Ambiguous Interplays. Kurdish diaspora activism in Denmark from Kobane to Afrin

Pre-defence of PhD thesis by Anne Sofie Schøtt.

Examiner: Associate Professor Nicole Doerr, Department of Sociology (University of Copenhagen).

Abstract

The dissertation Ambiguous Interplays. Kurdish diaspora activism in Denmark from Kobane to Afrin investigates how the Kurdish diaspora in Denmark mobilises in support of the Kurdish struggle in Syria.

Before 2011, the Kurdish struggle in Syria was not paid much attention, not even by the Kurdish diaspora. The fight against Islamic State and the intense battle of Kobane during the winter of 2014-15 changed that. A variety of support initiatives were launched by the Kurdish diaspora, covering small donations collected by ad hoc humanitarian aid groups as well as political lobbyism by established Kurdish organisations. The capture of Afrin by Turkish backed rebels in early 2018 has complicated the political situation for the Syrian Kurds, which suggests changes in Kurdish diaspora initiatives.

The dissertation examines the strategies and actions of Kurdish diaspora groups. It identifies three main arenas in which the Kurdish activism takes place: the political arena, the courtroom and the humanitarian arena, and analyses how the Kurds in each of these arenas interact with other players, such as individual politicians, state authorities and the public. On this basis, the dissertation discusses how the interactions with other players constrain or enable the Kurds to reach their goals. The study argues that the Kurdish activists demonstrate unwavering commitment in order to persuade the politicians as well as to mobilise the public and the passive diaspora members. However, the ambiguous recognition of the Kurdish cause by each of these other actors represents the main challenge for the Kurdish activists in terms of success.

The study draws on social movement theory, as the diaspora is perceived as a mobilised and mobilising community. Within the field of social movement theory, I have chosen a strategic interactionism approach (Jasper and Duyvendak, 2014; Duyvendak and Jasper, 2015). First of all, because an interactionist approach recognises the complexity and ambiguity of social interaction without reducing the social processes to linear or causal mechanisms. Second, the strategic perspective allows me to examine the Kurds as strategic actors who pursue certain goals and apply certain tactics, but whose success in reaching the goals depends on how they are countered by other strategic actors.

Methodologically, the analysis is based on ethnographic fieldwork encompassing interviews with Kurdish activists and participant observation at political meetings and gatherings as well as on constitutional documents of the various organisations. The fieldwork is conducted in Denmark having a Kurdish population of 25.000-30.000 individuals (Institute Kurde de Paris, 2016).

The pre-defence will focus on the coherence within the dissertation and on the application of strategic interactionism to the analysis of Kurdish activism.

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