Abstract:

By means of some socio-political condition of the time, the new Turkish Republic has been founded on the nation-state ideology that emphasizes being and coming from a Turkish origin, rejecting a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multilingual heritage of the Ottomans. In the early Republican period, it was envisaged that Turkish supra-identity will cover all of the people living within the borders of the national pact. However, it did not work as it was anticipated. Some identities have been ignored and cultural rights and demands of these particular identities have been restricted and foreclosed because of some fears and anxieties of political and military bourgeoisie on the disintegration of the newly formed Turkish Republic. These restrictions have paved the way for some reactionary movements against the politics of the state in a short period and led up to problems with identity politics in the case of Kurdish identity as one of the most debated concepts in Turkey in the 20th century. From this point of view, this study is intended to provide a contribution to the identity debates. In this article, nationalism and othering that gave rise to transform Kurdish identity politics to today’s Kurdish issue will be elaborated.

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