Ambiguous Interplays and Reformulations of Kurdish Identities

This chapter presents the findings of the book and outlines the main conclusions regarding how Kurdish diaspora activism unfolds in a Danish setting and how this activism changed during the period from the battle of Kobane to defeat in Afrin. The study found that the Kurdish diaspora in Denmark came into being due to the mobilisation of Kurdish refugees and labour migrants. When the war broke out in Syria, the diaspora mobilised employing three strategies in support of the Syrian Kurds: political lobbyism, courtroom activism, and humanitarian activism. The book argues that the Kurdish diaspora responded to the Danish decision-makers’ reluctance to host Kurdish activism by employing a similar approach, turning the interaction into an ambiguous interplay. The book also argues that the Kurdish diaspora mobilisation led to new forms of Kurdish identity. This includes identifying with political entities in other parts of Kurdistan than the area of origin (‘alter-territorial’ identification). It also includes occasional identification with the Kurdish cause instead of being member of one of the two movements.