Nation Building And Genocide As Civilizing And De Civilizing Process: The Story of the Kurdish People

Throughout history, the concept of nation-building and genocide has been intertwined, leading to both the destruction and empowerment of various ethnic and cultural groups. This article delves into the experience of the Kurdish people, exploring how nation-building efforts have both civilizing and de-civilizing effects on their society.

The Kurdish People: A Historical Background

The Kurdish people, numbering approximately 30 million, are an ethno-linguistic group primarily inhabiting the mountainous regions of western Asia. Despite their long-standing presence in the region, the Kurds have faced recurring challenges in asserting their identity and achieving self-determination.

Genocide as a Tool for Nation Building

Throughout the centuries, numerous attempts have been made to suppress the Kurdish people and their aspirations for independence. Genocide, defined as the deliberate extermination of a particular ethnic, religious, or national group, has been a recurring method employed in nation-building efforts. The Ottomans, for instance, targeted the Kurds during the Armenian Genocide, considering them a threat to their territorial integrity.

Origins of the Kurdish Genocide: Nation Building and Genocide as a Civilizing and De-Civilizing Process (Kurdish Societies, Politics, and International Relations)

by Robert H. Latiff(Kindle Edition)

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	3418 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	247 pages

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Experiences of genocide have had severe consequences for the Kurdish people, leading to the loss of countless lives, destruction of infrastructure, and displacement of communities. However, despite the immense suffering inflicted upon them, the Kurds have managed to persist and resist these attempts of dehumanization.

The Civilizing Process: Nation Building and Cultural Empowerment

Amidst the struggle for self-determination, the Kurdish people have also experienced instances of nation-building and cultural empowerment. Efforts to revive the Kurdish language and traditions, as well as the establishment of autonomous administrations in various regions, have played a vital role in reclaiming their identity.

Moreover, the global recognition of the Kurdish fight against ISIS has further empowered their cause, with international support contributing to the acknowledgment of their efforts to create a stable and democratic society within their territories.

The De-Civilizing Process: Struggles and Ongoing Conflicts

Despite the progress made in nation-building and cultural revival, the Kurdish people continue to face significant challenges and ongoing conflicts. Political instability, territorial disputes, and conflicts with surrounding nations have hindered their aspirations for self-determination and nationhood.

The Way Forward: International Support and Conflict Resolution

Addressing the complex situation of the Kurdish people requires international support and collaborative efforts. Recognizing and respecting their rights to self-determination, facilitating peaceful negotiations, and promoting inclusive policies are crucial steps towards achieving a just and sustainable solution.

The journey of the Kurdish people showcases the complex relationship between nation-building efforts and genocide. While attempts to suppress their identity have been prevalent throughout their history, the Kurdish people have also experienced moments of cultural empowerment and recognition.

Creating a society where nation-building is implemented through inclusion and diversity rather than erasure and destruction is the key to fostering global peace and understanding. The case of the Kurdish people serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving the richness and diversity of our world's cultures.

Origins of the Kurdish Genocide: Nation Building and Genocide as a Civilizing and De-Civilizing Process (Kurdish Societies, Politics, and International Relations)

by Robert H. Latiff(Kindle Edition)

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	3418 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	247 pages

FREE

The author argues that a part of the history of nation building in Iraq through addressing its political characters, different communities, agreements and pan Arab ideology, including the Baath ideology and its attempts to seize power through nondemocratic methods. It is an attempt to approach the essence of the exclusion mentality of the ruling elite in order to understand the process of genocide against the Kurdish people, including all existing religious minorities.

This essence of the process has been approached in the framework of the civilizing and de-civilizing process as a main theory of the German sociologist, Norbert Elias.

Thus, this book may be considered as one of the comprehensive books to present a study of state-building in Iraq, along with identifying some of the political figures that had an essential impact on the construction. On the other hand, it is a comprehensive study of the genocide, in the sense of searching for the causes and roots of the genocide. The Anfal campaigns took place in 1988, but the process started as far back as the end of the sixties and the beginning of the seventies of the last century.