Labelling Ethno-Political Groups as Terrorists

Nyhet

The Case of the PKK in Türkiye

Inbunden, Engelska, 2025

2 579 kr

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This book examines the impact of applying the ‘terrorist’ label to a group’s choice to resort to violence within an ethno-nationalist conflict.Using the Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê (PKK) in Türkiye as a primary case study, the book interrogates the socio-political ramifications of the Turkish government’s decision to label the PKK as a terrorist organisation. Drawing on longitudinal interviews, newly opened Turkish and Kurdish archives, media frame databases and casualty logs, it maps five decisive moments: the 1984 guerrilla launch; Abdullah Öcalan’s 1999 arrest; the 2012 15 peace talks; Kobani’s stand against ISIS in 2015 in a town in Syria; and the 2025 stand down. Furthermore, the study’s empirical analysis and discussions reveals that the invocation of the label ‘terrorist’ against the PKK places the group’s actors and sympathisers in a situation that made it harder for them to engage in peaceful means of resolving the conflict. Using four waves of interviews with Kurds in Türkiye and Syria spanning over a decade, the book offers dynamic insights into how attitudes toward the PKK and the “terrorist” label have shifted over time.This book will be of interest to students and scholars of terrorism and political violence, ethnic conflict, critical security studies, and International Relations.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2025-12-15
Mått156 x 234 x undefined mm
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
SerieRoutledge Critical Terrorism Studies
Antal sidor296
FörlagTaylor & Francis Ltd
ISBN9781041109006

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Introduction Chapter 1: Labels in Conflict Discourse Chapter 2: The Labelling-Securitisation Nexus Chapter 3: The PKK and Transnational Kurdish Politics in Türkiye, Iraq, Iran and Syria Chapter 4: The PKK: From Formation to Peace Negotiations Chapter 5: Securitising Kurdish Identity: How the “Terrorist” Label Shapes the PKK in Türkiye Chapter 6: Women’s Participation in the PKK: From Guerrilla Beginnings to a Transnational Movement Chapter 7: Mediating The Terrorist Label: Turkish and International Coverage of the PKK (2011-2025) Chapter 8: Beyond the PKK: Transferability and Limits of the Terrorist Designation Chapter 9: From “Terrorist” Label to Conflict Transformation Conclusion: De-labelling, De-securitisation & Pathways Beyond the “Terrorist” Paradigm Appendix A: Full Discourse Analysis of Empirical Data Appendix B: Multi-Tier Source Validation and Bias Control

"In this groundbreaking study, Muhanad Seloom traces more than three decades of conflict between the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to reveal the far-reaching power of a single word. Drawing on unprecedented access to archives, media databases, and over a decade of interviews with Kurdish voices across Türkiye and Syria, this book shows how the label “terrorist” reshaped strategies, silenced dialogue, and trapped generations in cycles of violence. From the PKK’s 1984 insurgency to its self-dissolution in 2025, Seloom charts decisive moments that defined the trajectory of one of the world’s most intractable conflicts. He unpacks how labels travel through governments, media, and international institutions, shaping not just state policies but everyday lives—stigmatising whole communities, radicalising identities, and closing off pathways to peace. At once deeply human and rigorously analytical, this book challenges readers to rethink what we mean when we say “terrorism” and to see how words themselves can escalate wars—or help end them. Perfect for students, scholars, policymakers, and anyone seeking to understand the politics of naming, this work is both a timely case study and a call for reimagining how we confront violence, identity, and the pursuit of peace.”Cyndi Banks, Professor Emeritus of Criminology, Northern Arizona University Deputy Vice Chancellor, Arden University, London