Turkey’s Kurds: A Theoretical Analysis of the PKK and Abdullah Ocalan

The Kurdish Worker’s Party (PKK) is examined here in this text on Kurdish nationalism. Incorporating recent field-based research results and newly translated material on Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK’s long-time leader; it explores the ideational nature and the organizational working of the party, from its growth in the late 1970s to its recent shrinkage. A variety of issues are addressed including: - the views and philosophy of Abdullah Ocalan - the successes and failures of the PKK in bringing about the Kurdish opposition in Turkey - the role of PKK’s philosophy of recruitment, organizational diligence, use of arms and other contextual factors in Kurdish resistance - factors involved in the development of the nationalism of the Kurds in Turkey. The text also reappraises the Kurdish movement in Turkey and presents insights into the nature of Kurdish social structure, thinking, and the particularities of the Kurdish ethnic distinctness.