Notes

As previously mentioned, the Kurds are stateless Following the division of Kurdistan after WW1, this has brought with it the struggle of maintaining their rich and diverse culture and therefore, their identity. Religion is at the centre of everything for the Kurds, and so social behaviours are influenced heavily by religious teachings. The Kurds are made up primarily of Sunni Muslims with 98% of Kurds living in Iraqi Kurdistan, but there are also christians, Yazidis (religious minority, combines aspects of Islam, Christianity and Judaism) and Jews for example. The wide variety of religions creates an interesting and varied culture however, due to the wide geographical distriution of Kurds now, the sharing of traditions and the mixing of religions has reduced significantly. Food is seen as the cornerstone of the Kurdish culture and is seen as the main expression of one's identity. Due to their nomadic lifestyle, lamb, goat and chicken are staple meats and recipes are passed from generation to generation. Another influence on an ethnicity's identity and culture is their collective past. Folklore, in particular, shapes identity and can create a sense of belonging and 'what it means to be Kurdish'. Through the separation of Kurds, passing on a collective history has become difficult, however, folk music has emerged as the most popular medium of sharing stories and is one of the most important features of Kurdish culture. As time progresses more and more history is written down and Kurdish authors have begun to express themselves through literature. If maintaining culture over such a vast area wasn't hard enough already for the Kurds, governments have made it even harder. Their language Kurdish was forbidden in public, their books and music that proved to be instrumental in creating that much needed collective history were banned and clothing were considered contraband. Being Kurdish was criminalised to the extent that in 1991 when Turkey's first Kurdish female MP, Leyla Zana, added a sentence in her own language after her oath when she was sworn in as a parliamentarian she was stripped of her parliamentary immunity and sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, things are improving for the Kurds and this can only be good for the survival of their culture. In recent years, both Iran and Turkey have relaxed their systemic cultural repression, while Iraqi Kurds have achieved autonomy. The calm and stability that Iraqi Kurdistan has enjoyed over the past 20+ years, has led to unheard of levels of development for the Kurdish. The recent surge in the price of oil has boosted finances and as a result. New homes, office buildings, and malls are being constructed as disposable income increases the is the possibility that a western consumerist society may be adopted which could kill of the Kurdish culture altogether in the future.