The Kurds of Northern Syria: Governance, Diversity and Conflicts

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Based on unprecedented access to Kurdish-governed areas of Syria, including exclusive interviews with administration officials and civilian surveys, this book sheds light on the socio-political landscape of this minority group and the various political factions vying to speak for them. The first English-language book to capture the momentous transformations that have occurred since 2011, the authors move beyond idealized images of Rojava and the Kurdish PYD (Democratic Union Party) to provide a nuanced assessment of the Kurdish autonomous experience and the prospects for self-rule in Syria. The book draws on unparalleled field research, as well as analysis of the literature on the evolution of Kurdish politics and the Syrian war. You will understand why the PYD-led project in Syria split the Kurdish political movement and how other representative structures amongst Syrias Kurds fared. Emerging clearly are the complex range of views about pre-existing, current and future governance structures.

Reviews

A meticulously researched book and certainly the definitive account of this important region and its people. * Fathom Journal *
Co-authored by two proven experts on the subject and based on meticulously careful field research, this analysis presents valuable detailed and broadly-based insights into the Kurdish autonomous experience in northern Syria and its uncertain future. * Michael M. Gunter, Professor, Tennessee Technological University, USA. *
A major contribution to the literature on the Kurdish struggle in Syria, based on extensive interviews with a wide range of actors. Balanced in its coverage of the various ethno-religious communities and political forces. The book will remain a valuable resource even when the facts on the ground have changed. * Martin van Bruinessen, Professor Emeritus of the Comparative Study of Contemporary Muslim Societies, Utrecht University, Netherlands *
The most complete and objective book about Syrian Kurds. [the authors] conducted a very thorough field survey and took the necessary step back to analyze the Kurdish identity, its system of government and future in the last context of American troop withdrawal. An incredible adventure in a few years the weakest part of Kurdistan becomes its revolutionary vanguard, in a tremendous context of fierce war against the Islamic State. * Fabrice Balanche, Associate Professor and Research Director, University of Lyon 2, France *

Author Bio

Harriet Allsopp is a researcher and consultant. Her research has focused on Kurdish political organisation, nationalisms and channels of representation and dissent in Syria. She holds a PhD in Politics from Birkbeck College, University of London and is the author of The Kurds of Syria: Political Parties and Identity in the Middle East (I. B. Tauris, 2014). Wladimir van Wilgenburg is an analyst of Kurdish politics and a journalist living in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. Much of his work is based on first-hand research and interviews conducted on the ground in Iraqi Kurdistan and Northern Syria. In 2013, he received an MA from the University of Exeters Kurdish Studies program.