Year: 2020
This book is an examination of the rise and
fracturing of Kurdish nationalism and territoriality in the context of the 1920
Treaty of Sèvres and the division of the defeated Ottoman Empire, and of the
ensuing British and Turkish policies toward the Kurds. The regions of interest
in this research are southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq, the former lands of
the Ottoman Empire set aside by the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres for the creation of
an independent Kurdistan. The main theoretical aspects of this study pertain to
the rise of, and difficulties within, Kurdish nationalism, and to the
territorial ambitions of the Kurds and regional governments upon Kurdish
dominated lands. This work examines primary source documents and academic works
to gain a better understanding of the policies of the governments involved, as
well as attempts by the Kurds to acquire an independent state. In addition to
archival and library research, concepts from political geography and
comparative politics are employed to provide insight into issues such as
territoriality and nationalism.