Kurdish Language Class in New York : a Platform for Social, Political and (Inter)personal Engagement

Every country that encompasses Kurdistan faces extermination efforts, meaning that the Kurdish language has found refuge mainly in exile and has been associated increasingly with the Kurdish identity and with the political struggle of the Kurdish people. The present study looks at a very special case; a voluntarily-initiated Kurdish language class that takes place in the middle of Manhattan, New York, at a prestigious public university. We conducted interviews with 3 students and the teacher of the class to understand the dynamics within and beyond the Kurdish language class, the interplay of their political ideologies, as well as the intricate process of identity negotiation through language practices. Results indicate that through the language class, people are exercising the right to a language, the right to a culture and the right of a people. Participants are challenging and resisting established relations of power and transforming the educational space into a space of freedom. Zimanê Kurdî disa jî ji xwe re cîh û zimênanîn li xerîbiye dîtiye. Ev xebat li vir, li dozekî gelek taybetî dinihêre; dersên zimanê Kurdî ji aliyê dilxwesta de pêk tê li zaningehekî gelî yê bi nav û deng li navbera Manhattan, NY'ê. Me bi çar xwendekaran re û bi mamoste re hevpeyvîn çêkirin ji bo fêmkirina dînamîkên di nav û derve dersa zimanê Kurdi, hev têkilkirina îdeolojiya wan a polîtîk hem jî xebitinek tevlîhevî dewana nasnameyî bi reya pratîkên zimanî. Bi reya hin buna dersa ziman mirov pratîkê mafên zimanekî, mafên çandekî û mafên netewîkî pêk tînin. Beşdarvan sazbûna têkildarîyê hêz li hember hev dikin û li ber xwe didin û navbirî perwerdeyî bedilandin navbirî azadî. Tots els països que abasta el Kurdistan s'enfronta a intents d'extermini, el que significa que la llengua kurda ha trobat refugi principalment a l'exili i per tant es veu associada cada vegada més amb la identitat kurda i amb la lluita política del poble kurd. El present estudi se centra en un cas molt especial; una classe de llengua kurda sense ànims de lucre, situada al centre de Manhattan, Nova York, en una universitat pública de prestigi. S'ha dut a terme entrevistes amb tres estudiants i el professor de la classe per intentar comprendre la dinàmica dins i fora de la classe de llengua kurda, i entendre millor la interacció de les ideologies polítiques, així com l'intricat procés d'ajust de la identitat a través de les pràctiques lingüístiques. Els resultats indiquen que a través de la classe de llengua,