Nation and self

Towards Kurdish subjectivity in Mehmed Uzun’s novels

Bibliographic Data

ID21726499
AuthorsRojda Idil Arslan (0009-0004-2557-2483, University of Connecticut, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume27
Issue2
Pages154-171
Publication date2024-05-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMiddle Eastern Literatures (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1475-262X • E-ISSN: 1475-2638
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1475262x.2025.2479545
OpenAlexW4408992739
LanguageEN
References cited22

Studies of the novel have frequently highlighted its role in shaping national identities. However, there has been less focus on the features of the genre within contemporary literary traditions that cannot be subsumed within the nation-state framework. This article addresses this lesser-explored dimension by analyzing Kurdish literature and its nationalistic strategies through a close reading of Mehmed Uzun’s three novels: Tu (1985; You), Mirina Kalekî Rind (1987; Death of Old Rind), and Ronî Mîna Evînê Tarî Mîna Mirinê (1998; Light like Love, Dark like Death). I argue that while Uzun’s earlier works foster a national identity for Kurds, his later novel marks a shift by foregrounding diverse Kurdish identities. By writing about controversial protagonists, Uzun disrupts the assumption of a unitary Kurdish identity. The article identifies recurring themes and evolving characters that reflect both national and individual Kurdish identities, while rethinking the relationship among modernity, nationalism, the novel, and subjectivity

Art · Epistemology · Literature · Subjectivity · Balkans: History, Politics, Society · History · Philosophy · Psychology · Soviet and Russian History · Turkey's Politics and Society

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