While dramatic changes taking place in the Middle East offer important opportunities to the Kurdish century-long struggle for recognition, serious obstacles seem to keep reemerging every time the Kurds anywhere make progress. The large Kurdish geography, extending from western Iran to near the eastern Mediterranean, and a century of repression and denial have engendered various Kurdish groups with competing and at times conflicting views and goals. The Kurds in the Middle East: Enduring Problems and New Dynamics, with an emphasis on continuity and change in the Kurdish Question, brings together a group of well-known scholars to shed light on this complex issue.
Mehmet Gurses is professor of political science at Florida Atlantic University. David Romano is the Thomas G. Strong Chair in Middle East Politics at Missouri State University. Michael M. Gunter is professor of political science at Tennessee Technological University.
Chapter 1: Kurdish Political Representation in Turkey: The Changing Context and New Trends Cengiz Gunes Chapter 2: Kurdish Public Opinion in Turkey: Cultural and Political Demands of the 'Kurdish Street' Ekrem Karakoc and Ege Ozen Chapter 3: The Political Economy of Turkey's Kurdish Question Veli Yadirgi Chapter 4: The Evolution of Rojava: Tensions between Democratic Confederalism and State-Building in Northern Syria Sean Lee Chapter 5: Non-State Actors and Governance: Kurdish Autonomy in Syria Massoud Dryaz Chapter 6: Continuity and Change in Syrian Kurdistan: The Rojava Revolution and Beyond Ozum Yesiltas Chapter 7: Evolution of Kurdish-led Administration in Syria Wladimir Wilgenburg Chapter 8: The Kurdish Question in Iraq: An Overview Peshawa A. Muhammed Chapter 9: Making Sense of Iraqi Kurdistan's Civil War of the 1990's: Fingers to Claw Communities, Fingers to Break each Other Alan M. Noory Chapter 10: A Contemporary Political History of the Kurds in Iran Ahmad Hamza Chapter 11: Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou and the Kurdish Resistance in Iran Carol Prunhuber Chapter 12: Imagining Kurdistan from Abroad: Diaspora Identity, Collective Memory and Artistic Expression Vera Eccarius-Kelly Chapter 13: Diasporic Narratives of Assimilation and Resistance Barzoo Eliassi Chapter 14: Return Mobilities of Highly Skilled Young British-Kurdish People to Kurdistan Janroj Keles
"The Kurds in the Middle East: Enduring Problems and New Dynamics is a comprehensive review of the long-lasting Kurdish Question and the most important issues facing the Kurds today. Academics, students, and observers alike will find this volume valuable." -- Jordi Tejel, University of Neuchatel "Combining historical overview with analyses of contemporary issues, The Kurds in the Middle East: Enduring Problems and New Dynamics is a must-read for those who want to have a better understanding of the origins of the Kurdish issue and the challenges Kurds face today in the Middle East and beyond." -- Joost Jongerden, Wageningen University
