The Kurdish Conflict in Turkey: The Central Role of Identity Recognition (or Lack Thereof)

Abstract

Academics and state officials over the years have put forth a host of factors to explain armed insurrections in Turkey since the 1920s. From ‘religious reactionaries’ and ‘underdevelopment’ to ‘foreign intervention,’ ‘economic inequality’ and ‘identity-based grievances.’ What sort of explanation one subscribes to generally seems to depend on either one’s politics or simply which analysis sounds most plausible and convincing. This study looks for evidence from the insurrections in Turkey to help shed more light on the issue. We examine the stated demands and grievances of the rebels fighting the Turkish state in the major uprisings of the twentieth century (1925, 1927–1930, 1937 and 1978 onwards). Judging from their own statements, the recognition of Kurdish identity was central to all these episodes. No other issue appears so prominently in all the uprisings. The study then turns to theoretical work on protracted conflicts and ethnic conflicts to explain why identity recognition is of such importance. Following this analysis, parameters to resolve the Kurdish conflict in Turkey are examined in light of these observations. Solutions to end the conflict need to begin first and foremost with official identity recognition and acceptance of the Kurds, as Kurds. The rest consists of issues to be negotiated.