International Solidarity with the Kurdish Freedom Movement: Navigating Contradictions Through Diplomacy

人权领域最激烈的辩论之一是，它们是否可以成为一股解放的力量，或者实际上是加强现有的权力结构。该项目将对伦敦的英国库尔德人团结网络进行民族志研究，包括对参与者的观察和对活动家的定性采访。它将特别关注该运动使用人权叙事和做法的方式，以及它与国际非政府组织等人权机构的关系，甚至在一定程度上与法律机构和联合国的关系。审查这一关系可以使我们深入了解人权在霸权和反霸权力量方面的相互矛盾的作用。此外，这样的研究还有助于阐明对当代反系统话语和实践的理解。更新至2023年8月：丹尼尔的项目着眼于散居海外的库尔德活动家和欧洲的团结活动家与欧洲公民社会和国家机构接触的方式，以建立与库尔德自由运动的团结。这涉及到研究三个关键地点的跨国库尔德人团结网络：伦敦、柏林和布鲁塞尔。这些是本项目正在研究的团结、行动和游说活动的重要地点。拟议的研究包括对活动家进行深入的定性半结构化访谈，以及在活动家举办的相关会议和活动期间对参与者进行人种学观察。面谈是必要的，因为面谈的深度和质量，以及访问包括库尔德文化中心、库尔德非政府组织和政治组织办公室在内的地点的人种学重要性。活动人士也最喜欢面对面的采访。就海外地点而言，在柏林和布鲁塞尔进行采访将对该项目至关重要。德国是欧洲散居海外的库尔德人最多的国家之一，在这个项目所研究的那种政治动员和与公民社会的接触方面，德国有着悠久的历史。柏林是这些与总部设在那里的关键政治和法律机构进行接触的主要中心。考虑到各种国际和欧洲级别的机构的存在，布鲁塞尔是关键。至关重要的是，在今年夏天进行这项实地工作，以便丹尼尔将有研究材料来分析他即将在2024年大斋期进行的第三年年度审查。这将包括在两次旅行中进行的面谈。第一次访问将于2023年7月27日至8月1日前往柏林，在那里将与库尔德非政府组织、政治代表、声援活动家和人权律师进行访谈。这将包括在法兰克福采访一个库尔德人权非政府组织的代表。此行已获得伦敦证交所健康与安全部门的批准，并将纳入伦敦证交所的旅行保险。第二次访问布鲁塞尔计划于2023年8月下旬进行。在此期间，丹尼尔将在布鲁塞尔采访库尔德非政府组织的政治代表、团结活动人士和人权律师。这些旅行将是他田野工作的重要组成部分，如果没有这些深入的定性采访，研究就不可能实现。

One of the most heated debates in the field of human rights is whether they can be a force for emancipation or in fact reinforce existing structures of power. This project will be an ethnographic study of the UK Kurdish Solidarity Network in London including participant observation and qualitative interviews with activists. It will focus specifically on the ways that the movement employs human rights narratives and practices and its relationships to human rights institutions such as INGOs, and even to some limited extent with legal institutions and the UN. Examination of this relationship can provide a great deal of insight into the contradictory role of human rights in regard to hegemonic and counter-hegemonic forces. Moreover such a study can also help illuminate understandings of contemporary anti-systemic discourse and practice. UPDATE to fieldwork August 2023: Daniel's project looks at the way activists in the Kurdish diaspora and solidarity activists in Europe engage with European civil society and state institutions to build solidarity with the Kurdish Freedom Movement. This involves studying transnational Kurdish solidarity networks in three key sites: London, Berlin and Brussels. These important locations for the kinds of solidarity activism and lobbying which this project is researching. The proposed research involves in-depth qualitative semi structured interviews with activists and ethnographic participant observation during relevant conferences and events held by activists. In person interviews are necessary due to the in-depth and qualitative nature of the interviews and the ethnographic importance of visiting the sites, including Kurdish cultural centres, and the offices of Kurdish NGOs and political organisations. Activists are also most comfortable with in-person interviews. In terms of overseas locations, undertaking interviews in both Berlin and Brussels will be vital for the project. Germany is home to one of the largest Kurdish diaspora populations in Europe, which has a long history of the kind of political mobilisations and engagements with civil society studied by this project. Berlin is the centre of much of these engagements with key political and legal institutions based there. Brussels is key given the presence of various international and European-level institutions. It is vital to conduct this fieldwork over this summer period so that Daniel will have research material to analyse for his upcoming 3rd Year annual review in Lent Term 2024. This will involve interviews conducted during two trips. The first of these will be to Berlin from 27 July to 1 August 2023 where interviews with Kurdish NGOs, political representatives, solidarity activists and human rights lawyers will be undertaken. This will include one interview in Frankfurt with the representative of a Kurdish human rights NGO. This trip has been approved by LSE health and safety and will be covered by LSE's travel insurance. The second trip, to Brussels, is planned for late August 2023. During the period Daniel will conduct interviews with Kurdish NGO's political representatives, solidarity activists and human rights lawyers in Brussels. These trips will be an essential part of his fields work, without these in depth qualitative interviews the research will not be possible.