The Zaza Kurds of Turkey: A Middle Eastern Minority in a Globalised Society PDF
Preview The Zaza Kurds of Turkey: A Middle Eastern Minority in a Globalised Society
Mehmed S. Kaya received his Dr. polit. degree in sociology and social anthropology from the Norwegian University of Scientific and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. He is professor at Lillehammer University College. He founded the Norwegian Journal ofM igration Research and was its editor-in-chief during the period 2000-5. Kay a has published Muslim Immigrants' Adaptations to Norwegian Society (Dr. polit. dissertation) and a series of articles in scientific journals. The Zaza Kurds of Turkey A Middle Eastern Minority in a Globalised Society Mehmed S. Kaya LONDON· NEW YORK Published in 20 I I by I. B. Tauris & Co Ltd. 6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU 175 RfthAvenue, New York NY 10010 www.ibtauris.com Distributed in the United States and Canada Exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan 175 RfthAvenue, New York NY 10010 Copyright© 20 I I Mehmed S. Kaya The right of Mehmed S. Kaya to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Library of Modern Middle East Studies 71 ISBN 978 I 8451 I 875 4 A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Ubrary A full CIP record for this book is available from the UbraryofCongress Library of Congress catalog card: available Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham Camera-ready copy edited and supplied by the author Contents Illustrations vii Important episodes in the history of the Zaza ix Preface xi 1 Introduction 1 2 Kinship 12 3 A tribal society 29 4 A patriarchal society 42 5 A society with its own authorities 54 6 Reciprocity among the Zaza population 81 7 The economic system of the Zaza society 96 8 Turkey, a nationalist state in conflict 111 9 Culture and identity 146 10 Gender relations, family and division of labour 171 11 Religion, collectivism and individualism 190 vi The Zaza Kurds of Turkey Notes 208 References 212 Index 216 Illustrations Figures 1.1 Areas where Zaza-speaking Kurds live 5 1.2 The Sherevdin landscape, with a flock of sheep in the middle 6 3.1 The origin of the tribe, lineage structure and the partition into levels 33 3.2 The relation between tribal units and unit leaders at different levels 33 5.1 Important centres of propagation of the Nakshibendi Order 60 5.2 Types of authorities or institutions in Zaza society 75 7.1 Summer camp of white and black tents in the Sherevdin landscape 98 7.2 A hardworking farmer in Meneshkut 99 8.1 A mountain top vis-a-vis the Kurdish city of Hakkari 121 10.1 A woman ready to milk the sheep 185 10.2 A woman preparing milk products 186 11.1 Ulu Cami in Bingol 193 Table 2.1 An overview of various rights, obligations and opportunities connected with kinship categories 22 Important episodes 1n the history of the Zaza c.600-700 BC Zaza Kurds converted to Zoroastrianism. 641 Kurdistan was occupied by the Arabs. Kurds were forcibly converted to Islam. The Kurds resisted until the turn of the millennium. Until the 1200s, Kurds were called 'infidels' by Arabic authors. Towards the end of the 1600s, the majority of the Kurds con verted to Islam. 1920 The victorious powers of the First World War com mit themselves to the establishment of a Kurdish state in parts of South-East Turkey and North Iraq with the Sevres Treaty. 1923 The Sevres Treaty was rejected by Kemal Atatlirk's Turkey and was replaced by the Lausanne Treaty, which denied national rights to the Kurds. The vic tors betray the Kurds and Atatlirk annexes Kurdistan to Turkey. 1925 Kurds staged a large rebellion against the newly proclaimed Turkish republic. The rebellion was led by the legendary Sheikh Said who was a Zaza and was from Xinus to the north-east of Solhan. The rebellion started in February and spread to several cities in the Kurdish area. The rebels seized several large cities including Bingol, Xarput (Elazig), large portions of Diyarbekir and a series of smaller cities. Their liberation was short lived. The rebellion was brutally suppressed by the Turkish army after some months by direct orders from Atatlirk. Sheikh Said and 48 of his close collaborators were hanged on 28 June of the same year in Diyarbekir. x The Zaza Kurds of Turkey 1930 The Kurds started yet another rebellion around Mount Ararat. The rebellion was led by General Ihsan Nuri who had deserted from the Turkish army. This rebellion lasted for two years before it was suppressed and the leaders fled to Iran and were granted political asylum there. 1937 Another rebellion took place in the Zaza-domi nated province of Dersim to the north-west of Dersim. Also at this time there was full popular par ticipation but the rebellion was suppressed brutally after nearly two years. The leadership, along with the colourful personality Seyid Riza, was executed and more than half of the population of Dersim was deported to West Turkey. 1984 The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) started an armed struggle against the central government in Ankara. The PKK demanded independence from Turkey. Turkey arrested PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan with American help in Nairobi in February 1999. The PKK declared a unilateral ceasefire in September of the same year, but Turkey answered with military operations and in 2004 the PKK can celled the unilateral ceasefire. Turkey is not capable of suppressing a Kurdish rebellion for the first time in recent history.
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