The Turkish state’s discourse towards the Kurds’ language rights (2003-2015): recognition or containment?

Abstract

This research explores the extent of the shift in the Turkish state’s discourse towards the Kurds’ language rights and the sources of resistance to their recognition under the successive AKP governments between 2003 and 2015. Examining this issue, I explore 1) the true nature of the Kurds’ language-related rights in lights of the relevant key points in the political theories of language rights; 2) the extent of the shift in the AKP’s Kurdish policy towards the Kurds’ language rights; 3) the sources of resistance to the Kurds’ language rights in the state discourse in view of the competing rationales behind language rights from both the state’s and minority groups’ perspectives; 4) whether the AKP’s Kurdish policy aims to contain the Kurds’ language rights or accord it greater recognition. The thesis concludes that the Turkish state discourse towards the Kurds’ language rights under the successive AKP governments between 2003-2015 primarily aimed to contain potentially far-reaching
consequences of the Kurds’ language rights.