The Party or the People?: A study of the political support for the paradigm shift of the PKK among Dutch Kurds
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2020-11-02
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en
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Abstract
Over the last hundred years or so, the history of the Kurds in the Middle East has been marked by their constant pursuit of self-determination. This pursuit has known periods where the Kurds were at war with the various central governments, but also periods of negotiations. These negotiations have not resulted in the desired independent state of Kurdistan. Consequently, the main Turkish Kurdish political party, the PKK has decided to shift its goal from obtaining independence to implementing a confederal democracy. Contemporary academic literature on conflict resolution argues, however, that the risk of recurrence of violence is much higher for a unitarian government, as compared to independence. However, research in this debate has been primarily quantitative, neglecting the uniqueness of each case. This study, therefore, focusses on whether or not this shift is supported by Dutch Kurds. In addition, it takes two other solutions in account as well: autonomy and de facto independence. Furthermore, it investigates which identity markers influence the respondents’ perception of the various solutions. The results of the questionnaire and interviews indicate that a confederal democracy is supported by the respondents. Moreover, the support for democratic confederalism and the other solutions can be explained by looking at the geographical origin, generational differences, and gender.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen