Kurdish nationalism
Kurdish nationalism is a political movement that promotes Kurdish national identity and seeks self-determination or statehood for the Kurdish people.
Treaty of Sèvres: The 1920 treaty that proposed partitioning the Ottoman Empire and included provisions for possible Kurdish autonomy and independence. Its unimplemented provisions became a reference point for Kurdish claims to self-determination.
Sheikh Said: A Kurdish religious leader associated with the 1925 uprising against the Turkish Republic. His revolt became a major early episode in the history of Kurdish opposition to Turkish rule.
Kurds: An ethnic group native to regions across Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and neighboring areas, with diverse languages and communities. Kurdish national identity is built around the shared identity of this diverse people.
Kurdish independence referendum: A 2017 referendum in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in which voters overwhelmingly supported independence from Iraq. It tested statehood directly but did not produce an independent Kurdish state.
Treaty of Lausanne: The 1923 treaty that established the borders of modern Turkey and replaced the Treaty of Sèvres. It left Kurdish-inhabited areas divided among several states without the proposed path to Kurdish autonomy.
Qazi Muhammad: A Kurdish political leader who headed the Mahabad Republic and was executed in 1947. He linked Kurdish political organization to the brief republic in Iran.
Kurdish language: A group of related Iranian languages, principally Kurmanji and Sorani, spoken by Kurds. Language is a key marker of Kurdish identity, though Kurdish communities are linguistically diverse.
Democratic confederalism: A political model emphasizing local self-government, assemblies, and cooperation across existing state borders. It represents a non-state alternative to conventional Kurdish nationalism's pursuit of sovereign statehood.
Sykes–Picot Agreement: A 1916 agreement between Britain and France outlining proposed spheres of influence in Ottoman territories. It is often invoked in accounts of how postwar borders shaped Kurdish political aspirations.
Mustafa Barzani: An Iraqi Kurdish military and political leader who headed the Kurdistan Democratic Party for decades. His career shaped Kurdish armed movements and party politics in Iraq.