| dc.description.abstract | Since the mid-20th century, Kurdish people have emigrated to the west due to political issues, oppression and wars which led to the development of a strong diasporic community outside of their native Kurdistan. This included emigration to Norway where a noticeable diaspora has developed. Many generations of Kurds have now, therefore, been raised outside their ancestral homeland which may have affected their sense of identity, belonging, as well as political activism supporting Kurdistan. The purpose of this study is to understand the conceptions of identity and belonging, as well as potential involvement in transnational political activity towards Kurdistan among young Kurdish adults in the diaspora in Norway. Through theories such as translocational positionality (Anthias), transnationalism (Vertovec), as well as time and migration (Cwerner), the data extracted from individual interviews with young Kurdish adults is analyzed aiming to answer the following research questions: how do young adults of the Kurdish diaspora in Norway perceive the Kurdish issue, and what is the role of political activism among them? How do young Kurdish adults identify themselves and their sense of belonging, and how does the Kurdish issue, and their political activism towards that cause, affect their positionality?
Growing up in Norway, and between two cultures, both enriches their sense of identity and belonging, as well their political engagement, and reshapes everything through the effect of the host country and the ancestral homeland. At the same time, the concepts overlap and affect each other. This study confirms that fluidity in identity and belonging is prevalent, and the majority of the young Kurdish adults that participated in this study do not feel like they identify with one group or belong in one place completely. Yet, their sympathy and identification with Kurds and Kurdistan is still strong which has enhanced political engagement towards the Kurdish issue – mainly through social media and civic action in Norway. | |
