Kurds and their history: An interview with David McDowall

Abstract

This interview with David McDowall records his intellectual quest on the Kurds for over thirty years and his book A Modern History of the Kurds. Initially trained as a historian of modern Syria, his interest started when he was asked to write a report on the Kurds as a minority group. He later expanded his research on the Kurds, which culminated in one of the most comprehensive books on the modern history of the Kurds. In this interview he talks about the process of research for his book, the Kurdish national movement, intra-Kurdish relations, the Kurdish diaspora, and the transformation of the Kurdish Question in the last three decades.