Advanced Topics in Middle East & North African Studies (390-3-2)

Topic

Introduction to the Kurdish Question

Instructors

Hevi Gokdemir
2001 Sheridan Road, 3200
Office Hours: By Appointment only

Meeting Info

University Library 3322: Wed 2:00PM - 4:30PM

Overview of class

Introduction to the Kurdish Question

Who are the Kurds, and why do their politics matter? In this class, we will use Kurdish politics as a lens for working through those larger debates, asking where our theories hold up and where they break. To make sense of broad trends, you also have to understand the exceptions. The Kurds are often described as the largest stateless people in the world, which makes them a hard case for some of our most basic assumptions about nations, borders, and sovereignty. Spread across Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria, the Kurdish question puts pressure on self-determination norms, nationalism, state formation, and alliance politics while shaping the wider MENA region's political order.

Class Attributes

Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
SoC Individual and Social Behavior Distro