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The history of Kurdish liberation movements

Kurdish political groups and militias have been fighting for independence for more than a century, pitting them against the governments of four countries: Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq.

These groups rallied around the idea of a ‘Greater Kurdistan’, though critics say this romanticised homeland never really existed, and that modern Kurds should accept their place in their adopted nation states.

In this episode of The Big Picture, we speak with lecturer and historian Dr Zeynep Kaya about the ‘Kurdish question’, the upcoming Turkish elections and how war, terrorism and economics have changed the way Kurds see themselves.

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