The Kurds of Syria

Political Parties and Identity in the Middle East

Harriet Allsopp

• Publisher: I.B. Tauris
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN:
  9781784533939
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780857739704
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Middle Eastern History
• Index: Social Sciences

In September 2014, the Kurdish Syrian city of Kobane was subjected to a massive attack by fighters of the movement Islamic State (IS). As a result, the plight of the Kurds of Syria became known around the world. Less well-known, however, is their struggle before these dramatic and violent events. This struggle was mostly aimed at having their voices heard on the political stage and having equitable access to both economic and political resources. This examination of Kurdish politics in Syria therefore concentrates on the Syrian-Kurdish political parties, which despite state sanctions, have attempted to promote their political agendas and to bring about change for the approximately 3 million Kurds that reside in the country. The Kurds of Syria explores the fundamental issues of minority identity and the concept of being 'stateless' in a turbulent region, making it vital for all those researching the politics of the modern Middle East.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Note on Transliteration
• Map of the Kurdish Areas in Syria
• Current Syrian Kurdish Political Parties
• Coalitions of Parties
• Introduction
• 1. The Kurdish Political Parties in Syria
• 2. The Birth of a Syrian Kurdish Polity, 1920–1957
• 3. Kurdish Political Parties, 1957–2011
• 4. Relations between the Parties and the State
• 5. The Role of Kurdish Parties in Kurdish Society
• 6. The Stateless Kurds of Syria
• 7. The Eve of the Syrian Uprising: Crisis and Consciousness
• 8. The Kurdish Response to the Syrian Uprising
• Epilogue: The New World of Syrian and Kurdish Politics
• Appendix: Diagram of Party Divisions 1957–2012
• Notes
• Bibliography