CANCELLED: Unfortunately we have had to cancel this event - all who have registered will receive an email with this information. Apologies for any inconvenience.
This event will be devoted to discussion of the political economy of the Kurdish question in Turkey by Veli Yadirgi, based around his recent book The Political Economy of the Kurds of Turkey: From the Ottoman Empire to the Turkish Republic.
In recent years, the persecution of the Kurds in the Middle East under ISIS in Iraq and Syria has drawn increasing attention from the international media. In this book, Veli Yadirgi analyses the socioeconomic and political structures and transformations of the Kurdish people from the Ottoman era through to the modern Turkish Republic, arguing that there is a symbiotic relationship between the Kurdish question and the de-development of the predominantly Kurdish domains, making an ideal read for historians of the region and those studying the socio-political and economic evolution of the Kurds.
First outlining theoretical perspectives on Kurdish identity, socioeconomic development and the Kurdish question, Yadirgi then explores the social, economic and political origins of Ottoman Kurdistan following its annexation by the Ottomans in 1514. Finally, he deals with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the subsequent foundation and evolution of the Kurdish question in the new Turkish Republic.
This book has been selected for the internationally renowned Choice Outstanding Academic Titles 2018, as well as attaining the runner-up award for the most prestigious UK-based book award in the field of Middle Eastern studies: The BKFS Book Prize 2018.
Veli Yadirgi is a member of staff in the Department of Development Studies at SOAS, University of London. His research covers a broad range of issues and areas including comparative politics of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA); political economy of the Global South; globalisation and regional development; the issues of development in MENA; nationalism and ethnic politics; as well as the social, economic and political history of Turkey and of Kurdistan. He is the co-editor of the forthcoming Cambridge History of the Kurds (Cambridge University Press, 2020). Yadirgi has worked as a political correspondent and editor in different media companies in Europe.
Robert Lowe is Deputy Director of the Middle East Centre. He joined the Centre when it opened in 2010. Robert is responsible for running the Centre's operations, research activities, fundraising and development. He oversees the events and publications programmes, research projects and public outreach. His main research interest is Kurdish politics, with particular focus on the Kurdish movement in Syria.
This event is part of the Kurdish Studies Series at the LSE Middle East Centre. Convened by Zeynep Kaya and Robert Lowe, the series will encourage dissemination and discussion of new research on Kurdish politics and society and provide a network for scholars and students with shared research interests. Public lectures and research seminars will be held regularly during term-time. If you wish to join the mailing list for the series, please contact Robert Lowe: r.lowe@lse.ac.uk
Join the conversation on Twitter using #LSEKurds
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