The Kurdish quest for autonomy in south-eastern Turkey : a case study on the nationalistic and economic developments for Kurds in Turkey under the AKP government (2002-2015)

Abstract

This thesis describes the developments in Turkey with regards to its Kurdish Question. A case study is built using the greed or grievance approach in order to present the differences between the Kurdish minority living in South-Eastern Turkey and the Turks living in the rest of the country in terms of their economic situation and their nationalistic sentiment. This research analyses the extent to which such variables have contributed to the violence occurring between the two parties under the umbrella of the PKK, a designated terrorist group by the US, EU and Turkey, as well as the developments of the Kurdish Question in relation to these variables under the controversial AKP government. This study was conducted by means of analyzing data produced by other researchers and synthesized using various theoretical approaches in order to obtain a tangible final outcome in terms of the greed or grievance approach as presented by Paul Collier.