The Kurds: History and Politics
| Module title | The Kurds: History and Politics |
|---|---|
| Module code | ARAM147 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Clemence Scalbert Yucel (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 10 |
|---|
Module description
In this module you will focus on the socio-political history of Kurds and Kurdistan since the nineteenth century from the present day. You will examine the major events of Kurdish history, covering the late Ottoman Empire, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey and discussing the present volatile situation, focusing on the development of Kurdish nationalism and political movement(s), but also the relationships of the Kurds with their home governments, neighbouring populations, and international actors. You will also examine the transformation of the Kurdish society since the end of the 19 th century looking in particular at issues such as social organisation, gender, religion, migration, urbanisation, and diaspora, economic change, and neoliberalism.
The module is seminar-based, consisting of short lectures followed by in-depth class discussions and student presentations. No prior knowledge of the subject is required; the module is suitable for interdisciplinary pathways.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module will introduce you to the social and political history of the Kurds, the largest stateless nation and the largest group in the Middle East after Arabs, Persians and Turks. They have begun to play a prominent role in the complex politics and social transformation of the Middle East, which are difficult to understand without a grasp of the Kurds’ long and complicated history. The module aims to give you an understanding of the social and political history of the Kurds in relation to the global context, and to help you analyse their political organisation and the evolution of the society from a range of perspectives. The module will encourage you to critically examine the social and political history of the Kurds, considering issues of social organisation, nationalism, political party formation, identity and religion, migration, diaspora, and mobility, gender, political economy, regional and international relations.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate a critical approach to the historiography of the Kurds and Kurdistan
- 2. Objectively examine the position of the Kurds in the Middle East and the interaction between the Kurds and the dominant states of the region, as well as the position of non-state people in world history and politics
- 3. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the transformation of the Kurdish society in its global context
- 4. Apply and discuss a wide range of theories such as state-building and ethnic politics; nationalism; political economy; social change; gender; migration
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Discuss and analyse historical material, including primary sources
- 6. Embrace a multi-disciplinary approach in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of a particular ethno-national group.
- 7. Discuss and engage with a range of methodological approaches as well as variety of genres, i.e. historical, political or anthropological and sociological texts, (auto)biographical writings and fictions.
- 8. Undertake a study from a multi-disciplinary perspective
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 9. Digest, select and organise material to produce, to a deadline, a coherent and cogent argument, developed through the mode of assessment
- 10. Engage in independent study and work effectively in group with limited guidance
- 11. Communicate complex ideas verbally and in written
- 12. Engage critically with a variety of materials and sources (e.g. web, video, text, fiction archives)
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- The Historiography of the Kurds and Kurdistan
- Kurds and Kurdistan in the first World War
- Kurdish nationalisms and identity politics
- Religious identities and politics in Kurdistan
- Kurdish national movements and the states
- Kurdish Diasporas and mobilities
- The Kurdish political movement and transformation of gender roles
- Kurdistan, war, and the global economy
- Dispossessions and ecologies
- War and the transformation of society in Kurdistan
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 238 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars |
| Guided independent study | 88 | Weekly Readings (8 hours/week) |
| Guided independent study | 22 | Class/Seminar Preparation (2 hours/ week) |
| Guided independent study | 58 | Project (30 hours researching/coordinating; 28 hours writing/realisation) |
| Guided independent study | 70 | Essay (35 hours reading and researching /35 hours writing) |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class discussions and presentations | Weekly | 1-4; 11 | Verbal feedback |
| Project Proposal | 1000 words | 1-4; 9; 11 | Oral and Written Feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 40 | 3,500 words | 1-12 | Written (and verbal by appointment with student) |
| Project | 40 | Project material (video, podcast, painting, text, etc. TBD on individual basis with module convenor) equivalent to 2,000 words | 1-12 | Written and verbal |
| In-class Presentation | 20 | 10 minutes | 1-12 | Written and verbal |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay (3,500 words) | Essay (3,500 words) (40%) | 1-12 | Next reassessment period |
| Project (Project material (video, podcast, painting, text, etc. TBD on individual basis with module convenor) equivalent to 2,000 words) | Project material (video, podcast, painting, text, etc. TBD on individual basis with module convenor) equivalent to 2,000 words (40%) | 1-12 | Next reassessment period |
| In-class Presentation (10 minutes) | Presentation script (1,000 words) (20%) | 1-12 | Next reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Bajalan, Djene, Karimi, Sara Kandi (2014) The Kurds and their History: New Perspectives. Special issue of Iranian Studies, 47 (5).
Baser, B.; Toivanen, M.; Zorlu, B. & Duman, Y. (eds.) (2018) Methodological Approaches in Kurdish Studies. Theoretical and Practical Insights from the Field. Lexington Books.
Bozarslan, H.; Gunes, C., Yardigi, V. (eds.) (2021) The Cambridge History of the Kurds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
McDowall, D. (1996). A Modern History of the Kurds, London: I.B. Tauris.
Meseilas, S. (1997). Kurdistan in the Shadow of history. New York : Random House.
Mojab, S. (2021) Women of Kurdistan: a historical and bibliographic study. London: Transnational Press London.
Ghassemlou, A. R. (1965). Kurdistan and the Kurds. Prague: Publishing House of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences.
Gunter, M. M. (2011) [2004]. Historical Dictionary of the Kurds. Scarecrow press: Lanham and Oxford.
Kaya, Z. (2020) Mapping Kurdistan: territory, self-determination and nationalism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Schmidinger, T. (2018). Rojava: revolution, war, and the future of Syria’s Kurds. London: Pluto Press.
Tejel, J. G.; Sluglett, P.; Bocco, R.; Bozarslan, H. (ed.) (2012). Writing the modern historiography of Iraq. Historiographical and political challenges. World Scientific Publishing, Hackensack, London.
Vali, A. (2020). The Forgotten Years of Kurdish Nationalism in Iran. Palgrave Mac Millan.
van Bruinessen, Martin (1992), Agha, Sheikh and State: The Social and Political Structures of Kurdistan, Zed Books: London & New Jersey.
Watts, N. (2010). Activists in office. Kurdish politics and protest in Turkey, Seattle, University of Washington Press.
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/10/2007 |
| Last revision date | 20/11/2024 |
