Methodological Approaches in Kurdish Studies

Theoretical and Practical Insights from the Field

Inbunden, Engelska, 2018

AvBahar Baser,Mari Toivanen,Begum Zorlu,Yasin Duman

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This edited volume presents thirteen contributions that reflect upon the practical, ethical, theoretical and methodological challenges that researchers face when conducting fieldwork in settings that are characterized with deteriorating security situations, increasing state control and conflicting inter-ethnic relations. More precisely, they shed light to the intricacies of conducting fieldwork on highly politicized and sensitive topics in the region of Kurdistan in Iraq, Syria and Turkey as well as among Kurdish diaspora members in Europe.This volume is multidisciplinary in its focus and approach. It includes contributions from scholars from various disciplinary backgrounds, ranging from sociology and political science to social psychology and anthropology. The complexity of security situations, and the atmospheres of distrust and suspicion have led the contributors to be creative and to adapt their research methods in ways that at times transcend disciplinary boundaries and conventions. Relatedly, the contributions also open the often-considered Pandora’s box of discussing the failures in what is often a “messy” research field, and how to adopt one’s methods to rapidly changing political circumstances. This necessitates greater reflexivity in existing power relations of the surrounding context and how those affect not only the interaction situations between the researcher and the participants, but also raise questions for the overall research process, concerning namely social justice, representation and knowledge production. The contributions unravel this by unpacking positionalities beyond ethnicities, discussing how gendered and other positionalities are constructed in fieldwork interactions and by illustrating how the surrounding structures of power and dominance are present in every-day fieldwork. What differentiates this book from the existing literature is that it is the first academic endeavor that solely focuses on methodological reflections aimed to the field of Kurdish Studies. It offers a comprehensive and multidisciplinary account of scholars’ fieldwork experiences in the Kurdish regions and as such, it is also of value to scholars conducting or about to conduct fieldwork in conflict regions elsewhere.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2018-11-06
Mått158 x 229 x 27 mm
Vikt599 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
SerieKurdish Societies, Politics, and International Relations
Antal sidor282
FörlagBloomsbury Publishing Plc
ISBN9781498575218

Tillhör följande kategorier

Ch. 1: Critical Ethnography: Emancipatory Knowledge And Alternative DialoguesVera Eccarius-KellyCh. 2: Living Structures: Methodological Considerations On People And Place Joost JongerdenCh. 3: Online-Offline Research On Diasporic Identities: Methodological Benefits, Challenges and Critical InsightsJowan MahmodCh. 4: Tracing Global History Through The Kurds In The Imperial And National Archives And BeyondMarc Sinan WinrowCh. 5: Troubled Terrain: Lines of Allegiance and Political Belonging in Northern KurdistanMarlene SchäfersCh. 6: Working Upon the Communities under the Political Domination: Subaltern Kurds in Turkey Polat AlpmanCh. 7: Feeling Solidarity in An Estranged City: Ethnography In The Post-War Diyarbakir Under SurveillanceDemet ArpacikCh. 8: Outsiders Twice Over in KurdistanFrancis O’Connor And Semih CelikCh. 9: The Omnipresent Absentee? Challenges In Researching The Kurdistan Workers’ Party In Europe And TurkeyMarlies CasierCh. 10: “She's Turkish but Good”: Researching On Kurdish Internal Displacement As A ‘Turkish’ Female ResearcherYesim MutluCh. 11: Straddling The Insider-Outsider Divide: Challenges Of Turkish Identity As An Outsider Researcher In The Kurdish Context Yasemin Gulsum Acar And Ozden Melis UlugCh. 12: Beyond The Insider-Outsider Dichotomy: Conducting Ethnographic Fieldwork As A Kurdish Returnee In Iraqi KurdistanLana Askari Ch. 13: Embedded Research and Political Violence: Kurdish Studies In Conflict AreasThomas SchmidingerConclusion: Reflections on Research: Challenges And OpportunitiesBegum Zorlu and Yasin Duman

This book is a timely and much-needed contribution to the growing literature on methodological and ethical challenges involved in conducting research in conflict settings. With a wide range of outstanding contributions from leading scholars, the volume fills an important gap on how ethnographic knowledge is primarily shaped by power relations. It serves as a stark reminder of the need to go beyond a standardized, one-size-fits-all approach to studying complex conflict environments. It is a vital resource for students and scholars of Kurdish studies, Middle Eastern studies, and those interested in conducting research in conflict zones.