Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- List of acronyms and abbreviations
- Map
- 1 Making sense of ethnic nationalist resurgence
- 2 Structural conditions and political opportunities
- 3 Resource mobilization and rational choices
- 4 Cultural framing
- 5 Theoretical synthesis
- 6 Kurdish nationalist challenges to the Iraqi state
- 7 Kurdish nationalist challenges to the Iranian state
- 8 Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
- Cambridge Middle East Studies 22
5 - Theoretical synthesis
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 January 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- List of acronyms and abbreviations
- Map
- 1 Making sense of ethnic nationalist resurgence
- 2 Structural conditions and political opportunities
- 3 Resource mobilization and rational choices
- 4 Cultural framing
- 5 Theoretical synthesis
- 6 Kurdish nationalist challenges to the Iraqi state
- 7 Kurdish nationalist challenges to the Iranian state
- 8 Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
- Cambridge Middle East Studies 22
Summary
“Men make their own history, but not under circumstances of their own choosing”
Karl MarxMany of the sources on the Kurds consulted by this author made implicit use of a synthesis of the three theoretical approaches to understanding social movements examined in this study. What concerns us here is whether or not an explicit synthesis of these theories contributes significantly to our understanding of the subject matter and the field of social science in general.
Consider this excellent example of a theoretical synthesis by Martin van Bruinessen. He argues, in essence:
A Sunni Zaza speaker is a Zaza, a Kurd, a Sunni Muslim and a citizen of Turkey. He also belongs to a specific social class and probably to a specific tribe, is an inhabitant of a specific village or valley, and may be a follower of a specific shaykh or an active member of a political organization. Each of these identities is appealed to at one time or another. At present, most Zaza define themselves first and foremost as Kurds, but their social and political behaviour is more often defined by narrower loyalties. In areas where there have been many Sunni–Alevi conflicts, people define themselves primarily as Sunni or Alevi rather than as Turk or Kurd. The emergence of Kurdish nationalism as a significant political force compelled many people to opt for an unambiguous ethnic identity. Many who had been partly or even entirely arabized or turkicized began to re-emphasize their Kurdish ethnic identity.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Kurdish Nationalist MovementOpportunity, Mobilization and Identity, pp. 171 - 182Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006