Dismantling Kurdish Texts: An Orientalist Approach

This article presents some critical results of a study on Kurdish texts written by the Western writers. The main aim of the article is to explore how the Kurds have been represented in these texts or fieldworks. The theoretical framework is based on the postcolonial approach, mainly Edward Said’s Orientalism theory, which aims at challenging the assumed solidarity and authority of the Western knowledge through studying and analyzing the colonial discourse as well as criticizing the colonial history. The findings have been presented in some categories, such as, nominal generalization, exoticism, asynchronism, myth-making, essentialism, strategic formation and access to discourse, strategic location, and moral position. According to the result, the Kurdish domain has a variety of usual models and clichés similar to the Oriental discourse. In addition, in recent decades, signs of understanding, sensitivity, and tolerance toward the Kurds have evolved.