Establishing a journal, shaping a field: An interview with Dr Welat Zeydanlıoğlu

Abstract

In this interview, founder and long-time managing editor of Kurdish Studies, Dr Welat Zeydanlıoğlu, tells the story of the journal’s establishment and recalls its development to becoming the leading English-speaking journal in the field of Kurdish studies today. He explains the relations between the journal and the Kurdish Studies Network, reflects on the difficulties that the journal has faced over the years, and outlines its major contributions to the field. The interview sheds light not only on the history of a journal but on the development of an entire scholarly field, while sketching the challenges lying ahead.