Demands for a Democratic autonomy in Turkey's southeast: A glance over the Kurdish question in Turkey. This item is unavailable.Demands for a Democratic autonomy in Turkey's southeast: A glance over the Kurdish question in Turkey

The Kurds, one of the oldest ethnic groups in the Middle East, are reasserting their identity ― I was intrigued to find that many people did not know what the Kurdish question implied. The Kurdish question is a term widely used in reference to the fact that Kurdish people do not have a homeland. Kurdistan is divided into four regions, including parts of Iran, North-eastern Syria, South-eastern Turkey and Northern Iraq where Kurds live. The Kurdish population exceeds 40 million, and the spoken language is Kurdish, which consists of different dialects, similar to the different Persian dialects. Little is known about Kurdish history and the suffering they have faced for decades. It is largely due to lack of information about the Kurdish people that their struggle remains unresolved, and also because the demographics of Kurdistan ensure that any political movement for liberation and self-determination is bound to affect so many countries.

Prof. Dr. Kemal Yıldırım is a researcher on comparative politics on Middle East politics and diplomacy. His research is on Diplomatic Representation Organizations and Institutes, U.S. Policy Toward the Middle East, Comprehensive Research Guides, History of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Arab Uprisings and minority rights.