The Kurdish Case for Democracy - Political Culture in the Absence of a State
Abstract
The forthcoming monograph « The Kurdish Case for Democracy » (Palgrave Macmillan 2026) asks how democratic values and civic culture can take shape without equal rights, and even without a state. Focusing on the Kurdish experience across Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey, it draws on fieldwork, survey research, and historical analysis to explore how people respond to authoritarian rule and long-term statelessness. The first part offers a data-driven look at Kurdish attitudes toward democracy, autonomy, and authority. The second situates these patterns in a broader history of political resistance. Rather than turning to authoritarian or religious extremes, many Kurdish movements have embraced more egalitarian, inclusive models of resistance. The Kurdish Case for Democracy makes the case for bottom-up democratization in the Middle East and challenges the idea that universal values must follow Eurocentric templates. It contributes to wider debates on nationalism, resistance, and the political cultures shaping the region
About this workshop
The Political Economy + AI seminar is an online seminar focused on political economy research using AI and computational methods. We welcome work in progress and methods talks on these topics.
Formerly the Public Governance working group, the seminar is organized jointly by King's College London and Université Paris-Dauphine – PSL.
More information can be found on the website of the Political Economy + AI seminar.
Periodicity: Mondays from 17h30 to 18h30 (Paris time).