Acknowledgments

A few years back I was teaching a qualitative methods course, and when discussing issues surrounding access and how to actually get a major research project going, the students asked if I had any advice from my own experience. I struggled to come up with any concrete recommenda- tions. As with so much of my life, this project came about by me stum- bling backward into good fortune. The best I could come up with for them was to be lucky enough to meet a bunch of great people who help you for no other reason than they’re great people. I’m fortunate enough to have a long list of great people to thank. My undergraduate mentors Kent Sandstrom and Steven Muzzatti de- serve a great deal of praise or condemnation for sending me on this career path. Joshua Page, Ron Aminzade, and Theresa Gowan provided great mentorship and extensive notes on early portions of this project, and Chris Uggen was central as both my PhD advisor and continued cheerleader in the years since. Gabrielle Ferrales is owed a world of thanks not only for her continued mentorship and critical notes on the manuscript but also for first introducing me to the research contacts that got this project off the ground and then later helping to design research materials and pro- vide tireless assistance (and enthusiasm!) in the research project. There is simply no way this project would have happened without Gab. Wenjie Liao similarly contributed to the research design of work that didn’t make it directly into this book but greatly informed my understanding. Sincere thanks to Maura Roessner and Madison Wetzell of UC Press for their be- lief in the manuscript, invaluable assistance in putting the book together, and polite patience with my incessant inquiries. This project would have never begun without the kind assistance of Daniel Rothenberg, Kari Kammel, Kandy Christensen, and Kurdistan viii Acknowledgments / ix

Dayole from the International Human Rights Law Institute in Sulaymaniyah. Special thanks to Shamal Hussein and Hiwa Sadiq for their invaluable translation assistance and friendship, and to Hardy for driving me where I needed to go. Many thanks to the wonderful friends I gained in Suly—Dr. Farhad, Alex, Lukacs, Nwenar, Ramyar, Kamaran, and Luke. Most special thanks to Dr. Anwer Jaff, whose invaluable connections have been absolutely essential to my research, and whose friendship, insights, and hospitality I will never be able to repay. A similar debt of gratitude is owed to the many police, judges, and lawyers who volunteered their time and assistance. And, of course, a hearty thank you to the Kurdish people, whose kindness and hospitality remains simply overwhelming. A portion of this project was funded in part by the West Virginia Humanities Council and in even smaller, though much more meaning- ful, part by the members of Graduate Student Workers United. No major funding agencies provided any assistance for the research contained in this book, as it was deemed “unlikely to be completed,” in the words of one such rejection. The only major source of funding for this research was provided by Josephine Poplar Wozniak, a light to this world who is sorely missed. While she likely couldn’t have envisioned how I would end up using the government savings bonds she sent me as an infant, I hope I’ve made her proud. The entirety of this manuscript was written with a smelly old dog snoring loudly at my feet, who moved on to that great farm up north shortly after the book was completed and will be forever missed. Finally, if you’ve read this far, you’re assuredly one of my parents, so, hi Mom! Hi Dad! TURKEY

Zakho Dohuk Rabia MosulDam Kurdistan Region Sinjar (claimed boundary) Gwer Erbil Kurdistan Region Qaiyarah Makhmur (recognized boundary) Qaiyarah air base Slemani NINEWA Sharqat Zawiyah Hawija BaijiRe nery SYRIA SALAH Rawa Sulaiman Beg Syrian rebel AL-DIN Jalula Qaim control Udhaim Lake Sadia IRAN Baghdadi Tharthar Baquba Akashat Hit Karma Taji Walid DIYALA

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Territorial control as of July 30, 2017 Kurdistan Region Control by unrecognized armed groups SYRIA Iraqi Kurdistan Map 2. referendum. Graphicby Evan Centanni andDjordje Djukic, incorporating base map byKoen Adamsof onestopmap.com. Allrights reserved.