Published 2020-05-15
Abstract
This research paper focuses on the history of Kurds in Turkey and their contemporary challenges. Utilizing a variety of scholarly sources, news sources, and primary sources, this paper aims to explain why and how Turkish Kurds came to be in their current position. This research paper also emphasizes the issue of statelessness and attempts to distinguish between de facto statelessness and de jure statelessness. By examining Turkey’s history of brutal oppression against its Kurdish population, this paper seeks out the possibilities for peace and reconciliation between Ankara and Turkish Kurds. Attention is also given to the current conflict between Turkey and the PKK, in addition to the possibility of Turkish accession into the European Union.