| ID | 177267 |
| Title Proper | Negotiating the meaning of Kurdishness |
| Other Title Information | the construction of a secular Kurdish identity perception by Kurdish political and intellectual elites in Turkey |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Kılıç, Kutbettin |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article examines the process of the construction of a secular Kurdish perception of identity by Kurdish political elites since the 1960s. It argues that despite the variance in group-making tactics employed by different Kurdish political groups or figures, something has remained unchanged: the construction and promotion of a secular Kurdish identity perception, which dissociates Islam from the cultural content of Kurdish ethnic identity. Kurdish political and intellectual elites in Turkey, during and after the 1960s, took a radical stance against religion and started to construct and promote a Kurdish ethnic identity perception based only on certain myths, ruling out Islam from the cultural content of Kurdish ethnic identity. Although Kurdish political elites adopted a friendlier language towards religion after the 2000s, in response to certain political and practical challenges, they never gave up on this secular Kurdish identity perception. |
| `In' analytical Note | Middle Eastern Studies Vol. 56, No.6; Nov 2020: p.811-825 |
| Journal Source | Middle Eastern Studies Vol: 56 No 6 |
| Key Words | Kurds ; Kurdish Issue ; Ethnic Elites ; Secular Ethnic Identity ; Identity Perception |