Kurdish Diaspora’s Victimhood and Intergroup Emotions

This chapter examines the collective victimhood discourses of Turkey-originated Kurdish people living in Melbourne, Australia. The first section describes the oppression experienced by Kurds living in Turkey, and how and why the Kemalist regime, and later the Erdoğanist AKP regime, have sought to suppress Kurdish identity and securitize Kurds in Turkey by portraying them as dangerous ‘others’. The chapter then explores how Kurds have resisted cultural genocide and assimilation in Turkey. Data obtained from interviews with Kurds in Melbourne, Australia is presented thematically. The interviews ask Kurds about their feelings towards the socio-political climate of Turkey and Australia, the Turkey-originated diaspora in Australia. The chapter finds that the Kurdish diaspora’s collective victimhood is not competitive but inclusive. The chapter argues that Kurdish collective victimhood and the emotions it produces continue to shape Kurdish identity in both positive and negative ways.