David McDowall's ground-breaking history of the Kurds from the 19th century to the present day documents the underlying dynamics of the Kurdish question. The division of the Kurdish people among the modern nation states of Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran and their struggle for national rights continues to influence the politics of the Middle East. Drawing extensively on primary sources - including documents from The National Archive and interviews with prominent Kurds - the book examines the interplay of old and new aspects of the struggle, the importance of local rivalries and leadership within Kurdish society, and the failure of modern states to respond to the challenge of Kurdish nationalism. In this new and revised edition, McDowall also analyses the momentous transformations affecting Kurdish socio-politics in the last 20 years. With updates throughout and substantial new material included, this fourth edition of the book reflects the developments in the field and the areas which have gained importance and understanding. This includes new analysis of the Kurdish experience in Syria; the role of political Islam in Kurdish society and Kurds' involvement in Islamist Jihad; and issues surrounding women and gender that were previously overlooked, from the impact of the women's equality movement to how patriarchal practices within the Kurdish community still limit its progress. The foundation text for Kurdish Studies, this book highlights in detail the changing situation of the Kurds across the Middle East.
David McDowall is an author specialising in Middle Eastern affairs. He studied Islamic history under Albert Hourani for his first degree and wrote his post-graduate dissertation on the Druze revolt in Syria, 1925-27. He has worked for the British Council and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, before becoming a full-time writer on Britain, Palestine, Lebanon and the Kurds.
Glossary of Abbreviations Glossary of Middle Eastern termsForeword Ch 1. Introduction: Kurdish identity and social formationBook I THE KURDS IN THE AGE OF TRIBE AND EMPIRE Ch. 2. Kurdistan before the nineteenth centuryCh. 3. Ottoman Kurdistan, 1800-1850Ch. 4. Ottoman Kurdistan, 1850-1908Ch. 5. The Qajars and the KurdsCh. 6. Revolution, nationalism and war, 1900-1918Book II INCORPORATING THE KURDS Ch. 7. Redrawing the map: the partition of Ottoman KurdistanCh. 8. The Kurds, Britain and IraqCh. 9. Incorporating Turkey’s KurdsBook III ROJHILAT (EAST): NATIONALISM IN IRAN Ch. 10. The Kurds under Reza ShahCh. 11. Tribe or ethnicity? The Mahabad RepublicCh. 12. Iran: Creating a national movementCh. 13. Subjects of the Shi‘i republicBook IV BASÛR (SOUTH): NATIONALISM IN IRAQ Ch. 14. The birth of the national movement under Hashemite ruleCh. 15. The Kurds in revolutionary IraqCh. 16. The Kurds under the Ba‘th, 1968- 1975Ch. 17. The road to genocide, 1975-1988Ch. 18. Uprising and self-ruleBook V BAKUR (NORTH): NATIONALISM IN TURKEY Ch. 19. The Kurdish national revival in Turkey, 1946-1979Ch.20. The PKK and the mass movementBook VI ROJAVA (WEST): NATIONALISM IN SYRIA Ch.21. Living apart in French and independent Syria Book VII INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY: THE FIRST TWO DECADES Ch. 22. Iran’s Kurds: no sign of the dawnCh. 23. Syria’s Kurds: coming of age in civil warCh. 24. Turkey’s Kurds: the search for resolutionCh. 25. Iraq’s Kurds: from dream to disillusionmentBook VIII DIASPORA KURDS Ch. 26. The Kurds in exile: building the nationAFTERWORDAppendix 1. The Treaty of Sèvres Appendix 2. The Kurds in LebanonAppendix 3. The Kurds of the Caucasus
The best single narrative history of the Kurds ... It certainly belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in the Middle East today.