Abstract
This chapter investigates the ethnoreligious dimensions of the Kurdish question in Turkey. It focuses on a prominent Kurdish Islamist group, Hizbullah, and its transformation from an underground armed organization in the 1990s to a multiplicity of legal entities and a political party, the Free Cause Party
(Hür Dava Partisi, Hüda-Par), under the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) since 2002. After introducing a short historical account, it examines the conditions of Hizbullah’s emergence and its reconfiguration in the context of the Kurdish national struggle and the Islamist mobilization under
the AKP’s governmentality in Turkey. It explores the power configurations and shifting alliances among the Islamist political elds following the failed peace negotiations between the Turkish state and the PKK in 2015 and the military coup attempt in 2016. It suggests that by thoroughly examining these shifting alliances and paying scholarly attention to the developments in the ethnoreligious political fields, we can understand the ways in which Kurdish Islamist groups navigate and adapt
within the complex socio-political landscape of Turkey, shedding light on the intricate interplay between ethnicity, religion, and politics in the region.
(Hür Dava Partisi, Hüda-Par), under the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) since 2002. After introducing a short historical account, it examines the conditions of Hizbullah’s emergence and its reconfiguration in the context of the Kurdish national struggle and the Islamist mobilization under
the AKP’s governmentality in Turkey. It explores the power configurations and shifting alliances among the Islamist political elds following the failed peace negotiations between the Turkish state and the PKK in 2015 and the military coup attempt in 2016. It suggests that by thoroughly examining these shifting alliances and paying scholarly attention to the developments in the ethnoreligious political fields, we can understand the ways in which Kurdish Islamist groups navigate and adapt
within the complex socio-political landscape of Turkey, shedding light on the intricate interplay between ethnicity, religion, and politics in the region.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Oxford University Press |
| Editors | Fabio Vicini, Caroline Tee, Philip Dorroll |
| Publisher | Oxford Univerity Press; Oxford |
| Publication status | Published - 22 May 2024 |
