History and National Consciousness: A Critical Analysis of Kurdish Nationalist Historical Narratives

Year 2026, Volume: 12 Issue: 1, 64 - 102, 21.03.2026

Cihat Yilmaz

https://doi.org/10.21600/ijoks.1870377

https://izlik.org/JA78XS29KH

Abstract

This research evaluates the complex relationship between history, identity, and nationalism in the Kurdish context. It explores the challenges and motivations in the development of the nationalist narrative of Kurdish history writing. The primary objective of the research is to examine the role of these narratives in shaping national identity and their contribution to nation-building within a historical socio-political framework. While this study engages with the subject through the perspectives of constructivism, it is centered around three key tasks: analysis of the significance of history, in particular its role in defining national identity; exploring the relationship between historiography and political agendas, focusing on how historical narratives are manipulated for political incentives; and finally, a critical evaluation of Kurdish nationalist historical narratives, identifying their complexity and implications for contemporary Kurdish political conditions.  

Keywords

Constructivism , History , Nationalism , Kurds , Kurdish History

Project Number

1

References

• Adiyamanê, Z., & Dag, R. (2014). Ottoman reforms and Kurdish reactions in the 19th century. Nubihar Akademi, *1*(2), 47–74. https://doi.org/10.55253/nubihar.388155
• Anderson, B. (1991). Imagined communities. London, UK: Verso.
• Armstrong, J. A. (1982). Nations before nationalism. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press.
• Aysevener, K. (2009). Antikçağ’dan günümüze tarih tasarımları. CTTAD, *8*(18–19), [sayfa aralığı eksik].
• Bedirxan, C. A. (2009). Kurd û welatê wan Kurdistan. İstanbul, Turkey: Avesta Yayınları.
• Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1991). The social construction of reality. London, UK: Penguin Books.
• Berger, S., & Conrad, C. (2015). National identity and historical consciousness in modern Europe. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Bey, R. G. (1930). Congress of Turkish history. Cumhuriyet’in 50. Yılında Türk Tarih Kurumu, [sayfa aralığı eksik].
• Bozarslan, H. (2005). Türkiye’de yazılı Kürt tarihi söylemi üzerine bazı hususlar. In A. Vali (Ed.), Kürt milliyetçiliğinin kökenleri (pp. 25–57). İstanbul, Turkey: Avesta Yayınları.
• Braganca, M., & Louwagie, F. (2018). The Holocaust and its context. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Breuilly, J. (1993). Nationalism and the state (2nd ed.). Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press.
• Bruinessen, M. van. (2003). Ağa, şeyh ve devlet. İstanbul, Turkey: İletişim Yayınları.
• Campbell, M. (n.d.). Kawa and the story of Newroz. Brussels, Belgium: Brussels Kurdish Institute. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://www.kurdishinstitute.be/en/kawa-and-the-story-of-newroz/
• Carr, E. H. (1987). What is history? (2nd ed.). London, UK: Penguin Books.
• Celil, C. (1992). XIX yüzyıl Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nda Kürtler. Ankara, Turkey: Özge Yayınları.
• Chirguh, B. (2009). Kürt sorunu. İstanbul, Turkey: Avesta Yayınları.
• Demirtaş: Büyük Kürt komutan Selahaddin Eyyubi’nin torunuyum. (2023, May 30). Kurdistan 24. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://www.kurdistan24.net/tr/story/489672
• Dilek, D. (2001). Tarih derslerinde öğrenme ve düşünce gelişimi. Ankara, Turkey: Nobel Akademik Yayıncılık.
• Duara, P. (1995). Rescuing history from the nation: Questioning narratives of modern China. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
• Engels, F. (1979). Doğanın diyalektiği. İstanbul, Turkey: Sol Yayınları.
• Ferdowsi, A. (1905). Shahname (A. G. Warner & E. Warner, Trans.). London, UK: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co. Ltd.
• Fong, S., & Li, X. (2020). Historical ownership and territorial disputes. The Journal of Politics, *8*(1), 345–360. https://doi.org/10.1086/706047
• Gellner, E. (1964). Thought and change. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
• Goddard, S., et al. (2025). The Oxford handbook of international political sociology. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
• Good news for Newroz: Ability to destroy UCAVs. (2024, March 20). KCK-INFO. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://kck-info.com/statements-20032024/
• Haifeng, H., & Xinsheng, L. (2018). Historical knowledge and national identity. Journal of Research & Politics, *5*(3), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/2053168018794352
• Håkansson, J. (2025). History as a treasure chest: Four principles of nationalist historical narration. International Public History, *8*(2), 129–133. https://doi.org/10.1515/iph-2025-0042
• Hassanpour, A. (2005). Kürt kimliğinin inşası: Yirminci yüzyil öncesi tarihsel ve edebi kaynaklar. In A. Vali (Ed.), Kürt milliyetçiliğinin kökenleri (pp. 138–181). İstanbul, Turkey: Avesta Yayınları.
• Henning, B. (2018). Narratives of the history of Ottoman-Kurdish Bedirhani family in imperial and post-imperial context. Bamberg, Germany: University of Bamberg Press.
• Historiography. (n.d.). In Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/historiography
• Hobsbawm, E. J. (1998). On history. London, UK: Abacus.
• Ibn Khaldun. (2005). The Muqaddimah (F. Rosenthal, Trans.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
• Idris-i Bitlisi. (1971). Şerefname. İstanbul, Turkey: Ant Yayınları.
• İnan, A. (1930). Atatürk ve tarih tezi. Belleten, *3*(10), [sayfa aralığı eksik].
• İnan, A., et al. (1930). Türk tarihinin ana hatları. İstanbul, Turkey: Devlet Matbaası.
• International Nowruz Day. (n.d.). United Nations. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-nowruz-day
• Izady, M. (2009). The Kurds: A concise handbook. London, UK: Taylor and Francis.
• Jackson, R., & Sorensen, G. (2006). Social constructivism. In Introduction to international relations theories and approaches (pp. [sayfa aralığı eksik]). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
• Johnson, J. (2022). A comprehensive study on ethno-symbolic advancement to nationalism. EDU Journal of International Affairs and Research, *1*(1), 23–29. Retrieved from https://edupublications.com/index.php/ejiar/article/view/8
• Jwaideh, W. (2009). Kürt milliyetçiliğinin tarihi, kökeni ve gelişimi. İstanbul, Turkey: İletişim Yayınları.
• Kahraman, A. (2004). Kürt isyanları. İstanbul, Turkey: Evrensel Basım Yayın.
• Kalman, M. (1994). Osmanlı-Kürt ilişkileri ve sömürgecilik. İstanbul, Turkey: Med Yayınları.
• Kara Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı. (1982). Türkiye’de yıkıcı ve bölücü akımlar. Ankara, Turkey: Kara Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı.
• Kawa the blacksmith: Kurdish symbol of resistance. (2018, March 19). Institut Kurde de Paris. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://www.institutkurde.org/en/info/latest/kawa-the-blacksmith-kurdish-symbol-of-resistance-7973/
• Kedourie, E. (1994). Nationalism (4th ed.). Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
• Khalid, H. S. (2020). Newroz from Kurdish and Persian perspectives – A comparative study. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, *7*(1), 116–130. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/318
• Kutschera, C. (2001). Kürt ulusal hareketi. İstanbul, Turkey: Avesta Yayınları.
• Larner, D. (1997). Why history matters? Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
• Larrain, J. (1988). Tarihsel materyalizmi yeniden yapılandırmak. İstanbul, Turkey: Toplumsal Dönüşüm Yayınları.
• Lassin, J., & Justice, E. C. (2022, March 9). Famine, subjugation, and nuclear fallout: How Soviet experience helped sow resentment among Ukrainians toward Russia. The Conversation. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://theconversation.com/famine-subjugation-and-nuclear-fallout-how-soviet-experience-helped-sow-resentment-among-ukrainians-toward-russia-175500
• Leira, H., & Carvalho, B. (2016). Constructing time again: History in constructivist IR scholarship. European Review of International Studies, *3*(3), 99–111. https://doi.org/10.3224/eris.v3i3.27346
• Levada-Tsentr Analiticheskiy Tsentr Yuriya Levadı. (2020). Struktura i vosproizvodstvo pamyati о Sovetskom Soyuze v Rossiyskom obshestvennom mnenii. Moscow, Russia: Levada-Tsentr.
• Lewis, B. (2014). Tarih notları. İstanbul, Turkey: Arkadaş Yayınları.
• Mandavili, S. R. (2015). Historiography by objectives: A new approach for the study of history within the framework of the proposed twenty-first century school of historiography. ELK Asia Pacific Journal of Social Sciences, *1*(2), 1–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5408530
• McDowall, D. (2004). A modern history of the Kurds (3rd ed.). London, UK: I.B.Tauris.
• Minorsky, V. (2004). Kürtler ve Kürdistan tarihi. İstanbul, Turkey: Doz Yayınları.
• Mohammed, M. (2020, June 5). Kurdish Newroz and the story of Kawa the blacksmith. Medium. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://medium.com/@meerzaaa/kurdish-newroz-and-the-story-of-kawa-the-blacksmith-95f64e13ecce
• Monon, C. (2013). Algerian colonial history in French textbooks (Unpublished master’s thesis). Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
• Newroz, Kawa the blacksmith and Mazlum Dogan. (2022, March 21). ANF NEWS. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://english.anf-news.com/features/newroz-kawa-the-blacksmith-and-mazlum-dogan-58796
• Newroz: Kawa the blacksmith represents the people’s justice. (2022, March 18). Medya News. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://medyanews.net/newroz-kawa-the-blacksmith-represents-the-peoples-justice/
• Nietzsche, F. (1957). The use and abuse of history. New York, NY: The Library of Liberal Arts.
• Nikitine, B. (1956). Les Kurdes. Paris, France: Institut Kurde de Paris.
• Orwell, G. (1949). *1984*. New York, NY: The New American Library.
• Pohl, W. (2019). Historiography and identity I: Ancient and early Christian narratives of community. Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols.
• Pudov, G. A., et al. (2020). Construction of modern ethno-cultural identity by symbolic art forms as a condition of self-development of culture: On the example of Yakutia. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, *12*(4), 1–14. https://dx.doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v12n4.15
• Rudi, A. (2018). The PKK’s Newroz: Death and moving towards freedom for Kurdistan. The Journal of Critical Global South, *2*(1), 92–114. https://doi.org/10.13169/zanjglobsoutstud.2.1.0092
• Sabloff, P. L. W. (2002). Genghiz Khan and modern Mongolian identity; The democracy connection. The Mongolian Journal of International Affairs, *8–9*, 36–53. https://doi.org/10.5564/mjia.v0i8-9.127
• Searle, J. R. (1995). The construction of social reality. New York, NY: The Free Press.
• Şeriati, A. (2013). Medeniyet tarihi I. İstanbul, Turkey: Fecr Yayınları.
• Simon, Z. B. (2019). Historicism and constructionism: Rival ideas of historical change. History of European Ideas, *45*(8), [sayfa aralığı eksik]. https://doi.org/10.1080/01916599.2019.1629438
• Şimşek, A. (2014). Milliyetçi tarihten milli tarihe geçiş; Çatışmacı eğitimden barışçı eğitime doğru Türkiye’de tarih ders kitapları. Akademik Bakış Dergisi, *40*, 172–189.
• Smith, A. D. (1991). National identity. Reno, NV: University of Nevada Press.
• Smith, A. D. (1998). Myths and memories of the nation. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
• Smith, A. D. (2002). When is a nation? London, UK: Taylor & Francis.
• Smith, A. D. (2009). Etno-sembolizm ve milliyetçilik. İstanbul, Turkey: Alfa Yayıncılık.
• Such, J. (2017). The constructivist understanding of history and its ethical dimension. Historical Journal, *65*(5), 799–808.
• Tekeli, İ. (1998). Tarih yazımı üzerine düşünmek. Ankara, Turkey: Dost Kitabevi.
• The Contested Histories Initiative. (2022). Case study 13: Leopold II statue in Belgium. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://contestedhistories.org/case-studies/leopold-ii-statue-in-belgium/
• This year’s Newroz will be the Newroz of freedom and democratic society. (2025, March 17). KCK-INFO. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://kck-info.com/statements170325/
• Topakkaya, A. (2008). Tarihsel materyalizm bağlamında Marx’ı yeniden okumak. Uluslararası Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, *1*(3), 378–395.
• Tori. (1998). Kürtlerin din kültürü tarihi. İstanbul, Turkey: Berfin Yayınları.
• Tosh, J. (2015). The pursuit of history (6th ed.). London, UK: Routledge.
• Vali, A. (2005). Kürtlerin soy kütükleri: Kürt tarih yazımında ulus ve ulusal kimliğin inşası. In A. Vali (Ed.), Kürt milliyetçiliğinin kökenleri (pp. 83–133). İstanbul, Turkey: Avesta Yayınları.
• Vossler, K. F. (2010). European views on Ottomans: Beyond religious and military polemics. Harrisonburg, VA: James Madison University.
• White, H. (1973). Interpretations in history. New Literary History, *4*(2), 281–314. https://doi.org/10.2307/468478
• White, H. (2014). Metahistory: The historical imagination in nineteenth-century Europe. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
• Wiersma, J. M. (2009). Politics of the past: The use and abuse of history. Vienna, Austria: Renner Institute.
• Williams, R. C. (2015). The historian’s textbook. London, UK: Routledge.
• With the spirit of Newroz, freedom will prevail. (2024, March 18). KCK-INFO. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://kck-info.com/statements-18032024/
• Yeşilgöz, K. (2004). Kürtler: Kökeni ve tarihi. İstanbul, Turkey: Kalan Yayınları.
• Zeki Beg, M. E. (2014). Kürtler ve Kürdistan tarihi. Diyarbakır, Turkey: Nubihar Yayınları.