Kurds and Yezidis in the Middle East: Shifting Identities, Borders, and the Experiences of Minority Communities

"The diversity of Kurdish communities across the Middle East is now recognized as central to understanding both the challenges and opportunities for their representation and politics. Yet little scholarship has focused on the complexities within these different groups and the range of their experiences. This book diversifies the literature on Kurdish Studies by offering close analyses of subjects which have not been adequately researched, and in particular, by highlighting the Kurds' relationship to the Yazidis. Case studies include: the political ideas of Ehmede Xani, ?the father of Kurdish nationalism?; the Kurds of the Caucasus; Kurdish refugees in camps in Iraq; the perception of the Kurds by Armenians in the late Ottoman Empire and the Turks in modern Western Turkey; and the important connections and shared heritage of the Kurds and the Yazidis, especially in the aftermath of the 2014 ISIS attacks. The book comprises the leading voices in Kurdish Studies and combines in-depth empirical work with theoretical and conceptual discussions to take the debates in the field in new directions. The study is divided into three thematic sections to capture new insights into the heterogeneous aspects of Kurdish history and identity. In doing so, contributors explain why we need to pay close attention to the shifting identities and the diversity of the Kurds, and what implications this has for Middle East Studies and Minority Studies more generally."-- "The diversity of Kurdish communities across the Middle East is now recognized as central to understanding both the challenges and opportunities for their representation and politics. Yet little scholarship has focused on the complexities within these different groups and the range of their experiences. This book diversifies the literature on Kurdish Studies by offering close analyses of subjects which have not been adequately researched, and in particular, by highlighting the Kurds' relationship to the Yazidis. Case studies include: the political ideas of Ehmede Xani,?the father of Kurdish nationalism?; the Kurds of the Caucasus; Kurdish refugees in camps in Iraq; the perception of the Kurds by Armenians in the late Ottoman Empire and the Turks in modern Western Turkey; and the important connections and shared heritage of the Kurds and the Yazidis, especially in the aftermath of the 2014 ISIS attacks. The book comprises the leading voices in Kurdish Studies and combines in-depth empirical work with theoretical and conceptual discussions to take the debates in the field in new directions. The study is divided into three thematic sections to capture new insights into the heterogeneous aspects of Kurdish history and identity. In doing so, contributors explain why we need to pay close attention to the shifting identities and the diversity of the Kurds, and what implications this has for Middle East Studies and Minority Studies more generally."-- Provided by publisher The diversity of Kurdish communities across the Middle East is now recognized as central to understanding both the challenges and opportunities for their representation and politics. Yet little scholarship has focused on the complexities within these different groups and the range of their experiences. This book diversifies the literature on Kurdish Studies by offering close analyses of subjects which have not been adequately researched, and in particular, by highlighting the Kurds' relationship to the Yazidis. Case studies include: the political ideas of Ehmede Xani, "the father of Kurdish nationalism"; Kurdish refugees in camps in Iraq; the perception of the Kurds by Armenians in the late Ottoman Empire and the Turks in modern Western Turkey; and the important connections and shared heritage of the Kurds and the Yazidis, especially in the aftermath of the 2014 ISIS attacks. The book comprises the leading voices in Kurdish Studies and combines in-depth empirical work with theoretical and conceptual discussions to take the debates in the field in new directions. The study is divided into three thematic sections to capture new insights into the heterogeneous aspects of Kurdish history and identity. In doing so, contributors explain why we need to pay close attention to the shifting identities and the diversity of the Kurds, and what implications this has for Middle East Studies and Minority Studies more generally. -- Provided by publisher Cover Contents List of Illustrations List of Contributors Acknowledgments Abbreviations 1 Introduction: Toward a Cross-Fertilization between Kurdish and Yezidi Studies, Güneş Murat Tezcür Section I Formations: Kurdish and Yezidi Political Identities 2 Ehmedê Xanî’s Political Philosophy in Mem û Zîn, Mücahİt Bİlİcİ 3 Historical and Political Dimensions of Yezidi Identity before and after the Firman (Genocide) of August 3, 2014, Majid Hassan Ali 4 Political Identity and Kurdish Refugees in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Arzu Yılmaz 5 Survival, Coexistence, and Autonomy: Yezidi Political Identity after Genocide, Güneş Murat Tezcür, Zeynep N. Kaya, and Bayar Mustafa Sevdeen Section II Perceptions: Kurds and Yezidis in the Eyes of Others 6 Paying the Price of Dasht-i Karbala: Historical Perceptions of Yezidis in the Ottoman Era, Bahadin Hawar Kerborani 7 Orientalist Views of Kurds and Kurdistan, Zeynep N. Kaya 8 “White Man’s Burden” or Victim’s Hope(lessness): Armeno-Kurdish Relations and Mutual Perceptions before the Genocide, Ohannes Kılıçdağı 9 Turkish Public Opinion and Cultural and Political Demands of the “Kurdish Street”, Ekrem Karakoç And H. Ege Özen 10 “We Are Yezidi, Being Otherwise Never Stopped Our Persecution”: Yezidi Perceptions of Kurds and Kurdish Identity, Tutku Ayhan Bibliography Index Chapter 1 Introduction: Towards a Cross-Fertilization between Kurdish and Yezidi Studies, Günes Murat Tezcür Section I - Formations: Kurdish and Yezidi Political Identities -- Chapter 2 Ehmed ̊Xan'̋s Political Philosophy in Mem ︣Zn̋, Mücahit Bilici -- Chapter 3 Historical and Political Dimensions of Yezidi Identity before and After the Firman (Genocide) of 3 August 2014, Majid Hassan Ali -- Chapter 4 Political Identity of Kurdish Refugees in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Arzu Yilmaz -- Chapter 5 Survival, Coexistence, and Autonomy: Yezidi Political Identity after Genocide, Günes Murat Tezcür, Zeynep Kaya, and Bayar Sevdeen Section II - Perceptions: Kurds and Yezidis in the Eyes of Others -- Chapter 6 Paying the Price of Dasht-i Karbala: Perceptions of Yezidis in the Ottoman Era, Bahadin H. Kerborani -- Chapter 7 Orientalist Views of Kurds and Kurdistan, Zeynep Kaya -- Chapter 8 'White Man's Burden' or Victim's Hope(lessness): Armeno-Kurdish Relations and Mutual Perceptions before Genocide , Ohannes Kiliçdagi -- Chapter 9 Turkish Public Opinion on Cultural and Political Demands of Kurds, Ekrem Karakoç & Ege Özen -- Chapter 10 'We are Yezidi, being otherwise never stopped our persecution': Yezidi Perceptions of Kurds and Kurdish Identity, Tutku Ayhan