INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

The Kurdish Diaspora
Historical background, current situation and prospects

Conference organized by the Kurdish Institute of Paris

Friday, October 27, 2023, 9:00 am - 6:30 pm

Palais du Luxembourg - Salle Clemenceau

15, rue Vaugirard 75006 Paris

With a community of over 2 million stateless members, primarily dispersed in Germany, France, England, and the Scandinavian countries, the Kurdish diaspora was established starting in 1960 and became increasingly visible from the 2000s as its demographic weight grew due to military operations in various parts of Kurdistan. Despite its recent formation and in spite of the hostility from Turkish, Iranian, Syrian, and Iraqi states, even within European countries, the Kurdish diaspora is considered the best-organized and most active diasporic community in Europe.

While the first generation of diaspora members consisted of activists, intellectuals, and journalists fleeing political and cultural repression, we now witness a second, and even a third generation fully integrated into their host countries, as evidenced by several Kurdish-origin deputies and ministers in Sweden, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, not to mention numerous mayors and municipal councilors. Similarly, members of the Kurdish diaspora maintain strong ties with their regions of origin by establishing economic, political, financial, and social connections and networks. Information and communication technologies, the internet, and social media have contributed to creating new opportunities for this process and bridging the gap between their regions of origin and different generations.

Through its activism and various forms of mobilization, the Kurdish diaspora has played a decisive role in raising international awareness of the Kurdish cause. It is also thanks to these forms of activism that "Kurdish studies" in Europe and the United States have seen significant growth, with numerous journals and theses dedicated to the study of Kurdish history, language, culture, and society.

The Kurdish diaspora has also been very active in the development of literary, cultural, and artistic expression, as can be seen in the revival of the Kurdish language, literature, the development of Kurdish cinema, and new forms of youth culture. It is the diaspora that has breathed new life into written Kurdish language, literature, and music, which were long banned in Turkey, Syria, and Iran. It is also through this expression that members of the diaspora maintain, negotiate, and reconstruct their identity.

The growing Kurdish entrepreneurship reflects the considerable economic impact of the diaspora both in Europe and in its solidarity actions with Kurdistan, in numerous sectors of the market, reconstruction, healthcare services, and more.

The symposium, concluding the celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Kurdish Institute, brings together about twenty researchers and actors from the Kurdish diaspora for pluralistic debates and provides a space for questioning, reflection, and exchanges on the Kurdish diaspora and its prospects.