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Positing “not-yet-nationalism”: limits to the impact of nationalism theory on Kurdish historiography

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Alexander Maxwell  and
Tim Smith
Alexander Maxwell*
Affiliation:
History Programme, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand
Tim Smith
Affiliation:
History Programme, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand
*
* Corresponding author. Email: alexander.maxwell@vuw.ac.nz
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Extract

This article examines the impact of nationalism theory, and specifically the theory of national awakening, on Kurdish historiography. Kurdish experts cite several famous nationalism theorists, but seem most impressed by Anthony Smith's model of a singular transformation in which a not-yet-national community becomes a proper nation. Kurdish experts do not always use Smith's terminology, however, and often invoke other scholars in support of the singular transformation model. Kurdish historiography disagrees what the singular transformation entails, and different thresholds of nationalism imply wildly different dates for the birth of Kurdish nationalism. Stage theories of national awakening have had little impact, and ought to be reconsidered.

Keywords

nationalismnational awakingnationalism theoryKurdish history
Type
Articles
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 43 , Issue 5: Special Section: War, violence, and the military during late socialism and transition , September 2015 , pp. 771 - 787
Copyright
Copyright © 2015 Association for the Study of Nationalities 

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