Longing to Return and Spaces of Belonging

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Longing to Return and Spaces of Belonging TURUN YLIOPISTON JULKAISUJA ANNALES UNIVERSITATIS TURKUENSIS SERIAL B, HUMANIORA, 374 LONGING TO RETURN AND SPACES OF BELONGING. IRAQIS’ NARRATIVES IN HELSINKI AND ROME By Vanja La Vecchia-Mikkola TURUN YLIOPISTO UNIVERSITY OF TURKU Turku 2013 Department of Social Research/Sociology Faculty of Social Sciences University of Turku Turku, Finland Supervised by: Suvi Keskinen Östen Wahlbeck University of Helsinki University of Helsinki Helsinki, Finland Helsinki, Finland Reviewed by: Marja Tiilikainen Marko Juntunen University of Helsinki University of Tampere Helsinki, Finland Helsinki, Finland Opponent: Professor Minoo Alinia Uppsala University Uppsala, Sweden ISBN 978-951-29-5594-7 (PDF) ISSN 0082-6987 Acknowledgments First of all, I wish to express my initial appreciation to all the people from Iraq who contributed to this study. I will always remember the time spent with them as enriching and enjoyable experience, not only as a researcher but also as a human being. I am extremely grateful to my two PhD supervisors: Östen Wahlbeck and Suvi Keskinen, who have invested time and efforts in reading and providing feedback to the thesis. Östen, you have been an important mentor for me during these years. Thanks for your support and your patience. Your critical suggestions and valuable insights have been fundamental for this study. Suvi, thanks for your inspiring comments and continuous encouragement. Your help allows me to grow as a research scientist during this amazing journey. I am also deeply indebted to many people who contributed to the different steps of this thesis. I am grateful to both reviewers Marja Tiilikainen and Marko Juntunen, for their time, dedication and valuable comments. I thank the researchers involved in the Academy of Finland project “Transnational and Local: the Social Integration of Immigrant Communities” for sharing their comments and thoughts on numerous occasions. In particular, I am indebted to Östen Wahlbeck, Tuomas Martikainen, Salla Tuori, Sanna Saksela-Bergholm, Kathleen Valtonen, and Sabina Fortelius. It was an honor for me to work with you. Similarly, I also thank the experts involved in the Academy of Finland project at the University of Turku called “Multiculturalism as a New Pathway to Incorporation” and in particular Auvo Kostiainen and all experts and student participating in our classes. I express my special thanks to Peter Kivisto, also involved in the project and whose comments were particularly precious to me. I owe my deepest gratitude to the people from the department of Social research/Sociology at the University of Turku, Hannu Ruonavaara and Jani Erola for practical advice and support. My past and current colleagues Mari Toivanen, Chuang- Ying Liu, Elina Oinas, Paul Jonker-Hoffren, Jukka Vuorinen, Antti Kouvo, Carita Lockmer, Arttu Saarinen, Päivi Naumanen and many others for the enriching time spend during our seminars, for their suggestions at various points of my research, practical help and friendship. A special thank goes also to the administrative staff of the Department secretary Jaana Tähti and coordinator Marja Andersson. 1 I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the past and current people at the University of Helsinki /Swedish School of Social Science and the Centre for Research on Ethnic Relations and Nationalism (CEREN) like Jan Saarela, Tom Sandlund, Matti Similä, Peter A. Kraus, Pasi Saukkonen, Peter Holley, Enikő Marton, Ruta Kazlauskaite-Gürbüz, Niko Pyrhönen, Allyana Thomas, Anna Storgårds, Hanna Bärlund, Heidi Aaltonen and Johanna Löyhkö for their comments, help, encouragement and interest. I also wish to express my appreciation to the several other social scientists I met during different seminars and conferences in Finland and abroad. All the members of the department of Sociology at the Åbo Akademi University and in particular Mikko Lagerspetz and Susan Sundback for their help and comprehension. I am also grateful to other international social scientists, who I had the privilege to meet during these years like John Eade, Frank Eckardt, Marco Martiniello, Rinus Penninx, Hasan Bousetta and Giuseppe Sciortino. I thank the Academy of Finland, the City of Helsinki, the Kansan Sivistysrahasto, the Oskar Öflund, the Åbo Akademi foundation for providing me financial support during these years. Without their support this thesis would not have reached completion. Finally, I would also like to thank my wonderful “families”, my inimitable husband Tuomas, my lovely son Morgan, my parents and my friends who all have been supportive and caring. 2 Table of Contents 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 9 1.1 Background of the study .................................................................................. 9 1.2 From the myth of return to the longing to return ........................................... 12 1.3 Return and transnationalism .......................................................................... 14 1.4 Return and integration ................................................................................... 15 1.5 Research aims ................................................................................................ 16 1.6 Thesis outline ................................................................................................. 18 2 Theory and literature review: framing trans-nationalism into the global world of migration........................................................................................................................ 20 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 20 2.2 Globalisation and migration .......................................................................... 20 2.3 Transnationalism ........................................................................................... 23 2.4 The concept of integration ............................................................................. 27 2.5 The challenging relation between integration and transnationalism ............. 31 2.6 Approaching refugees studies and question of return .................................... 36 2.6.1 Refugee Studies ...................................................................................... 37 2.6.2 Diaspora Studies.................................................................................... 40 2.6.3 Transnationalism and integration in refugee studies between settlement and return .............................................................................................................. 44 2.6.4 The “myth of return” ............................................................................. 46 2.6.5 Notions of home ..................................................................................... 50 2.7 Conclusion ................................................................................................. 55 3 Methodology and methods .................................................................................... 56 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 56 3.2 Methodology .................................................................................................. 56 3.3 My research framework in practice ............................................................... 59 3.4 Selecting the sample ...................................................................................... 61 3.5 Methods ......................................................................................................... 64 3.5.1 Interviews .......................................................................................... 64 3 3.5.2 Participant observation ..................................................................... 66 3.6 Translators ..................................................................................................... 70 3.7 Expected and encountered problems (and not) by the researcher during the data collection ............................................................................................................ 71 3.8 Ethical principles ........................................................................................... 74 3.9 Coding and analysis ....................................................................................... 76 3.10 Representation and validation of a qualitative study ..................................... 79 3.11 Conclusions ................................................................................................... 80 4 Iraq: history and dynamic of migration ................................................................. 82 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 82 4.2 Demographic factors...................................................................................... 82 4.3 The Sunni-Shia split and the Kurdish case .................................................... 83 4.4 The Ottoman Empire (1638-1916) ................................................................ 83 4.5 Modern Iraq ................................................................................................... 85 4.5.1 The rise of the Baath party (1968) ......................................................... 87 4.5.2 The Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) ............................................................. 88 4.5.3 The
Recommended publications
  • Interview with Bahman Jalali1
    11 Interview with Bahman Jalali1 By Catherine David2 Catherine David: Among all the Muslim countries, it seems that it was in Iran where photography was first developed immediately after its invention – and was most inventive. Bahman Jalali: Yes, it arrived in Iran just eight years after its invention. Invention is one thing, what about collecting? When did collecting photographs beyond family albums begin in Iran? When did gathering, studying and curating for archives and museum exhibitions begin? When did these images gain value? And when do the first photography collections date back to? The problem in Iran is that every time a new regime is established after any political change or revolution – and it has been this way since the emperor Cyrus – it has always tried to destroy any evidence of previous rulers. The paintings in Esfahan at Chehel Sotoon3 (Forty Pillars) have five or six layers on top of each other, each person painting their own version on top of the last. In Iran, there is outrage at the previous system. Photography grew during the Qajar era until Ahmad Shah Qajar,4 and then Reza Shah5 of the Pahlavi dynasty. Reza Shah held a grudge against the Qajars and so during the Pahlavi reign anything from the Qajar era was forbidden. It is said that Reza Shah trampled over fifteen thousand glass [photographic] plates in one day at the Golestan Palace,6 shattering them all. Before the 1979 revolution, there was only one book in print by Badri Atabai, with a few photographs from the Qajar era. Every other photography book has been printed since the revolution, including the late Dr Zoka’s7 book, the Afshar book, and Semsar’s book, all printed after the revolution8.
    [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]
  • Iran Business Guide
    Contents Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries & Mines The Islamic Republic of IRAN BUSINESS GUIDE Edition 2011 By: Ramin Salehkhoo PB Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries & Mines Iran Business Guide 1 Contents Publishing House of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries & Mines Iran Business Guide Edition 2011 Writer: Ramin Salehkhoo Assisted by: Afrashteh Khademnia Designer: Mahboobeh Asgharpour Publisher: Nab Negar First Edition Printing:June 2011 Printing: Ramtin ISBN: 978-964-905541-1 Price: 90000 Rls. Website: www.iccim.ir E-mail: [email protected] Add.: No. 175, Taleghani Ave., Tehran-Iran Tel.: +9821 88825112, 88308327 Fax: + 9821 88810524 All rights reserved 2 Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries & Mines Iran Business Guide 3 Contents Acknowledgments The First edition of this book would not have been possible had it not been for the support of a number of friends and colleagues of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries & Mines, without whose cooperation, support and valuable contributions this edition would not have been possible. In particular, the Chamber would like to thank Mrs. M. Asgharpour for the excellent job in putting this edition together and Dr. A. Dorostkar for his unwavering support . The author would also like to thank his family for their support, and Mrs. A. Khademia for her excellent assistance. Lastly, the whole team wishes to thank H.E. Dr. M. Nahavandian for his inspiration and guidance. Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries & Mines June 2011 2 Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries & Mines Iran Business Guide 3
    [Show full text]
  • KGE Prostitute Tate Press Release2 14.11.17.Pages
    Kaveh Golestan Estate Press Release: Kaveh Golestan at Tate Modern Kaveh Golestan at Tate Modern Kaveh Golestan Estate Vali Mahlouji / Archaeology of the Final Decade Kaveh Golestan Estate and Vali Mahlouji / Archaeology of the Final Decade (AOTFD) are delighted to announce the opening of a room at Tate Modern dedicated to Kaveh Golestan, featuring twenty vintage silver gelatin prints from the Prostitute series (1975-77). AOTFD’s curatorial and documentary material from Recreating the Citadel is displayed alongside the photographs. The display marks the first time in its history that Tate Modern has dedicated a room in its permanent collection to an Iranian artist for a period of a year. The Prostitute series had only ever been publicly exhibited for two weeks in 1978 until they were unearthed by Vali Mahlouji and exhibited at Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam (2014); Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (2014); MAXXI Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, Rome (2014-15); and Photo London (2015). AOTFD has also placed works by Kaveh Golestan at Musée d’art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The curatorial and documentary materials discovered by AOTFD via Recreating the Citadel has shed new light upon historical facts about Tehran's former red light district, from its formation in the 1920s to its torching and subsequent forced destruction by religious decree in 1979. Notes for Editors Biography - Kaveh Golestan (1950-2003) Kaveh Golestan was an important and prolific Iranian pioneer of documentary photography. His photographic practice has hugely informed the work of future generations of Iranian artists, but until now remained seriously over-looked by institutions inside and outside of his home country.
    [Show full text]
  • Finnish-Uralic Linguistic Connections
    Finnish- Uralic Linguistic Connections Mel Copeland 1 Finnish- Uralic Linguistic Connections Mel Copeland November 10, 2020 The origin of the Finnish/Sami people is believed to be around the Ural Mountains. The Sami are believed to have been separated from the Finns taken the northern route to Finland. The Finns may have taken several paths, back and forth, north to south, south to north between Anatolia and Finland and portions of Norway, Sweden and Baltic states. This document, prepared using the Indo-European Table 1 (file:///C:/Users/mel/Documents/maravot.com/Indo-European_Table.html ), compares Finnish terms with others in the Indo-European Table to ascertain whether there are linguistic patterns suggesting the route the Finnish migrations took to get to Finland. Because the Albanians are recorded by Roman maps as being near Georgia, approximately the area of Azerbaijan, Finnish linguistic connections with Hittite, Georgian, Persian and Akkadian may reveal some aspects of the movement and origin of the Finnish peoples. Sanskrit and Akkadian seem to function at the core of the languages listed in the Indo-European Table. The relationship of Akkadian to these languages needs to be explained. As the people passed through the Balkans to the Baltic, it is understandable that the language would pick up terms from these regions and their peoples, (Baltic/Slavic, German). A preliminary search of our “Indo-European-Eurasian Words Linking Ancient Pastoralists,” confirms a strong “Baltic-German (via English)” connection and quite interestingly a strong connection to Hittite and Akkadian (Assyrian). Sanskrit also has a direct liason with Finnish-Uralic.
    [Show full text]
  • Reluctant Victims Into Challengers Narratives of a Kurdish Political Generation in Diaspora in Sweden Zettervall, Charlotta
    Reluctant Victims into Challengers Narratives of a Kurdish Political Generation in Diaspora in Sweden Zettervall, Charlotta 2013 Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Zettervall, C. (2013). Reluctant Victims into Challengers: Narratives of a Kurdish Political Generation in Diaspora in Sweden. Lund University. Total number of authors: 1 General rights Unless other specific re-use rights are stated the following general rights apply: Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal Read more about Creative commons licenses: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. LUND UNIVERSITY PO Box 117 221 00 Lund +46 46-222 00 00 Reluctant Victims into Challengers Narratives of a Kurdish Political Generation in Diaspora in Sweden Charlotta Zettervall Copyright © Charlotta Zettervall Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Sociology ISBN 978-91-7473-412-6 ISSN 1102-4712 Lund Dissertations in Sociology 103 Printed in Sweden by Media-Tryck, Lund University Lund 2013 Oh, the leaky boundaries of man-made states! How many clouds float past them with impunity; how much desert sand shifts from one land to another; how much mountain pebbles tumble on to foreign soil in provocative hops! ..
    [Show full text]
  • Kurdistan Rising? Considerations for Kurds, Their Neighbors, and the Region
    KURDISTAN RISING? CONSIDERATIONS FOR KURDS, THEIR NEIGHBORS, AND THE REGION Michael Rubin AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE Kurdistan Rising? Considerations for Kurds, Their Neighbors, and the Region Michael Rubin June 2016 American Enterprise Institute © 2016 by the American Enterprise Institute. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced in any man- ner whatsoever without permission in writing from the American Enterprise Institute except in the case of brief quotations embodied in news articles, critical articles, or reviews. The views expressed in the publications of the American Enterprise Institute are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff, advisory panels, officers, or trustees of AEI. American Enterprise Institute 1150 17th St. NW Washington, DC 20036 www.aei.org. Cover image: Grand Millennium Sualimani Hotel in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, by Diyar Muhammed, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons. Contents Executive Summary 1 1. Who Are the Kurds? 5 2. Is This Kurdistan’s Moment? 19 3. What Do the Kurds Want? 27 4. What Form of Government Will Kurdistan Embrace? 56 5. Would Kurdistan Have a Viable Economy? 64 6. Would Kurdistan Be a State of Law? 91 7. What Services Would Kurdistan Provide Its Citizens? 101 8. Could Kurdistan Defend Itself Militarily and Diplomatically? 107 9. Does the United States Have a Coherent Kurdistan Policy? 119 Notes 125 Acknowledgments 137 About the Author 139 iii Executive Summary wo decades ago, most US officials would have been hard-pressed Tto place Kurdistan on a map, let alone consider Kurds as allies. Today, Kurds have largely won over Washington.
    [Show full text]
  • Individual Values and Acculturation Processes of Immigrant Groups from Turkey: Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands
    Journal of Identity and Migration Studies Volume 15, number 1, 2021 RESEARCH ARTICLES Individual Values and Acculturation Processes of Immigrant Groups from Turkey: Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands Ergün ÖZGÜR Abstract. This quantitative research describes the values of three ethnic groups in comparison with each other as well as with the native groups. It also discusses the acculturation processes of Circassians, Kurds and Turks in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. The first research question, “Do immigrant and native groups have similar values?” shows value similarities of Circassians with the French in Belgium, German and Dutch respondents. They have value differences from Flemish respondents. Kurds and Turks have value similarities with German and Flemish respondents, and they have value differences from the Dutch. The second research question, “What acculturation processes do immigrant groups go through?”, confirms high hard assimilation means of Circassians, and high separation means of Turks and Kurds in the Netherlands. In Belgium, Turks have hard high assimilation means, is unexpected, given that Belgium has been a modestly multicultural country. In Turkey, Kurds and Circassians have high assimilation, and Circassians have high integration means. Contrary to the discourses about less participation of immigrants, research findings reveal value similarities of immigrant and native groups in three countries. The European authorities need to develop participative policies to reduce immigrants’ sense of discrimination and natives’ perception of threat for a peaceful society. Keywords: immigrant groups from Turkey, individual values, acculturation processes, discrimination-threat perception, European countries Introduction This comparative research describes the values of three ethnic groups in comparison with each other as well as with the native groups.
    [Show full text]
  • DATING SECRETLY the Role of the Internet in Shaping Transnational Couple Formation in the Kurdish Diaspora
    This is a self-archived version of an original article. This version may differ from the original in pagination and typographic details. Author(s): Häkkinen, Anne Title: Dating Secretly : The Role of the Internet in Shaping Transnational Couple Formation in the Kurdish Diaspora Year: 2016 Version: Published version Copyright: © 2016 Ethnologia Europaea Rights: CC BY 4.0 Rights url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Please cite the original version: Häkkinen, A. (2016). Dating Secretly : The Role of the Internet in Shaping Transnational Couple Formation in the Kurdish Diaspora. Ethnologia Europaea, 46(1), 10-24. https://ee.openlibhums.org/article/id/1174/ Museum Tusculanum Press :: University of Copenhagen :: www.mtp.dk :: [email protected] DATING SECRETLY The Role of the Internet in Shaping Transnational Couple Formation in the Kurdish Diaspora Anne Häkkinen, University of Jyväskylä Drawing on twenty-one in-depth interviews, this article discusses the Internet’s role in the forma­ tion of transnational marriages among migrant Kurds who live in Finland. In contrast to what is presented in the European media, my findings suggest that transnational couple formation among migrants should be seen as highly diverse and more than just practices that maintain and preserve “traditional” marriage customs. Transnational online dating practices make visible how young adult Kurds actively engage in partner formation and spousal selection. Online dating enables in­ dividual autonomy by widening the circle of potential partners outside familial circles and offers a private social space in which people can create relationships on their own terms and evade social monitoring and possibly harmful rumors. Keywords : online dating, transnational marriage, Kurds, couple formation, ethnography Introduction border marriages are not taken into closer discus­ In the field of migration studies, it has been ty pical sion here, since their social and cultural contexts are for researchers to make a distinction between differ­ considerably different.
    [Show full text]
  • Battlespace Diaspora: How the Kurds of Turkey Revive, Construct and Translate the Kurdish Struggle in London
    This is a repository copy of Battlespace diaspora: how the Kurds of Turkey revive, construct and translate the Kurdish struggle in London. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/142575/ Version: Accepted Version Book Section: Demir, I (2015) Battlespace diaspora: how the Kurds of Turkey revive, construct and translate the Kurdish struggle in London. In: Christou, A and Mavroudi, E, (eds.) Dismantling Diasporas Rethinking the Geographies of Diasporic Identity, Connection and Development. Routledge , pp. 71-84. ISBN 9781472430335 Copyright (c) Anastasia Christou and Elizabeth Mavroudi 2015. This is a Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge (Taylor & Francis) in Dismantling Diasporas on 28 March 2015, available online: https://www.routledge.com/Dismantling-Diasporas-Rethinking-the-Geographies-of-Diaspori c-Identity/Christou-Mavroudi/p/book/9781472430335 Reuse Items deposited in White Rose Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the White Rose Research Online record for the item. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ PUBLISHED BOOK CHAPTER: Demir, Ipek (2015) 'Battlespace Diaspora: How the Kurds of Turkey Revive, Construct and Translate the Kurdish Struggle in London', in Christou, Anastasia and Mavroudi, Elizabeth (eds.) Dismantling Diasporas: Rethinking the Geographies of Diasporic Identity, Connection and Development (Abingdon: Routledge), pp.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Azerbaijan (Textbook)
    DILGAM ISMAILOV HISTORY OF AZERBAIJAN (TEXTBOOK) Azerbaijan Architecture and Construction University Methodological Council of the meeting dated July 7, 2017, was published at the direction of № 6 BAKU - 2017 Dilgam Yunis Ismailov. History of Azerbaijan, AzMİU NPM, Baku, 2017, p.p.352 Referents: Anar Jamal Iskenderov Konul Ramiq Aliyeva All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means. Electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. In Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction, the book “History of Azerbaijan” is written on the basis of a syllabus covering all topics of the subject. Author paid special attention to the current events when analyzing the different periods of Azerbaijan. This book can be used by other high schools that also teach “History of Azerbaijan” in English to bachelor students, master students, teachers, as well as to the independent learners of our country’s history. 2 © Dilgam Ismailov, 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword…………………………………….……… 9 I Theme. Introduction to the history of Azerbaijan 10 II Theme: The Primitive Society in Azerbaijan…. 18 1.The Initial Residential Dwellings……….............… 18 2.The Stone Age in Azerbaijan……………………… 19 3.The Copper, Bronze and Iron Ages in Azerbaijan… 23 4.The Collapse of the Primitive Communal System in Azerbaijan………………………………………….... 28 III Theme: The Ancient and Early States in Azer- baijan. The Atropatena and Albanian Kingdoms.. 30 1.The First Tribal Alliances and Initial Public Institutions in Azerbaijan……………………………. 30 2.The Kingdom of Manna…………………………… 34 3.The Atropatena and Albanian Kingdoms………….
    [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]