The Role of Internal Forced Migration in Understanding Identity-Power Dynamics Among Kurds in Western Turkey and Bakur Kurdistan

Abstract

ABSTRACT The relationship between social identity and power is rarely explored from the perspective of racialized people, especially in the context of forced migration. In this research, we focus on Kurds, an oppressed but resisting racialized group in a non-Western context characterized by internal colonialism. Using an anticolonial and critical race approach, we examine the role of internal migration in understanding the relations between marginalized identities relevant to Kurdishness and dimensions of Kurdish power. We conducted in-person surveys with 207 Kurds from three cities of Western Turkey and three cities of Bakur Kurdistan. We considered the heterogeneity of Kurdish identity (Kurd, Kurdistanî, and Kurdish Movement identifications) and the assimilative “Türkiyeli” superordinate identity. We used dimensions of power attributed to collective resistance (i.e., power from below) and oppressive governance (i.e., privileged power). We tested how different identities predict understandings of power, and we examined the amplifying role of internal migration background. The findings indicate that Kurdish identity (specifically the Kurdish Movement identity) and being internal diaspora are both crucial for power from below among Kurds. However, these associations are independent from each other. These findings contribute to critical perspectives on marginalized (including migrant) identities and agency, especially in relation to racial oppression.