Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

The Kurds are the largest ethnic group in the world without their own state, and are one of the most controversial, overlooked and understudied ethnic groups in academic research. In the field of communication, there is very little research of the Kurdish diaspora in the United States. Identity is a complex subject in itself, but for the Kurds it is even more complicated because of the controversy surrounding them, their claims, and their status as a stateless ethnic group. The necessity for the Kurds to keep their culture and identity has cost them their freedom, homes, and lives, yet they refuse to abandon who they are. Because of severe oppression, forced assimilation, and constant wars, many Kurds now live in diasporic communities outside their homeland. Nashville, Tennessee, is home to the largest Kurdish community in the United States, and is appropriately referred to as Little Kurdistan. Using ethnography to look through the lens of culture and identity, and using thick description as a method of analysis, this study will show how the Kurds are building their own Kurdistan in Tennessee. This study will examine three key areas essential to Kurdish culture and identity to show how the Kurds are building their homeland here in America, why they are doing it, and why it is so important to feel close to something they have been robbed of for close to one-hundred years. After discussing relevant historical contexts that have caused the entire region to face an identity crisis, this study will then examine the Kurds physical space in Nashville, their largest cultural celebration, Newroz, and an analysis of conversations with individuals and a focus group.

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