The Kurds: A Fragmented, Yet Resilient Nation

Since the fall of the Ottoman Empire, ethnic Kurds have struggled for recognition as an independent Kurdish state, but their struggles are often lost in the wider conflicts of the Middle East region. Although recognized as a stateless nation by many scholars, they rarely enjoy the popularity of Palestinians or Tibetans1. Only when they threaten to disrupt the vested interests of larger global powers do they achieve center stage. However, as a nation, the history of the Kurdish people extends far into history, long before the creation of modern nation-states. After occupying the same geographical location for more than a thousand years, despite numerous foreign invasions, the Kurds have developed a unique culture based on a shared geographical, ethnic, and experiential identity. This paper will examine the development of that culture from the early medieval period and through various forms of the Kurdish “state,” concluding with an analysis of Kurdish identity in the modern world and the Kurds’ place as a stateless nation.

The Kurds occupy the southern Caucasus, a region that has historically held the name Kurdistan, the parts of which today lie in northern Syria, Iraq, Iran, and southeastern Turkey. The ethnic and linguistic origins of the Kurdish people are hotly debated, but this debate is over which of the many ethnic groups that have occupied the region are most like the Kurds. Most scholars recognize these various cultural and ethnic influences have made the Kurds themselves ethnically heterogeneous, especially considering the tribal nature of Kurdish society2. What has unified the Kurdish identity over the course of history, however, has been the recalcitrant nature by which Kurdish tribes have resisted domination by foreign powers despite frequent invasions3. Foreign rule has been a constant reality for the Kurdish region, but for the most part, the Kurds have managed to maintain a relative level of independence and cultural freedom.

The source of this rather intractable nature could be a product of the harsh geographical region that the Kurds occupy. The mountain slopes of the southern Caucasus are not suited for settled agriculture, but rather pastoralism. Grazing animals across long stretches of territory requires a concerted group effort, providing an ideal economic basis for tribalism. Scholars that have studied the Kurds have made note of how important this tribalism has been for Kurdish identity. Mountain dwellers are largely isolated from the outside world, and therefore their reliance on their tight-knit societies is paramount. Beyond a simple survival strategy, this social organization gives rise to a strong system of values based on “we” mentality4. Therefore, it was often in the interest of foreign rulers to allow the Kurds a relative amount of autonomy, as long as they remained under the sway of the empire.

This freedom was enjoyed by the Kurds, especially under the Ottoman empire in the 16th to 19th centuries. This period of “Kurdish feudalism,” along with the continued geographical isolation of Kurdish areas, gave rise to a specific Kurdish identity in literature and culture5. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Kurdish nationalists would look back at this period for foundational works of an imagined Kurdish identity6. However, to describe the Kurds as a united nation at this point in history would be misleading. The same tribal nature that made the Kurds so difficult to assimilate for foreign powers also sowed division among the Kurdish tribes, especially when tribe chieftains could benefit materially or politically from the betrayal of rival tribes. In fact, one of the central epics of Kurdish history laments this lack of unity amongst the Kurds, arguing that a unified Kurdish nation could resist the Ottomans and the Turks both7. The cultural foundation for a Kurdish nation was present, but political and tribal divisions were never fully overcome during this period of relative autonomy for the Kurds.

The politicization of Kurdish nationalism did not come until the fall of the Ottoman Empire after World War I and modern nationalism swept across the Middle East region. Fearing that Kurdish identity would be swept away in the face of assimilation efforts in Turkey, Iraq, and Iran, an ethnic Kurdish identity was formed that drew on the shared historical content that had come out of the Ottoman Era. Where before many tribes were content with the loosely held leash of the Ottomans, efforts toward national homogenization across the Middle East united the Kurds in their desire to maintain an independent identity8. Once again, the Kurds demonstrated an incredible ability to resist foreign assimilation, and the deep politicization of the issue brought the idea of a Kurdish nation to the forefront in a realistic way, making it a political reality rather than a cultural abstract.

Today, however, Kurdish nationalism remains an elusive concept, riddled with divisions9. In many ways, they were defeated by their geography10. Even a strong nationalist movement has trouble overcoming centuries of geographic separation from the outside world as well as other Kurdish tribes. More importantly, those geographical barriers created political instability and divisions as well. Kurds in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey all have different states to interact with, which creates varying political goals and opportunities. Therefore, despite a long history of shared culture and experiences, the geography of the region the Kurds inhabit has continued to promote political and social divisions, and thus the Kurds have remained, and likely will continue to remain, a stateless nation.

Notes

1) De Blij and Muller 2009, p 372

2) Bruinessen 1992, p. 122

3) See Limbert 1968, p 47 for a defiant letter written by the king of a tribe of conquered Kurds. This letter is one of the first documented cases of Kurdish contact

4) Nezan 1993, p. 16

5) Nezan 1993, p. 12

6) Bruinessen 1991 p. 38

7) The poem mentioned here is Mem û Zîn (written by Ahmad Khani), the reference taken from Van Bruinessen 1991 p. 38

8) Yavuz 2001, p. 3

9) De Blij and Muller 2010, p. 372

10) Yavuz 2008, p. 4

Bibliography

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Limbert, John. "The Origins and Appearance of the Kurds in Pre-Islamic Iran." Iranian Studies 1.2 (1968): 41-51. JSTOR. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.

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