This thesis consists of three articles and a longer text (a mantle); showing how the articles are thematically, theoretically and methodologically interrelated. In the mantle, I broaden the theoretical and methodological framework and discuss issues that have not been adequately dealt with in the three articles. In the following, I will briefly summarise the main content of each article and each chapter in the mantle.
The first article focuses on methodological challenges and specific constraints the researcher faces when approaching fields of political unrest, in particular when the worldviews of the researcher and interviewees are extremely different. The article applies the term zone for deliberation to discuss how meaning is being negotiated and re-constructed between parties who struggle to understand each other’s political and cultural positions. The second article asks why thousands of youths from Kurdistan, Turkey and Diaspora went to the mountains during the 1980s and 1990s in order to fight with the PKK and presents what they claim to have learned from the participation. Obviously, in the struggle for personal, social and political changes, transformative education represents a major force. The third article shows that political education in the PKK is not confined to institutional education, but takes place in a variety of informal sites. It is based on interviews with former political prisoners in Turkey. In prison, members and supporters of the PKK were expected to organise politically and to educate themselves and fellow prisoners.
In the mantle, the introductory chapter (chapter 1), discusses how education often becomes a tool in the hands of the establishment, or the people in power, in order to maintain what Paulo Freire terms “the culture of silence”. The aim of this chapter is to broaden the understanding of how war and political conflict affect education generally and more specifically how violence, oppression and marginalisation in the Kurdish regions of Turkey over the last 25 years have motivated young Kurds to seek the PKK. The way the PKK movement perceives education and how knowledge is generated on a micro-level are key
factors in the understanding of how such liberation movements can function as educational arenas.
Chapter 2 provides an overview of the scholarship on the Kurds, focusing primarily on literature about the PKK as a social and educational movement. Numerous books and articles are published on Kurdish issues. The majority of the literature, however, focuses on the historical and societal background of the Kurds, wherein the PKK constitutes one part. The selection of books and articles presented in this chapter therefore deals with literature on the PKK and in particular on the questions that are raised in this thesis.
Chapter 3 presents the research question. The aim is to investigate in which regard the PKK represents an alternative path to education and how its members perceive educational and personal outcomes, both as individuals and as members of a collective group. The sub questions relate to the theme of each article included.
Chapter 4 outlines some central aspects of Kurdish history, as well as the establishment and development of the PKK. Since ancient times, the Kurds have lived in a geographical area known as Kurdistan. Historically, family and tribe have been at the centre of the Kurdish worldview and lifestyle, and in the late 1970s, the PKK began to challenge this traditional way of living. One aim of the organisation is to educate and liberate its members.
Political education and personal development thereby became important aspects of the struggle. The PKK pays particular attention to gender issues, which may explain the many female members and women engaged in Kurdish politics. The work of the women within and outside the PKK has had a crucial impact on the growth of the movement. Transnational migration after 1980, in particular to Europe, gave the PKK the opportunity to operate politically within Diaspora communities while initiating projects, actions and demonstrations linking Diaspora members more closely to their places of origin.
Chapter 5 presents the thesis’ theoretical perspectives. It discusses the importance of Freire’s perspectives on education (critical pedagogy) and his use of concepts such as literacy, critical consciousness, transformation, liberation and change. These perspectives are supplemented with insights from the founder of the Italian communist party, Antonio Gramsci. The chapter explores concepts related to resistance and collective action, recruitment and identity within the frames of social and political movements. Themes related to these concepts are raised in the interviews with the informants and are central in the three articles.
Chapter 6 discusses the methodological framework of the study, which is positioned in the qualitative paradigm. It highlights ethical and methodological challenges facing the
researcher and focuses on the role of the interpreter in this kind of study; the selection and security of the informants; overview of the fieldwork conducted; how data were collected and analysed; and the validity and reliability of the study. Fieldwork in areas of political unrest is challenging, not only with respect to the practical ramifications, but in particular when it comes to ethical considerations. Reflections on some ethical aspects in fields of political unrest are therefore discussed separately in chapter 7.
Chapter 8 provides a brief summary focusing of the main findings in each article included, while chapter 9 discusses the findings in the light of the main research question and sub questions. Political education and personal development are rarely mentioned as positive factors in research regarding the PKK movement; on the contrary, it is often seen as extreme authoritarian cadre discipline followed by ideological brainwashing. I have tried to nuance this perception. The political education of the PKK is not formally institutionalised but takes place at different educational sites in the mountains, in prisons, and even on the streets in Kurdistan and aboard. Even so, it seems to have been crucial to knowledge, learning and personal development for thousands of members and sympathisers. It is therefore worthwhile investigating.