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oai:figshare.com:article/32640705 2026-10-01T16:28:53Z portal_1172 item_type_8 month_year_10_2026

Rojava reverberations: reimagining identity and politics in the Kurdish diaspora in Berlin Jamie McCollum (23656417) PUREID: 628433902 Democratic confederalism Kurdish movement Rojava revolution diaspora politics social movements radical democracy This ethnographic study investigates how Kurdish activists in Berlin's diaspora community navigate their movement's paradigmatic shift from nationalist liberation struggle to practitioners of democratic confederalism - a radical political model that explicitly rejects both nationalism and the nation-state. Based on extended fieldwork during a period marked by both the Kurdish independence referendum and the Turkish invasion of Afrîn, the research reveals the complex ways activists reconcile their support for post-nationalist politics while maintaining strong Kurdish identities. Through analysis of protests, community events, and in-depth interviews, the thesis demonstrates how the Rojava revolution in northern Syria serves as a beacon of hope that sustains the movement's transformative vision, even as activists grapple with immediate crises in the Kurdish homeland. The thesis illuminates how outrage at continuing injustices interweaves with hope for radical democratic alternatives to forge resilient networks of transnational solidarity. By examining these dynamics within Berlin's Kurdish democratic movement, this research advances anthropological understanding of how marginalized communities can reimagine politics and identity beyond the constraints of nationalism and the nation-state paradigm, while contributing to broader debates about the possibilities of radical political transformation in contemporary global society. 2026-10-01T16:28:53Z Text Thesis 10.17034/32640705.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Rojava_reverberations_reimagining_identity_and_politics_in_the_Kurdish_diaspora_in_Berlin/32640705 All Rights Reserved