÜSÜ SURİYE’DE KÜRT MÜZİĞİNİN DÖNÜŞÜMÜ: SOSYAL VE POLİTİK ETKENLER YÜKSEK LİSANS TEZİ Hussain HAJJ (404141007) Müzikoloji ve Müzik Teorisi Anabilim Dalı Müzikoloji Yüksek Lisans Programı Tez Danışmanı: Doç. Dr. F. Belma KURTİŞOĞLU HAZİRAN 2018 Date of Submission : 7 May 2018 Date of Defense : 4 June 2018 v vi To the memory of my father, to my dear mother and Neslihan Güngör; thanks for always being there for me. vii viii FOREWORD When I started studying Musicology, a musician friend from Syrian Kurds told me that I am leaving my seat as an active musician and starting a life of academic researches, and that he will make music and I will research the music he makes. It was really an interesting statement to me; it made me think of two things, the first one is the intention behind this statement, while the second was the attitude of Kurds, especially Kurd musicians, towards researchers and researching. As for the first thing, I felt that there was a problem, maybe a social or psychological, of the Kurdish people in general, and the musicians in particular.
    [Show full text]
  • Genealogy of the Concept of Securitization and Minority Rights
    THE KURD INDUSTRY: UNDERSTANDING COSMOPOLITANISM IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY by ELÇIN HASKOLLAR A Dissertation submitted to the Graduate School – Newark Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in Global Affairs written under the direction of Dr. Stephen Eric Bronner and approved by ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ Newark, New Jersey October 2014 © 2014 Elçin Haskollar ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION The Kurd Industry: Understanding Cosmopolitanism in the Twenty-First Century By ELÇIN HASKOLLAR Dissertation Director: Dr. Stephen Eric Bronner This dissertation is largely concerned with the tension between human rights principles and political realism. It examines the relationship between ethics, politics and power by discussing how Kurdish issues have been shaped by the political landscape of the twenty- first century. It opens up a dialogue on the contested meaning and shape of human rights, and enables a new avenue to think about foreign policy, ethically and politically. It bridges political theory with practice and reveals policy implications for the Middle East as a region. Using the approach of a qualitative, exploratory multiple-case study based on discourse analysis, several Kurdish issues are examined within the context of democratization, minority rights and the politics of exclusion. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, archival research and participant observation. Data analysis was carried out based on the theoretical framework of critical theory and discourse analysis. Further, a discourse-interpretive paradigm underpins this research based on open coding. Such a method allows this study to combine individual narratives within their particular socio-political, economic and historical setting.
    [Show full text]
  • Protesting As a Terrorist Offense RIGHTS the Arbitrary Use of Terrorism Laws to Prosecute and Incarcerate Demonstrators in Turkey WATCH
    Turkey HUMAN Protesting as a Terrorist Offense RIGHTS The Arbitrary Use of Terrorism Laws to Prosecute and Incarcerate Demonstrators in Turkey WATCH Protesting as a Terrorist Offense The Arbitrary Use of Terrorism Laws to Prosecute and Incarcerate Demonstrators in Turkey Copyright © 2010 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-708-6 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: +1 212 290 4700, Fax: +1 212 736 1300 [email protected] Poststraße 4-5 10178 Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 2593 06-10, Fax: +49 30 2593 0629 [email protected] Avenue des Gaulois, 7 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: + 32 (2) 732 2009, Fax: + 32 (2) 732 0471 [email protected] 64-66 Rue de Lausanne 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 0481, Fax: +41 22 738 1791 [email protected] 2-12 Pentonville Road, 2nd Floor London N1 9HF, UK Tel: +44 20 7713 1995, Fax: +44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] 27 Rue de Lisbonne 75008 Paris, France Tel: +33 (1)43 59 55 35, Fax: +33 (1) 43 59 55 22 [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel: +1 202 612 4321, Fax: +1 202 612 4333 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org November 2010 1-56432-708-6 Protesting as a Terrorist Offense The Arbitrary Use of Terrorism Laws to Prosecute and Incarcerate Demonstrators in Turkey I. Summary ......................................................................................................................... 1 Key Recommendations ..........................................................................................................6 Methodology ........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • To Appear in Kurdish Studies Language
    To appear in Kurdish Studies Language attitudes and religion: Kurdish Alevis in the UK Birgul Yilmaz1 2 Abstract In this article I report on results of a Matched Guise Tests (MGT) study investigating attitudes towards Bohtan (BHKr) and Maraş Kurmanji (MRKr) spoken among the UK diaspora. I focus on BHKr, which I use to refer to the Kurmanji that is identified as “good Kurmanji”, also referred to as “academic”/ “proper”, and MRKr to refer to the Kurmanji that is referred to as “bad Kurmanji” by Kurmanji speakers in the UK (Yilmaz, 2018). The MGT, and questions pertaining to perceptual dialectology such as respondents’ perceptions of region, religion, gender and class in this study, show that attitudes towards what is perceived as BHKr and MRKr differ significantly. By concentrating on language attitudes towards Kurmanji which have never been studied in the UK context before, this paper investigates negative and positive evaluations of both BHKr and MRKr in relation to religious affiliation. Keywords Language attitudes, religion, matched guise tests, Kurdish-Kurmanji, Alevis 1 Birgul Yilmaz is a British Academy Postdoctoral Researcher at UCL Institute of Education in London Centre for Applied Linguistics | 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AL Email: [email protected] 2 I wish to thank Michael Chyet, Ruth Kircher, Jeff Izzard and the reviewers of this special issue for their feedback on earlier versions and thoughtful suggestions. 1 Introduction Sociolinguistic studies have dealt with social factors such as social status, gender and age (Labov, 1966), and the ways in which these are intertwined with change and variation (Eckert 2012).
    [Show full text]
  • The Kurdish Diaspora in Canada: a Study of Political Activism and the Uses of the Kurdish Language
    The Kurdish Diaspora in Canada: A Study of Political Activism and The Uses of The Kurdish Language Esengul Tasdemir Thesis submitted to the University of Ottawa in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies Faculty of Social Sciences University of Ottawa Ó Esengul Tasdemir, Ottawa, Canada, 2019 Abstract This thesis focuses on the Kurdish people of Turkey, who have struggled and advocated for a separate nation-state of their own. The Turkish state’s denial of Kurdish identity, and its heavy assimilation and oppression of the Kurdish people have turned some Kurds into political activists, both in Turkey and in the diaspora. In addition, the historical ban and current stigmatization of the Kurdish language have crystallized the importance and centrality of the language, particularly for both Kurdish identity and the Kurdish movement. This thesis explores the forms of political activism in Canada of the Kurds originating in Turkey, and the role of the Kurdish language in their activism. Using a qualitative research design, interviews with activists and participant observations were conducted in the cities of Toronto and Montréal. The findings draw attention to the significance of community centres as umbrella institutions for political activism, and as sites for the enactment of different forms of collective resistance. The study also illustrates that the role of the Kurdish language in activism is more salient at a representational level. That is, the Kurdish language is represented as the main identity marker fuelling activism, implying that speaking Kurdish is an act of resistance and thus political.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of European, Persian, and Arabic Loans in Standard Sorani
    A Study of European, Persian, and Arabic Loans in Standard Sorani Jafar Hasanpoor Doctoral dissertation for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Iranian languages presented at Uppsala University 1999. ABSTRACT Hasanpoor, J. 1999: A Study of European, Persian and Arabic Loans in Standard Sorani. Reports on Asian and African Studies (RAAS) 1. XX pp. Uppsala. ISBN 91-506-1353-7. This dissertation examines processes of lexical borrowing in the Sorani standard of the Kurdish language, spoken in Iraq, Iran, and the Kurdish diaspora. Borrowing, a form of language contact, occurs on all levels of language structure. In the pre-standard literary Kurdish (Kirmanci and Sorani) which emerged in the pre-modern period, borrowing from Arabic and Persian was a means of developing a distinct literary and linguistic tradition. By contrast, in standard Sorani and Kirmanci, borrowing from the state languages, Arabic, Persian, and Turkish, is treated as a form of domination, a threat to the language, character, culture, and national distinctness of the Kurdish nation. The response to borrowing is purification through coinage, internal borrowing, and other means of extending the lexical resources of the language. As a subordinate language, Sorani is subjected to varying degrees of linguistic repression, and this has not allowed it to develop freely. Since Sorani speakers have been educated only in Persian (Iran), or predominantly in Arabic, European loans in Sorani are generally indirect borrowings from Persian and Arabic (Iraq). These loans constitute a major source for lexical modernisation. The study provides wordlists of European loanwords used by Hêmin and other codifiers of Sorani.
    [Show full text]
  • Turkish Commanders Discuss Counterterrorism Strategies and Lessons Learned from 25 Years of fighting the PKK Karen Kaya*
    Small Wars & Insurgencies Vol. 23, No. 3, July 2012, 527–541 REVIEW ARTICLE Turkish commanders discuss counterterrorism strategies and lessons learned from 25 years of fighting the PKK Karen Kaya* Foreign Military Studies Office (FMSO), Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, USA This article is an extended book review of the Turkish book Commanders’ Front (Komutanlar Cephesi, Istanbul: Detay Publishing, 2007), written by prominent Turkish journalist Fikret Bila, who compiled a series of interviews with retired Turkish military commanders and two former presidents. It provides a foreign perspective on counterinsurgency/terrorism strategies and lessons learned from Turkey’s small war against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The interviews reveal the generals’ views on Turkey’s long- standing fight with the PKK, discussing topics ranging from the social aspect of the PKK problem to mistakes made in arming local militia. In addition, it presents the Turkish perspective on US policy in Iraq. Keywords: insurgency; terrorism; PKK; Iraq; Turkey; military; counter- insurgency; separatism; northern Iraq; Turkish Armed Forces Introduction In November 2007, Turkish journalist Fikret Bila released an important book, Komutanlar Cephesi (Commanders’ Front), a compilation of interviews with 10 retired Turkish military commanders and two former presidents. Bila interviewed some of the important Turkish Armed Forces commanders of the last 25 years. The interviews reveal the generals’ views on Turkey’s long-standing fight with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an insurgent group which uses terrorism as a tactic in its quest to establish an independent Kurdish state in Turkey’s southeast. The generals discuss topics ranging from the social aspect of the PKK problem, to Downloaded by [Combined Arms Research Library] at 06:40 29 May 2013 the importance of secrecy in mounting successful cross-border operations, to mistakes made such as arming the local militia.
    [Show full text]
  • Who's Who in Politics in Turkey
    WHO’S WHO IN POLITICS IN TURKEY Sarıdemir Mah. Ragıp Gümüşpala Cad. No: 10 34134 Eminönü/İstanbul Tel: (0212) 522 02 02 - Faks: (0212) 513 54 00 www.tarihvakfi.org.tr - [email protected] © Tarih Vakfı Yayınları, 2019 WHO’S WHO IN POLITICS IN TURKEY PROJECT Project Coordinators İsmet Akça, Barış Alp Özden Editors İsmet Akça, Barış Alp Özden Authors Süreyya Algül, Aslı Aydemir, Gökhan Demir, Ali Yalçın Göymen, Erhan Keleşoğlu, Canan Özbey, Baran Alp Uncu Translation Bilge Güler Proofreading in English Mark David Wyers Book Design Aşkın Yücel Seçkin Cover Design Aşkın Yücel Seçkin Printing Yıkılmazlar Basın Yayın Prom. ve Kağıt San. Tic. Ltd. Şti. Evren Mahallesi, Gülbahar Cd. 62/C, 34212 Bağcılar/İstanbull Tel: (0212) 630 64 73 Registered Publisher: 12102 Registered Printer: 11965 First Edition: İstanbul, 2019 ISBN Who’s Who in Politics in Turkey Project has been carried out with the coordination by the History Foundation and the contribution of Heinrich Böll Foundation Turkey Representation. WHO’S WHO IN POLITICS IN TURKEY —EDITORS İSMET AKÇA - BARIŞ ALP ÖZDEN AUTHORS SÜREYYA ALGÜL - ASLI AYDEMİR - GÖKHAN DEMİR ALİ YALÇIN GÖYMEN - ERHAN KELEŞOĞLU CANAN ÖZBEY - BARAN ALP UNCU TARİH VAKFI YAYINLARI Table of Contents i Foreword 1 Abdi İpekçi 3 Abdülkadir Aksu 6 Abdullah Çatlı 8 Abdullah Gül 11 Abdullah Öcalan 14 Abdüllatif Şener 16 Adnan Menderes 19 Ahmet Altan 21 Ahmet Davutoğlu 24 Ahmet Necdet Sezer 26 Ahmet Şık 28 Ahmet Taner Kışlalı 30 Ahmet Türk 32 Akın Birdal 34 Alaattin Çakıcı 36 Ali Babacan 38 Alparslan Türkeş 41 Arzu Çerkezoğlu
    [Show full text]