The Kurds and the State
Denise Natali
Syracuse University
"By regarding nationalism as a consequence of complex political spaces tied to nation-state-building processes, this book presents an image of center-periphery and intra-Kurdish relations that is not inherently hostile across space and time. Variations in Kurdayetî reveal that, contrary to popular theories, there is nothing natural about Kurdish national identity, Kurdish political behavior, or the relationships between Kurds and their central governments. Shi'a, Sunni, Christian, and Alevi groups do not have a natural hatred for one another, Kurdish nationalists are not inherently defiant towards the state, and Kurds have not consistently differentiated themselves from Arabs, Turks, or Persians.”
Denise Natali is a professor and researcher at the College of Political Science, University of Salahaddin, Arbil (Hawler), Kurdistan region of Iraq. Over the past thirteen years she has lived, worked, and conducted independent field research in the Kurdish regions of Iraq, Turkey, and Iran, publishing numerous articles on Kurdish politics and identity within and beyond Iraq. Her expertise in Kurdish affairs has won her postings as information officer for the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance in northern Iraq, the American Red Cross International Disaster Relief Services, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. For sixteen months, she also worked with Afghan refugees in Pakistan, where she served as liaison to the Afghan interim government’s Ministry of Public Health and as director of cross-border operations for a nongovernmental organization set up to train health-care workers.
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