'Kurdistan' today: a study of perceived legitimacy

Abstract

This research focuses on the legitimacy of the Kurds (an ethnic group with Indo-Europeanorigins) in Turkey that aims to create an independent nation-state. The study highlights thegaps and disputes between Turkey and the European Union and how they perceive andrepresent 'Kurdistan' and their matter of legitimacy. The contributions to knowledge are firstlyoutlining the gaps and disputes of Turkey and the EU to relate this to the legitimacy of theKurds. Then the interpretive findings will provide insight into the Kurdish legitimacy since2002 with the Justice and Development Party) in Turkey. Moreover, this research will buildthis study on other authors' work based on Kurdish legitimacy, nationalism, and identity.By conducting interpretive methodological research, the researcher endeavored to extendthe understanding of Turkey, the EU, and the Kurds themselves. The study was investigatedwith semi-structured interviews conducted among experts from Turkey, the EU, and theKurds. The generated data was from thematic analysis and the examination outcome fromsemi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis performed themes: nationhood, Treaty ofLausanne, EU support/against Kurdistan, PKK, and Kurdish Ethnicity.The research findings illustrated the gaps and disputes in how Turkey and the EUunderstood and approached meanings connected with nationalism, political legitimacy, andpolitical identity. Overall, the Kurdish people understand their identity being tied to Turkeyand having a legitimate claim to nationhood and feeling discriminated against. Moreover, theEU supports this, acknowledging that they were once a nation and had a separate history,making the situation politically challenging. Although EU members seem to view the Kurds asa subset of the Turkish population and not as independent or legitimate political entities, thiscreates disagreements about identity and legitimacy and how Kurdish lands should bepitiably addressed and formally organised.IVThe dispute is twofold: whether or not 'Kurdistan' should have legitimacy and, second, who isin the place to provide it. To the EU, Turkey should individually recognize Kurds by providingdemocratic representation in Turkey and the EU. Turkish perceptive, this will undermineTurkish unity and power. Finally, Kurdish perspective, Kurds will gain legitimacy eitherthrough political means or by force. However, this has resulted from conflicts between theKurdish representation in different political parties, so the methods used by thoseorganizations escalate, deepening the lines of the dispute and moving all parties away fromresolution.Turkey, the EU, and Kurds have in common that they recognize the geographic borders ofKurdistan related to Turkey and not to a larger geographic area. Kurdish position is therecognition of Kurdistan as an ancestral government, while the EU position is unique. Afterall, it takes not personal approach by Kurdistan description because it recognizes historicalsignificance.Moreover, to Turkey, the Kurdish claim is terroristic, and the EU desires to support it becausethe EU does not understand why it is impossible. The EU sees PKK as a legitimate politicalorganization. Thus, there is much descent and a considerable gap between Kurds andTurkish perspectives, and no easy solution to the legitimacy issue in the current politics.

Date of Award	Jul 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bedfordshire
Supervisor	Markus Haag (Supervisor) & Violet Cuffy (Second supervisor)