Primitive Rebels or Revolutionary Modernizers
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Primitive Rebels or Revolutionary Modernizers by Paul J White
Protests worldwide followed the capture and trial of the Kurdish nationalist leader Abdullah Öcalan in 1999. Millions of people are now aware of the long fight by Öcalan's PKK guerillas in Turkey. But where does the PKK come from? What are its aims? Who supports it? What will its future be without Öcalan to guide it? And, most important of all, is there now a real prospect for a peaceful resolution of the Kurdish question in Turkey and a democratic future that recognises the cultural plurality of the country? This timely book seeks answers to these questions and provides an informative, up-to-date and readable account of the Kurdish reality in Turkey today. Its focus is a critical examination of the Kurdish nationalist movement -- especially the largest and most powerful grouping, the PKK. Its evolution is traced. Initially reliant on armed struggle, the PKK had in fact, the author shows, made significant strides towards becoming a mainstream mass political movement before Öcalan's arrest. Original interviews with Icalan, his rival Kurdish nationalist leaders and ordinary PKK guerillas are woven into the text. They make possible an understanding of Abdullah Öcalan's personality as well as revealing much about leadership in contemporary Kurdish nationalism. Of particular interest also is the author's revisionist discussion of the Alevi Kurds.
'This is the best scholarly analysis yet written on the PKKIt will be difficult in future to understand the great importance of the Kurdish question in the Middle East and global politics without reading White's book.' Robert Olson, University of Kentucky 'Paul White's book is refreshing because it shows that the unaccomplished nature of modernity can produce paradoxical consequences. It opens new perspectives in the understanding of a wide range of nationalist movements.' Hamit Bozarslan, Ecole des Hautes Etudes et Sciences Sociales
Dr Paul J White teaches Middle Eastern Studies at Deakin University. A Kurdish Studies specialist, he has contributed numerous papers and articles to learned journals, particularly on the Kurdish Question. He is the Editor (with William S. Logan) of Remaking the Middle East (1997). He is a member of the Editorial Board, Journal of Arabic, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and serves on the Board of Directors of the Kurdish Institute, Washington DC.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781856498227 |
| ISBN 10 | 1856498220 |
| Title | Primitive Rebels or Revolutionary Modernizers |
| Author | Paul J White |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2000-10-01 |
| Number of pages | 272 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |