Resist Diyarbakır, Resist: Exploring Kurdish Literary Intelligentsia in Diyarbakır
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Özlem Belçim Galip
Abstract
Much has been written about Diyarbakır, and its political ramifications and impact on Kurdish civilians in the region; however, it is still necessary to study the cultural and literary endeavours of Kurdish writers based in Diyarbakır (Diyarbakır) and their contribution to Kurdish language and literature in the form of a specific strategy of resistance to official cultural constructs that suppress Kurdish identity. In fact, in the case of Kurdish identity, “aesthetics and politics are intertwined” because of “ever-present repression and blockage of life [. . .] the dispossession of an entire nation”.1 Specifically, the political resistance in Diyarbakır has progressed to denote the essence of what can be classified as literary resistance. In this context, the existence of a series of linguistic and literary mechanisms and strategies to counteract the inexorable pressure exerted by the politically powerful on both individual and society in Turkish Kurdistan contributed to the emergence of a Kurdish literary elite which included and includes linguists, poets, writers, publishers, and translators-based in Diyarbakir. Diren ha Diyarbekir Diren (Resist Diyarbakır, Resist) is one of the most evocative Kurdish national songs, heard mostly at street protests and demonstrations across Turkey. It addresses the Kurdish national movement under the auspices of the resistance of Diyarbakır. The song repeats Diren ha Diyarbekir diren (Resist Diyarbakır, resist), Direnmektir sana can veren (Resistance is your existence).
Abstract
Much has been written about Diyarbakır, and its political ramifications and impact on Kurdish civilians in the region; however, it is still necessary to study the cultural and literary endeavours of Kurdish writers based in Diyarbakır (Diyarbakır) and their contribution to Kurdish language and literature in the form of a specific strategy of resistance to official cultural constructs that suppress Kurdish identity. In fact, in the case of Kurdish identity, “aesthetics and politics are intertwined” because of “ever-present repression and blockage of life [. . .] the dispossession of an entire nation”.1 Specifically, the political resistance in Diyarbakır has progressed to denote the essence of what can be classified as literary resistance. In this context, the existence of a series of linguistic and literary mechanisms and strategies to counteract the inexorable pressure exerted by the politically powerful on both individual and society in Turkish Kurdistan contributed to the emergence of a Kurdish literary elite which included and includes linguists, poets, writers, publishers, and translators-based in Diyarbakir. Diren ha Diyarbekir Diren (Resist Diyarbakır, Resist) is one of the most evocative Kurdish national songs, heard mostly at street protests and demonstrations across Turkey. It addresses the Kurdish national movement under the auspices of the resistance of Diyarbakır. The song repeats Diren ha Diyarbekir diren (Resist Diyarbakır, resist), Direnmektir sana can veren (Resistance is your existence).
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgements VII
- Contents IX
- Introduction 1
- Shared Ownership and Kurdish Folklore 5
- Resist Diyarbakır, Resist: Exploring Kurdish Literary Intelligentsia in Diyarbakır 19
- Tales of Woe, Ruthless Foes, and Patriotic Heroes: A Historical-Literary Study of Kurdish (Dis)unity in the Early Modern Era 39
- Sherko Bekas and the Emergence of Postnational Kurdish Literature 97
- Re-evaluation of the Yārsān Texts and its Impact on Kurdish Literature 129
- Kurdish Music as Literature: Some Historical Considerations 147
- Kurdish Women’s Feminist Poetry: Developing a Voice in Southern Kurdistan and the Diaspora 171
- Kurdish Women in Fiction and a History of Violence, Displacement, and Migration 193
- General Index 215
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgements VII
- Contents IX
- Introduction 1
- Shared Ownership and Kurdish Folklore 5
- Resist Diyarbakır, Resist: Exploring Kurdish Literary Intelligentsia in Diyarbakır 19
- Tales of Woe, Ruthless Foes, and Patriotic Heroes: A Historical-Literary Study of Kurdish (Dis)unity in the Early Modern Era 39
- Sherko Bekas and the Emergence of Postnational Kurdish Literature 97
- Re-evaluation of the Yārsān Texts and its Impact on Kurdish Literature 129
- Kurdish Music as Literature: Some Historical Considerations 147
- Kurdish Women’s Feminist Poetry: Developing a Voice in Southern Kurdistan and the Diaspora 171
- Kurdish Women in Fiction and a History of Violence, Displacement, and Migration 193
- General Index 215
