Identity Formation and Political Mobilization in Diaspora: Kurdish Diaspora in the United States
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Gunduz, Ihsan
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Abstract
This thesis explores the Kurdish diaspora’s formation in the United States and the role that the Kurdish diaspora’s political mobilization plays in fueling and/or resolving the Turkish-Kurdish conflict. The investigated research question is: What are the perceptions of the Turkish-Kurdish conflict among Kurdish diaspora members in the United States and what types of political mobilization do they engage in? This research is based on semi-structured open-ended interviews of the core members of the Kurdish diaspora in United States regarding their political mobilization. The analysis of the data was conducted with thematic coding: the emerging themes were identified and discussed. While the research deals with political mobilization, it delves into whom and what triggers the mobilization and how/when the diaspora mobilizes. The research found out that the Kurdish diaspora has developed historic narratives about the Turkish-Kurdish relations and promotes constructive ways of resolving the conflict. This could be an influence of living in a country where the concept of national identity is based on multiculturalism, but further research is needed to make a fair assessment how much the host countries national identities play a role in diaspora’s conflict behavior.
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Kurdish diaspora, Political mobilization, Identity, Homeland conflict, Hostland