In my doctoral dissertation, I explore why the discourse of death is so central to the ideology of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an avowedly Marxist organization. I examine how Kurdish society, deeply repressed and suffering from ontological insecurity, develops a collective desire for survival that transcends the individual wishes of its members. This desire is internalized by Kurdish individuals through a persistent, negative feeling, a background hum—which I dub the "hegemonic whisper"—constantly reminding them that something is wrong with their society.
Throughout the thesis, Kurdish society’s desire to survive is conceptualized through the discourse of kurdayeti (Kurdishness). I have shown in my research that this discourse is articulated in Kurdish literature and popular culture and by non-PKK Kurds as well. The fact that the same discourse is articulated by PKK ex-fighters, activists, and in PKK ideology is a strong argument that the PKK is penetrated by Kurdish society or, as I say, the PKK has been Kurdified because this discourse did not exist in the early stages of the PKK. This way I have answered one of the hotly debated questions in Kurdish studies (not to mention Kurdish politics): Is the PKK a Marxist organization or a nationalist one?
I also demonstrate that the discourse of death in PKK ideology and among ex-PKK fighters mirrors similar themes among non-PKK Kurds, and in Kurdish literature and popular culture. In this way, I argue that fascination for death stems from the ontological insecurity in Kurdish society and the broader discourse of Kurdishness, existing prior to joining the PKK. This challenges the prevailing notion in radical studies that politicized fascination for death is created by organizations or their environments. Additionally, I explore the sociological factors—such as class, education, and gender—that shape this politicized fascination for death in Kurdish society.
Emdjed Kurdnidjad is a Kurdish sociologist from the eastern part of Kurdistan (Rojhelat). He completed high school in Rojhelat and began his undergraduate studies in sociology at the University of Tehran. He was a student activist in the university and after persecutions by the Iranian government, he sought asylum in Norway. He learned Norwegian in his stay in Norway and earned his master’s degree in sociology from the University of Oslo. His master’s thesis focused on the integration of the former freedom-fighters in Norway. They were ex-members of Komala, a Kurdish Marxist-Leninist insurgent organization.
Kurdnidjad was accepted as a Ph.D. researcher at the European University Institute in 2019, working under the supervision of Prof. Olivier Roy, with additional guidance from Prof. Mehmet Gurses, who currently holds the chair of Kurdish studies at the University of Central Florida. In 2022, Kurdnidjad collaborated with Prof. Jeff Goodwin during a research stay at New York University.
Kurdnidjad is fluent in Kurdish (both Sorani and Kurmanji dialects), Persian, Norwegian, and English, reflecting his diverse academic and cultural experiences.