Kurds: A Sociological and Historical Study

For centuries, the Ararat Mountains, at the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, have been home to a group of tribes whose social cohesion and linguistic unity have been proven throughout history: the Kurds. Although a large number of specialists in Kurdish affairs (Kurdologists) began systematically studying the Kurds more than half a century ago, our knowledge of Kurdistan remains insufficient. This study, presented by a prominent Kurdologist, is the first comprehensive work to address the various aspects of the Kurdish question. Studying the Kurdish question is of paramount importance for understanding the current political situation. Since the outbreak of World War I, the delineation of spheres of influence among the Great Powers, and the creation of states to succeed the Ottoman Empire, the situation of the Kurds became known to diplomats. Indeed, for a short period, it seemed as though the aspirations of this people had found international recognition from the major powers, who had appointed themselves arbiters of the international order. However, contrary to the declared promises and grand pronouncements, the borders of the region's countries were not drawn according to national and humanitarian considerations, but rather according to the will and interests of powerful businessmen and Western colonial states. As for the guarantees given to the Kurdish people, represented by the theoretical guardianship over them by the League of Nations, they enjoyed them only in a weak manner, and according to the wishes of the colonial ministries.