Leiden University Student Repository

Hengst, Jan (2018)

Tribalism and Statehood: the Kurdish Question

Master thesis | International Relations (MA)

The Kurdish question of statehood has been relevant for centuries, and the debate has especially flared up in light of the Kurdish assistance against ISIS, and the 2017 referendum for a Kurdish state. Up to this day, and for over a century, the Kurdish tribes have struggled to find a structure of self-governance in the form of an autonomous state. Despite having been a culture present in the Middle East in history and tradition from before the arrival of both the Turks and the Arabs, they seem to have been left out when cultures such as the two latter transformed their respective social structures to statehood. During the creation of many Middle Eastern states, and afterwards during the period in which these consolidated their domestic structures, the Kurdish tribes were involuntarily assimilated into a number of “new” states after the fall of the Ottoman empire. Once in submission of their new boundaries, the Kurdish peoples had to accept a variety of foreign realities concerning...Show moreThe Kurdish question of statehood has been relevant for centuries, and the debate has especially flared up in light of the Kurdish assistance against ISIS, and the 2017 referendum for a Kurdish state. Up to this day, and for over a century, the Kurdish tribes have struggled to find a structure of self-governance in the form of an autonomous state. Despite having been a culture present in the Middle East in history and tradition from before the arrival of both the Turks and the Arabs, they seem to have been left out when cultures such as the two latter transformed their respective social structures to statehood. During the creation of many Middle Eastern states, and afterwards during the period in which these consolidated their domestic structures, the Kurdish tribes were involuntarily assimilated into a number of “new” states after the fall of the Ottoman empire. Once in submission of their new boundaries, the Kurdish peoples had to accept a variety of foreign realities concerning their own political, economic, and social beliefs. This thesis concerns itself with the relationship between Tribalism and Democracy, and how 'the tribe' as both a social structure and a signifier of identity can be both a stimulant and an impediment to nationalism.Show less

Kurds

Nationalism

State

Identity

Tribalism

Tribe

Author

Hengst, Jan

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

International Studies

Supervisors

Schonmann, Noa

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en