Kurdish Studies Research and Study Opportunities

Thousands of study and academic opportunities in Kurdish Studies are available internationally. Conferences and summer schools in Kurdish Studies are organized regularly in the best academic centers of the world. The majority of universities and many foundations also offer BA, MA, and Ph.D. programs in Kurdish Studies as wells as postdoctoral research grants, awards, and fellowships. Below you will find the updated list of international opportunities available in Kurdish Studies.

Kurdish Studies Scholarships

Kurdish Studies Programs

Kurdish Studies Conferences

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If you are interested in Kurdish studies as your academic destination, the first questions you should find answers to are "Who are Kurds?" and "What is the Kurdish Question"? Those two areas lie at the base of the Kurdish studies discipline, and you will come across them not once in your academic path. 

Who are Kurds?

Kurds are people of a big nation who do not have their own independent State and live spread in different locations across the Mesopotamian plains. The territory occupied by the majority of Kurdish people is currently divided between 4 countries: Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Iran. Though Kurds have the minority status, they account for up to a quarter of the population in most countries. Kurdish population itself is times more than many of established and internationally recognized states'. Relying on different estimations, there are around 30-35 mln Kurdish people in the world. Kurds account for up to 20% of Turkey's population and up to 20% of Iraq's population. Their spoken language is Kurdish, a member of the Indo-Iranian language family. 

What is the Kurdish Question?

From the description above, you guess the main dream of the Kurdish people is to unite under their independent country, Kurdistan. This question was at the core of the nation's activities throughout decades, and it's what is mainly studied within the discipline's scope. 

The last time there were objective prerequisites for founding Kurdistan was in the early 20th century. Western allies made a provision for Kurdish State by the Treaty of Sevres in 1920. After the First World War and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, there were many favorable conditions for such a decision. However, the Treaty failed to transfer the promise of the Kurdish State from paper to practice, and three years later, they did not give provision for the State. 

Until now, Kurds struggle to solve the situation in their favor. Meanwhile, Turkey puts every effort to fail to establish a Kurdish State, trying to classify Kurds as "Moutain Turks." Every determined action of Kurdish people to obtain their right to the independent State is pressured by Turkey, and Kurds remain a minority striving to maintain their ethnicity. 

Kurdish Studies as an academic discipline | Majors

The above introduction was necessary to give you an insight into what you will study if choosing Kurdish studies as an academic program. All the study and research areas of Kurdish studies discipline rotates over their ethnicity issues. 

The academic programs will give you insights into Kurds, their current situation, and possible development scenarios by exploring different areas of Kurdish life. The majors will include courses on history, political and social dynamics, displacement, governance, nationalism, economy, international relations, security, religion, literature, etc. 

As the Kurdish economic and political situation results from several global movements and their circumstances, Kurdish studies can start with a comprehensive introduction to different region's histories. For example, you might start with the Middle East and Muslim world studies, which can then narrow down to more specific topics related to Kurds. 

After exploring everything in detail and standing closer to the Kurdish people's concerns and living conditions, you will develop an exceptional cultural understanding. The course is not about Kurds specifically. It gives a broad knowledge and mindset on how to deal with minority issues and better understand the concerns of human beings who live under the threat of losing their identity.

Kurdish Studies research opportunities

The Kurdish question is one of the hot research topics. It's practically unsolved and raises many questions depending on the perspective you look from. Much of the Kurdish question is related to Turkey. That's why most research publications and offered research topics will also be related to Kurds and Turkey. 

Kurdish research projects come to the stage for different reasons. Among all, the main trigger that provokes active research on the topic is politics. Throughout history, the Kurdish question was brought to the forefront of the international scene when there was a need to use it against specific countries' international policies. 

Other than purely political interests, Kurdish research is also important in the context of human and minority rights, which is at the center of attention for many international organizations. It's also of a high value that the recent years have seen an increase in the Kurdish diaspora in Europe, mainly Germany. 

Therefore, double-check all the study and research funding opportunities you have, as many international organizations are ready to support your valuable findings in the field. 

The popular research directions that currently exist in the discipline include:

  • Kurdish Language and Literature
  • Popular Culture and Folklore in Kurdistan
  • Coercion and Violence in Kurdistan and in the Middle East
  • Kurdish Diaspora
  • The Contemporary Kurdish Movement
  • Ethnographic Fieldwork in the Kurdish Question: Ethics and Challenges
  • Gender and Kurdish Studies

To have a new say in the long-discussed topic of Kurds, scholars might often conduct interviews or surveys with international politicians, historians, sociologists, and other professionals. The goal of the scholarly activities is to come up with suggestions that can transform Kurds' status or explain it from a new perspective. Also, as Kurds live in foreign societies, the questions about their cultural assimilation or their differences from their communities are also widely discussed. 

Humans share parallel realities while sharing the same planet. Some of us live in highly developed countries where no violence of human rights can be slipped unnoticed. In contrast, others have to struggle for their right to have nationality and identity. Education is one key to soften or even eliminate the non-similarity of security opportunities for different nationals, and we hope this section of ARMACAD will help you in that.