Generation in debt: family, politics, and youth subjectivities in Diyarbakır

Neyzi, L. and Darıcı, H. (2015) Generation in debt: family, politics, and youth subjectivities in Diyarbakır. New Perspectives on Turkey, 52, pp. 55-75. (doi: 10.1017/npt.2015.2)

Abstract

This paper investigates the political subjectivities of Kurdish youth in Diyarbakır through the interplay of kinship and politics. We argue that it is through a framework of kinship that young people make sense of the Kurdish issue. We show that the war between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan, PKK) and the Turkish military has reshaped the Kurdish family, leading to a crisis in the life cycle. We suggest that the young feel indebted to the Kurdish movement, which they express using the term bedel (“debt”). Debt is related to the family, as the individual becomes indebted as part of a kinship group. We argue that the expansion of public space in Diyarbakır has created alternative ways of paying debt and doing politics.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Neyzi, Dr Leyla
• Authors: Neyzi, L., and Darıcı, H.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > History
• Journal Name: New Perspectives on Turkey
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• ISSN: 0896-6346
• ISSN (Online): 1305-3299
• Published Online: 11 June 2015
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © New Perspectives on Turkey and Cambridge University Press 2015
• First Published: First published in New Perspectives on Turkey 52:55-75
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy