The Construction of Kurdish Identity in Syria: The Influence of Kurdish Publications and Other Informal Activities (1971-2000)

This thesis explores the relationship between Kurdish publications and other informal cultural activities and Kurdish identity in Syria under the rule of Hafez al-Assad. In order to Arabise the Kurds, Hafez al-Assad’s government decided to restrict the Kurds’ cultural choices by forcing them to accept the Arabic language and culture instead of their own traditions. In response, Syrian Kurds resisted in many ways to defend their rights, such as promoting Kurdish education, publications, and cultural rallies, which influenced the construction of different Kurdish identities in Syria. Mainstream Kurdish political parties were the major leading power in educational activities and cultural gatherings, which intended to build a gentle ethnic identity that combined the Kurdish peculiarity and the Syrian commonality. By contrast, Syrian Kurdish publications produced by the nationalist intellectuals expressed a more radical national identity. In addition, some Kurdish activists, who were...Show moreThis thesis explores the relationship between Kurdish publications and other informal cultural activities and Kurdish identity in Syria under the rule of Hafez al-Assad. In order to Arabise the Kurds, Hafez al-Assad’s government decided to restrict the Kurds’ cultural choices by forcing them to accept the Arabic language and culture instead of their own traditions. In response, Syrian Kurds resisted in many ways to defend their rights, such as promoting Kurdish education, publications, and cultural rallies, which influenced the construction of different Kurdish identities in Syria. Mainstream Kurdish political parties were the major leading power in educational activities and cultural gatherings, which intended to build a gentle ethnic identity that combined the Kurdish peculiarity and the Syrian commonality. By contrast, Syrian Kurdish publications produced by the nationalist intellectuals expressed a more radical national identity. In addition, some Kurdish activists, who were dissatisfied with the leadership of the Kurdish parties, also displayed a radical Kurdish identity with a nationalist tendency in Newroz celebrations. Although Kurdish identities influenced by different powers were different, there were still similarities among them. They all chose cultural activities as their way to emphasise Kurdish consciousness. Meanwhile, these activities enabled Kurds with different identities to communicate with each other, which contributed to the trend of the rise of a more collective Kurdish identity in Syria.Show less

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The Construction of Kurdish Identity in Syria: The Influence of Kurdish Publications and Other Informal Activities (1971-2000)