Description
Book SynopsisOver ninety years since their absorption into the modern Iraqi state, the Kurdish people of Iraq still remain an apparent anomaly in the modern world - a nation without a state. In 'The Kurds of Iraq', Mahir Aziz explores this incongruity, and asks the pertinent questions, who are the Kurds today? What is their relationship to the Iraqi state? How do they perceive themselves and their prospective political future? And in what way are they crucial for the stability of the Iraqi state? In the wake of the Gulf War of 1991 in the face of the Iraqi state, the Kurds endeavoured to create a de facto state and to concretise and stabilise the institutions that would enable this. 'The Kurds of Iraq' thus examines the creation, evolution and development of Kurdish nationalism despite the suppression of its political and cultural manifestations. Through extensive interviews in the field, Aziz assesses the impact of recent history on the complex process of identity formation amongst Kurdish students at three of the nation's leading universities. He provides an in depth examination of students' socio-economic backgrounds, and their thoughts on and experiences of what it means to be Kurdish in the modern Iraqi state, and the impact this has on their perception of their language, culture and religion. Aziz's invaluable and extensive field research furthermore serves as a point of departure for an investigation into the relationship between national identity and historical memory in Iraqi Kurdistan and beyond. He thus analyses wider issues of the intersection and interdependency of national, regional, ethnic, tribal and local identities. He thus constructs an intimate portrait of the Kurds of Iraq, which will provide an important insight for students and researchers of the Middle East and for those interested the important issues of nationalism and ethnic identity in the modern nation state, and the impact these issues have on the stability of Iraq itself.
Trade ReviewMahir A. Aziz's excellent work looks at Kurdish identity and ethnonationalism, and places the manner in which Kurdish identities have developed within the context of ongoing political and social trends. Professor Tim Niblock, University of Exeter 'Aziz's work is the most reliable work on Iraqi Kurdish nationalism, nation-building and national identity available. For those wishing to work with the Kurds in Iraq, the Greater Kurdistan Region, or in the diaspora, reading this book is a must.' Professor Sharon Linzey, University of Salahaddin, Erbil '[This book] is absolutely exclusive and proposes a very rich picture of the Kurdish educated youth... It sheds new light on the political evolution of Iraqi Kurdistan.' Professor Hamit Bozarslan, L'Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS)
Table of ContentsList of Tables List of Figures List of Appendices List of Maps Preface Introduction Part One Chapter 1: The Construction of Kurdish National Identity in Iraqi Kurdistan Chapter 2: Nationalism, Nation, State, Nation State and Stateless Nation Chapter 3: Approaches to Nationalism and National Identity Chapter 4: Making Sense of Kurdish History: Territory, Language and Proto-Nationalism Chapter 5: The Historical and Socio-Political Conditions for the Development of Kurdish Nationalism: 1921-91 Chapter 6: Reconstructing and Consolidating National Identity: 1990-2008 Part Two Chapter 7: Kurdish Nationalism among University Students Chapter 8: Toward an Understanding of Modern Kurdish Nationalism and National Identity Chapter 9: Post-1990s ‘Kurdistaniyeti’ Bibliography
