Sociology and Social Policy

... Ipek Demir a , E-mail The Corresponding Author. ... Those statements are not accessible by means of translation that uses the current lexicon, not even if the list of words it contains is expanded by the addition of selected terms from its predecessor. (Ibid., pp. 58–59). ...

... Even the recognition of untranslatability comes after second language learning, ie after communication, interaction and social relations are established. 7 ... Demir, Ipek (2008) “Incommensurabilities in the Work of Thomas Kuhn” Studies in History and Philosophy of Science ...

Demir, Ipek (2015) 'Battlespace Diaspora: How the Kurds of Turkey Revive, Construct and Translate the Kurdish Struggle in London', in Christou, Anastasia and Mavroudi, Elizabeth (eds.) Dismantling Diasporas: Rethinking the Geographies of Diasporic Identity, Connection and Development (Abingdon: Routledge), pp. 71-84.

Shedding an ethnic identity in diaspora: de-Turkification and the transnational discursive struggles of the Kurdish diaspora. Critical Discourse Studies. 14(3), pp. 276-291

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17405904.2017.1284686

This article analyses how Kurdish diaspora (from Turkey) engage in de- Turkification, that is correcting, interrupting and shedding the intense Turkification and assimilation which Kurds have been recipients of in Turkey. As ‘everyday critical discourse analysts’ Kurdish mobilized actors identify, challenge and ideologically unpack the Turkishness manifest in their (Kurdish) interlocutors’ discourses via three means: inclusion, exclusion and repositioning. The article also identifies that self-definition amongst Kurds in London is shifting as previously self-identified ‘Turkish economic migrants’ over time become ‘Kurdish diaspora’. Rather than examining the often-discussed belonging ties of diasporas, it traces the critical interruptions and corrections Kurdish actors undertake in order to de-Turkify. The focus is on how an identity is being shed, rather than gained. In so doing, the article contributes to an understanding of the process of removal of asymmetric discourses rather than attempting to demonstrate their production or reproduction which have tended to dominate the critical discourse analysis literature.

Demir I. 2012. Battling with Memleket in London: The Kurdish Diaspora's Engagement with Turkey. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 38(5), pp. 815-831.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1369183X.2012.667996

Since the late 1980s there has been a significant migration of Kurds from Turkey to various countries in Western Europe. Even though Kurds from Turkey make up a significant proportion of London's ethnic minority population, they constitute an ‘invisible’ diasporic community, both in terms of the current debates surrounding ethnicity and the Muslim minority in the UK, and in diaspora studies. This article examines how the Kurdish diaspora interacts with, and relates to, their country of origin. It highlights their resistance to, and struggle with, Turkey (as defined by their displacement and suppression of cultural and linguistic rights) as well as the close and, at times, intimate ties Kurds continue to maintain with Turks and Turkey. Whilst the first is conceptualised as ‘battling with Turkey’, the latter is conceptualised within the framework of ‘memleket’ (homeland) ties. The article explores how the Kurdish diaspora encodes its orientation towards, as well as its resistance to, Turkey; in so doing, it brings visibility to this largely ignored and understudied, yet politically very active, diasporic formation in London.

Demir I. 2017. The Global South as Foreignization: The Case of the Kurdish Diaspora in Europe. The Global South. 11(2), pp. 54-70

https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/globalsouth.11.2.04#metadata_info_tab_contents

This article tilts the North/South axis of the Global South scholarship towards the East/West axis, specifically the Middle East and Kurds. I first re-visit the notion of the Global South by using the conceptual tools of translation studies, especially the notion of “foreignizing translation,” a strategy aimed at pushing the boundaries of the target language (and culture) rather than simply assimilating the translated text into it. Besides arguing that the Global South perspective concerns itself with questioning North-South relations temporally and spatially, I focus on the foreignizations diasporas can bring to the Global North. As both insiders and outsiders to Northern spaces, diasporas are uniquely placed both in terms of the foreignizations they bring to the Global North and the entanglements of the North and South which they expose. In this paper I examine the “Global South in the North” by taking the Kurdish diaspora living in European metropoles as a case study and conceptualizing the Kurdish movement as a transnational indigenous movement. I argue that through the foreignizations diasporas bring, the Global South is making claims not only in the North but also on the North. By focusing on the role of diasporas and the Middle East, areas which have received little attention within Global South scholarship, I seek to complicate and thus enrich our understandings of the Global South.

Demir I. 2014. Humbling Turkishness: Undoing the Strategies of Exclusion and Inclusion of Turkish Modernity. Journal of Historical Sociology. 27(3), pp. 381-401

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/johs.12054

Kurds make up about a fifth of Turkey's population. Turkey has taken steps – albeit slowly and reluctantly – towards increased recognition of Kurdish cultural and linguistic rights. However, within Turkey there is also a steeply rising tide of Turkish nationalism, prejudice and intolerance towards Kurds, and increasing anti‐Kurdish sentiment. This article brings studies of Kurdishness and Turkishness into a single conversation and traces the relationship between Turkish modernity, Orientalized Kurdishness and the construction of Turkishness as the efendi (master) identity. It does this by drawing attention to “strategies of exclusion and inclusion” in the construction of official Turkish history, and relates these to the way in which the tense borders between Kurds and Turks are maintained and currently reproduced. It also presents a normative argument in favour of “humbling Turkishness” and “solidarity trading zones”.

The aim of this PhD research is to investigate how the established UK Disabled People’s Movement is working to build the capacity of young disabled people and encourage them to become future leaders within the Movement.  To achieve this, the central research question must focus on the experiences of young disabled people, especially when presented with opportunities to become active in promoting disability rights, leading campaigns and challenging current agendas. 

With disabled people’s organisations campaigning for an inclusive society, the expectations of young disabled people who exist within the mainstream remains ever present (Aitchison 2000).  For many, the disabled identity is a secondary characteristic to the aspirations, values and beliefs of the individual and focuses on aligning their interests with those of their peers (Fullagar and Owler 1998).  Yet, there is a continual need for societal groups to exist within democratic structures, which are established and sustainable (World Forum for Democracy 2014).  This requires effective leadership with built-in contingencies for the development of subsequent leaders to take responsibility at the appropriate time. 

There is substantial academic interest in this area and in particular to its role in developing choice and control over daily life for disabled people, at the individual level and as a collective group who identify with members of the Disabled People’s Movement (Lord and Hutchison 2003).  Research has concentrated on the transition of young people into adulthood, acknowledging the self-empowerment which enables them to manage their own lives (Morris 1999) and subsequently drawing attention to this particular area of research.

The research is at a preliminary phase, therefore this paper reflects on the collection of existing data so far – highlighting concepts regarding disability and the importance of youth involvement in decision-making; additionally, there will be an exploration of suitable methodological approaches to investigate this topic.

*This is the script that was presented with the conference presentation*

The aim of this PhD research is to investigate how the established UK Disabled People’s Movement is working to build the capacity of young disabled people and encourage them to become future leaders within the Movement.  To achieve this, the central research question must focus on the experiences of young disabled people, especially when presented with opportunities to become active in promoting disability rights, leading campaigns and challenging current agendas. 

With disabled people’s organisations campaigning for an inclusive society, the expectations of young disabled people who exist within the mainstream remains ever present (Aitchison 2000).  For many, the disabled identity is a secondary characteristic to the aspirations, values and beliefs of the individual and focuses on aligning their interests with those of their peers (Fullagar and Owler 1998).  Yet, there is a continual need for societal groups to exist within democratic structures, which are established and sustainable (World Forum for Democracy 2014).  This requires effective leadership with built-in contingencies for the development of subsequent leaders to take responsibility at the appropriate time. 

There is substantial academic interest in this area and in particular to its role in developing choice and control over daily life for disabled people, at the individual level and as a collective group who identify with members of the Disabled People’s Movement (Lord and Hutchison 2003).  Research has concentrated on the transition of young people into adulthood, acknowledging the self-empowerment which enables them to manage their own lives (Morris 1999) and subsequently drawing attention to this particular area of research.

The research is at a preliminary phase, therefore this paper reflects on the collection of existing data so far – highlighting concepts regarding disability and the importance of youth involvement in decision-making; additionally, there will be an exploration of suitable methodological approaches to investigate this topic.

Drawing from my professional, academic and personal experiences of working within disability hate crime, I would like to use my time to highlight a small number of key themes, which will hopefully stimulate discussion for the remainder of the seminar and future conversations. The issues I raise are, from my perspective, paramount and need continual review and reflection if we are to strengthen any nation’s strategy to address disability hate crime. For any country, we should be in a position to acknowledge and praise the positive steps we have taken to tackle hate crime towards disabled people, but every one of us needs to reflect on what has not worked well and consider the most effective plan of action.

*This is the script that was presented with the conference presentation*

Drawing from my professional, academic and personal experiences of working within disability hate crime, I would like to use my time to highlight a small number of key themes, which will hopefully stimulate discussion for the remainder of the seminar and future conversations. The issues I raise are, from my perspective, paramount and need continual review and reflection if we are to strengthen any nation’s strategy to address disability hate crime.