Transnational Migration, Diaspora, and Identity: A Study of Kurdish Diaspora in London (Migration, Diasporas and Citizenship)

This book explores a common but almost forgotten historical argument that positions the Kurds as powerless victims of the First World War (WW1). To this end, the book looks critically at the unfavourable political situations of the Kurds in the post-WW1 era, which began with the emergence of three new modern nation-states in the Middle East—Turkey, Iraq, and Syria—as well as related modernising events in Iran. It demonstrates the dire consequences of oppressive international and regional state policies against the Kurds, which led to mass displacement and forced migration of the Kurds from the 1920s on. The first part of the book sets out the context required to explain the historic and systematic sociopolitical marginalisation of the Kurds in the Middle Eastern region until the present day. In the second part, the book attempts to explain the formation of Kurdish diaspora communities in different European cities, and to describe their new and positive shifting position from victims in the Middle East to active citizens in Europe. This book examines Kurdish diaspora integration and identity in some major cities in Sweden, Finland and Germany, with a specific focus and an in-depth discussion on the negotiation of multiculturalism in London. This book uncovers the gaps in the existing literature, and critically highlights the dominance of policy- and politics-driven research in this field, thereby justifying the need for a more radical social constructivist approach by recognising flexible, multifaceted, and complex human cultural behaviours in different situations through the consideration of the lived experiences and by presenting more direct voices of members of the Kurdish diaspora in London, and by articulating the new and radical concept of Kurdish Londoner. Acknowledgements Contents Abbreviations List of Figures List of Images List of Tables Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Reflexivity 1.2 Unpacking a Twofold Question 1.3 Definitions 1.4 Different Perspectives: Theory, Policy, Person 1.5 Lived Experiences: Different Perspectives—Personal Narratives The Group The Individual First and Second Generations References Chapter 2: The Geopolitics of the Middle East Post-WW1 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Land and Ecology 2.3 Language 2.4 Religion 2.5 Kurdish Cultural Diversity 2.6 Kurdistan as a Buffer Zone: Divisions, Displacements, and Dispossession 2.7 Nation-States Versus the Kurds 2.8 Turkey 2.9 Iraq 2.10 Syria 2.11 Iran 2.12 Conclusion References Chapter 3: Theoretical Framework 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Main Theoretical Trends Regarding Migration 3.3 The Diaspora and Transnational Debate 3.4 The Integration Debate A Brief Overview 3.5 The Policy Debate on Social Integration in Brexit Britain Introduction The Integration Policy Debate The New Policy Reports 3.6 A New Home 3.7 Conclusion References Chapter 4: The Kurdish Diaspora(s) 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Living in Diaspora: New Identities and Realities 4.3 Kurdish Diaspora: Understanding Patterns in Europe Germany Sweden Finland England 4.4 London and Londoners Introduction From Early to Recent Times More Recent Times More on Migration and Integration Some Concluding Remarks About London 4.5 Explaining the Concept of ‘Kurdish-Londoner’: I Wish to Belong and to Be Equal in London 4.6 The Integration Process: Diaspora Identities First Generation Second Generation 4.7 Conclusion References Chapter 5: Conclusion 5.1 Overview 5.2 Key Findings 5.3 Progressive and Future Steps References Selected References in Kurdish and Farsi Appendix Ayar Ata Book References Selected References in Kurdish and Farsi Index