Kurdish Culture and Identity

Auteur

Philip G. Kreyenbroek is a reader in Iranian languages and religions at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. Christine Allison is a specialist on Kurdish oral literature.

Texte du rabat

The more than 20 million Kurds in the Middle East are the largest nation in the world without their own independent state. Their struggles for international recognition may ultimately depend on their ability to convince the world that they have their own valid and mature identity. This survey of Kurdish culture describes the differences that exist in a community that is spread across four countries in the region - Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria - and recognizes that Kurdish culture is changing. Successive chapters deal with Kurdistan's written literature and oral tradition, the development of book publishing and other modern media, the range of Islamic and other religious beliefs that have shaped Kurdish identity, and Kurdish material culture including costumes, carpets and the everyday objects of village life.

Contenu

List of Contributors Introduction - Philip G. Kreyenbroek and Christine Allison 1. The Kurds: Current Position and Historical Background - Kendal Nezan 2. Kurdish Written Literature - Joyce Blau 3. Old and New Oral Traditions in Badinan - Christine Allison 4. The Creation of Kurdish Media Culture - Amir Hassanpour 5. Religion and Religions in Kurdistan - Philip G. Kreyenbroek 6. Faith, Ritual and Culture among the Ahl-e Haqq - Ziba Mir-Hosseini 7. Kurdish Costume: Regional Diversity and Divergence - Maria T. O'Shea 8. Kurdish Rugs and Kelims: An Introduction - William Eagleton 9. Kurdish Material Culture in Syria - Karin Kren Bibliography Index Map of Area Inhabited by Kurds