Dr Janroj Yilmaz Keles | Middlesex University (original) (raw)

Dr Janroj Yilmaz Keles

Editor of the key BSA journal Work, Employment and Society and Senior Research Fellow at School of Law and Politics, Middlesex University
Academic qualifications

2011 PhD. Department of Sociology and Communications, Brunel University, London, UK
2000 Sociology, Berlin University of Technology, Berlin Germany (only one year)
1999 German for Academic Purposes for Undergraduate, University of Potsdam,
Germany
1995 B.A. in Film and Television, Faculty of Communication, Radio, Television and Film, University of Istanbul, Turkey

Biography

Janroj Yilmaz Keles received his PhD on "Media, Diaspora and Conflict:
Nationalism and Identity amongst Kurdish and Turkish Migrants in Europe", Sociology and Communications, Brunel University. He studied in Turkey, German and United Kingdom.

Languages Spoken
English, Kurdish, Turkish and German

Research interests

1. International politics of the MENA region
2. Migration, Undocumented Migrants, Asylum and Refugee
Issues, Forced Migration, Forced Labour and Trafficking in Europe, Diaspora, Statelessness, Superdiversity, Multi-culturalism, Industrial relations and ME groups in the UK, Kurdish and Turkish Migration (Germany, the UK and Sweden), Alevis in the homeland and Diaspora
2. Nationalism, Ethnicity, Peace and Conflict Studies (in the Middle East context), Kurdish and Turkish Studies.

4. Nationalism and Mass Communication, Media, Identity and Representation, Media and Migration, Discourse and Content Analysis and Audience Research, media and cultural studies theories, and deep understanding of post-structuralist thought, diasporic media and transnational and networked audience, media format, political communication and Middle East, social media and political economy of media in Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan.

5. Research Methods (Doing Sensitive Research, Visual Research and Ethnography of Computer-Mediated Communication (Nethnography)).

Doctoral students welcome in the areas of International relations, peace and conflict studies, migration and work, media and ethnicity.
Funded Research Projects
2015: Migration, transnational mobility and digital social networking, funded by the British Institute for the Study of Iraq.

2014: Expanding the networks of disadvantaged entrepreneurs, funded by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),(Sarah Dodd and Janroj Keles)

2013: Iraqi-Kurdish Undocumented Migrants in the UK' ( Keles, Markova and Fattah), funded by the International Organisation for Migration-Iraq

2011: Responses to Forced Labour in the EU" to focus on migration
management politics, national policy and practical responses to forced labour across the European Union, working with 8 EU partners (PI Nick Clark, CI Janroj Keles), funded by Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF).

Awards
Kurt Tucholsky Stipendium, Germany
SSS PhD Studentship 2005 Brunel University, UK
Teaching
He is the module leader of "International Politics of the Middle East and North Africa". Living Theory, 2012-13: Module Leader (The principal aim of this module is to provide students with an opportunity to ‘encounter’ contemporary social thinkers and introduce them to current debates in social theory. entails developing an advanced understanding of some of the key notions of modernity, postmodernity, structuration and critical theory), Faculty of Applied Social Sciences, London Metropolitan University
Globalisation, Locality and Youth (15Credits/Level 5), Co-lectured.
Comparative International Communications, Co-lectured.
Globalisation and the Mass media (15Credits/Level 5),
Co-lectured
The Press in Britain, Sep 2010-June 2011, Associate Lecturer, “The Press in Britain”, Department of Media and Cultural Studies at Birkbeck).

PhD supervision and external examining experience
Currently, he supervises five DProf students. He was also an external supervisor of a PhD student at NTU (completed), an external examiner for three PhD theses at Kings College London, and an external examiner for a Kurdish history module at Exeter University

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Books by Dr Janroj Yilmaz Keles

For migrant communities residing outside of their home countries, various transnational media hav... more For migrant communities residing outside of their home countries, various transnational media have played a key role in maintaining, reviving and transforming ethnic and religious identities. A vital element is how media outlets report and represent ethno-national conflict in the home country. Janroj Yilmaz Keles here examines how this plays out among Kurdish and Turkish communities in Europe. He offers an analysis of how Turkish and Kurdish migrants in Europe react to the myriad mediated narratives. A vital element is how media outlets report and represent the ethno-national conflict between the Turkish state and the Kurdish PKK. Janroj Yilmaz Keles here offers an examination of how Turkish and Kurdish migrants in Europe react to the myriad narratives that arise. Taking as his starting point an analysis of the nature of nationalisms in the modern age, Keles shows how language is often a central element in the struggle for hegemony within a state. The media has become a site for the clash of representations in both Turkish and Kurdish languages, especially for those based in the diaspora in Europe.
These 'virtual communities', connected by television and the internet, in turn influence and are influenced by the way the conflict between the Turkish state and subaltern Kurds is played out, both in the media and on the ground. By looking at first, second and third generations of Turkish and Kurdish populations in Europe, Keles highlights the dynamics of migration, settlement and integration that often depend on the policies of each settlement country. Since these settlement states often see the proliferation of such media as an impediment to integration, Media, Diaspora and Conflict offers timely analysis concerning the nature of diasporas and the construction of identity.

“This book makes an important contribution to diaspora media studies in general but its originality and particular significance lies in its rich empirical investigation of the intersections between Kurdish and Turkish nationalism and transnationalism, and the role of the media in conflict. Janroj Keles offers a study that is truly impressive in its scope and understanding but it is also a sobering account of banal transnationalism. He demonstrates how, paradoxically, transnational media de-territorialise Turkish and Kurdish ethno-national conflict but at the same time make that conflict an integral part of migrants' everyday lives in Europe. A must-read for scholars and students interested in the enduring significance and everyday mediation of ethno-national identities”. - Marie Gillespie, Professor of Sociology, The Open University

“Sometimes when we witness a great idea at work, we wonder “why didn't anyone think of this before?” I had this feeling reading Janroj Keles's book. He has used great works on nationalism and media, from thinkers like Benedict Anderson and Antonio Gramsci, to shed light on a phenomena many people may have noticed but not thought deeply enough about: The homeland nationalisms of diaspora communities. Whether speaking about Jews and Palestinians or Armenians, Sikhs, Irish and others, it often seems that communities far removed from their homelands harbor more rigid identities and less compromising national ideologies than their kin back home. In a clear yet theoretically informed analysis, Dr. Keles uses the Turkish and Kurdish cases to illuminate the phenomenon and show how transnational media plays a key role in this process. His study is based on extensive fieldwork and interviews with migrants.

Readers interested in nationalism, media, migration and multiculturalism will of course have an interest in this study. In an increasingly globalized, interconnected world, however, this study should be of interest to just about anyone. In today's world, even someone who has never left their hometown likely has a neighbor, friend or colleague who has left their homeland yet still cares about events there deeply. Dr. Keles’ book offers a good deal of insight into how and why this happens.”

David Romano, Professor of Middle East Politics, Missouri State University

Abstract
This book examines the role of the transnational media in articulating and mobilizing different political and identity positions for migrants. It explores the complex linkages between Kurdish and Turkish transnational ethnic media and migrant communities. It is based on 74 in-depth interviews and 6 focus groups with Kurdish and Turkish migrants of diverse age, gender, political affiliation, occupation and length of migration in London, Berlin and Stockholm. Drawing upon the concepts of “imagined community” (Anderson 1991)and “banal nationalism” (Billig 1995), it seeks to understand how migrants make sense of the media representations of the ethno-national conflict between the Turkish state and the Kurds and how they position themselves in relation to these media texts. The study explores how the media impact differentially on migrants’ views and ethnic identities in the three countries.

This book argues that transnational media speak on behalf of the nation to the nation, even if the members of these imagined national communities live in different places, connecting people across different geographical spaces and thus building transnational imagined communities. They create a sense of belonging to a meaningful imagined community defined as “our” nation. The mediated Turkish-Kurdish ethno-national conflict has contributed to this transnational imagined community. The analysis of interviews found that the mediated conflict has hardened ethnic-based divisions and differentiation between Kurdish and Turkish migrants in Europe. Transnational media have contributed to deterritorialization, differentiation and division among migrants. Kurds and Turks have developed distinct identities in Europe and cannot be viewed any longer as a homogeneous group. The study concludes by suggesting a three-way framework for the analysis of ethno-national identities of migrants, taking into account firstly the country of settlement, secondly Turkish and thirdly Kurdish media as significant in constructing imagined national communities.

Keles, Janroj Yilmaz (2015) Media, Diaspora and Conflict Nationalism and Identity amongst Turkish and Kurdish Migrants in Europe. London, Newyork:I. B. Tauris

Book Chapters by Dr Janroj Yilmaz Keles

In this short article, I will focus on the role of diasporas in international relations. Scholars... more In this short article, I will focus on the role of diasporas in international relations. Scholars acknowledge that in the age of globalization and rapid development of communication technologies, diasporas have emerged as “new and potentially powerful actors in international politics” (Smith 2007 :3). Both media reports and academic studies point to the influence of diasporas on international affairs in many cases, such as the Jews, Palestinians, Tamils, Armenians and Kurds. There has been growing recognition of the importance of diasporas in international affairs in recent years. However, the role in diasporas in global politics has received less attention from the International relations studies.

Tin Handbook “Diasporas, Media and Culture’, edited by Retis. J and Tsagarousianou, R, 2019

Increased connectedness via communication technologies has augmented a re-orientation of diaspor... more Increased connectedness via communication technologies has augmented a re-orientation of diasporic communities toward their homeland enabling stronger links between various agencies, political parties and movements in the states of origin and a revival of national and religious identities of migrants. Transnational media have played a key part in this by enabling a re-connection of diasporic populations with a mediated homeland. One example where this has occurred is in relation to Turkish and Kurdish media and their audience in Europe.
Drawing on two different research projects on migrants’ media consumption practices in Berlin, Stockholm and London in 2009 and 2015 in London, I will argue in this chapter that the mediation of the Turkish and Kurdish ethno-national conflict has played a crucial role in the differentiation and fragmentation of political, ethnic and social identities amongst migrants from Turkey. By reporting on the ethno-national conflict and at the same time attempting to mobilise migrants’ identities for conflicting identities, either Kurdish or Turkish, the transnational media make the conflict an integral part of migrants’ everyday lives in Europe. As a result of this, increasingly ethno-national conflict in the homeland has become more dispersed, delocalized and deterritorialized.

in Migrant Capital: networks, identities and strategies, edited by Louise Ryan, Umut Erel, Alessio D’Angelo, 2016

Diaspora, the Internet and Social Capital, Dr Janroj Keles, Middlesex University, j.keles@mdx.... more Diaspora, the Internet and Social Capital,
Dr Janroj Keles, Middlesex University, j.keles@mdx.ac.uk
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the linkages between the internet and the concepts of social capital and diaspora. Drawing on two different research projects on the Kurdish community in London, the chapter examines the role of the internet and more specifically social media in building networks and accumulating social capital for the Kurdish community in the UK. It argues that the internet, particularly in the form of social media, contributes to the growth of social networks, social capital and a community’s cultural and political participation within and across the nation state borders.
-----You can read it on Google Book---
Keles, J (2014) Diaspora, The Internet and Social Capital in Migrant Capital: networks, identities and strategies, edited by Louise Ryan, Umut Erel, Alessio D’Angelo, Palgrave Macmillan

Keles, Janroj. ‘The Politics of Religious and Ethnic Identity among Kurdish Alevis in the Homeland and in Diaspora’, in Omarkhali, Khanna (ed.), Religious Minorities in Kurdistan: Beyond the Mainstream. Series: Studies in Oriental Religions, vol. 68. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, 2014, pp. 173–224. , Mar 31, 2014

One of the crucial elements of a diaspora is to dream about a real or imaginary homeland that is ... more One of the crucial elements of a diaspora is to dream about a real or imaginary homeland that is central to the diasporic communities’ mind and their everyday roles as political and social subjects. To date, homeland politics in diaspora has been mainly associated with ethnic groups such as Kurds, Tamils, and Palestinians and so on while “religious diasporas” (Bruneau 1995) have not received much attention in the contemporary literature. In migration studies terms such as, “traveling cultures”, (Clifford) “travelling religion”,(Vertovec 2000) or “migrating religion” (Keles, forthc) have contributed to our understanding of the development of diasporic faith/religion through the establishment of religious based organisations, networks and spaces where faith communities re-create their religious, economic and socio-cultural places, structures and resources. This helps them to recover, revive, disseminate and maintain their faith in diaspora as well as maintain links with the homeland through cultural events, inviting religious and political leaders to their settlement countries. The Alevi case is a good example. The Alevis constitute the second largest religious community in Turkey . Alevis are a heterogeneous community with a range of different ethnic, cultural, political and linguistic backgrounds. They have been subjected to discrimination and suppressed by coercive control during the rule of Ottoman Empire and the period of a Turkish republic. Until the 1970s, the majority lived in rural areas and hid their Alevi identity, practicing their beliefs secretly. However the urbanization, migration and political polarization of the Alevi community since the 1970s and in particular the 1990s and global identity politics after the cold war has shifted the paradigm from a hidden Alevi identity and faith to a publicly expressed one that demands recognition in Turkey and the wider diaspora. Due to migration, Alevis constitute a significant population in Western countries where they have established religious and political transnational organisations, networks across the nation state borders and developed their Alevi traditions and belief which has been referred to as a “revival of Alevism” in the literature.
In the age of globalization and the rapid development of communication and transport technologies, those who have previously been subjected to ethnic, religious discrimination can find new opportunities to create their conception of the world. Due to migration, ethnic and religious conflicts, expression of denied identities are no longer limited to the actual political territories but become de-territorialized dispersed and delocalised. In this sense, diaspora communities can play a central role in breaking the silence of their community’s subordination, marginalisation and discrimination both in their settlement country and country of origin. In this process, the development of transport and communication technology has played a central role. The transmission of ethnic and faith-based information from homeland to diaspora and from diaspora to homeland has made the boundaries more fluid among those who have moved from and those who remain in their homeland.
In identity politics, the notion of differentiation is central to social groups who have been subjected to the denial policies of other more dominant social groups. It is essential to examine the way in which subordinated social groups conceptualize their identities and their view of the world. This can help us to understand how they re-interpret, re-construct and renegotiate their ethnic and religious identities in the age of globalization. Therefore this chapter will mainly explore the intersection of national and transnational relationships and identities amongst Kurdish Alevis who have been subjected to genocidal massacre, discrimination and exclusion due to their religious practices and ethnic background during the rule of the Ottoman Empire and later by Turkey.""""

Papers by Dr Janroj Yilmaz Keles

XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 15-21, 2018), Jul 17, 2018

Academy of Management Discoveries

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research

PurposeWithin the growing study of transnational entrepreneurial practice, existing conceptualisa... more PurposeWithin the growing study of transnational entrepreneurial practice, existing conceptualisation of diaspora entrepreneurship has often lacked engagement with the particularities of the diaspora condition. This paper seeks to advance theoretical understanding and empirical study of diaspora entrepreneurship through identifying the processes that generate diaspora entrepreneurship across economic, social and political spheres.Design/methodology/approachTo analyse the relationship between the development of venture activity and diaspora (re)production, in depth, qualitative biographical analysis was undertaken with UK-based diaspora entrepreneurs embedded within the particular contexts of the Sri Lankan Tamil and Kurdish diasporas. Skilled and active diaspora entrepreneurs were purposively selected from these extreme case contexts to explore their entrepreneurial agency within and across the business, social and political realms.FindingsResults identified key dimensions shaping t...

Societies

Populism in Germany is not a new phenomenon. For a long time, the alleged integration problems of... more Populism in Germany is not a new phenomenon. For a long time, the alleged integration problems of Turkish workers in Germany have been at the center of the dominant discourse and academic studies. This paper demonstrates how ‘symbolic violence’ as collective habitus frames the human capital of Turks as deficient, a phenomenon which has prevailed even prior to the recent populist movements. Drawing on a company case study, interviews, and observations, our empirical investigation operationalises and expands the Bourdieusian conceptual trinity of habitus, capital, and symbolic violence through the lens of ethnicity and how it relates to populism.

The Commentaries

At the peak of the ‘refugee crisis’ in late 2015-early 2016, the EU reached an agreement with the... more At the peak of the ‘refugee crisis’ in late 2015-early 2016, the EU reached an agreement with the Turkish government, known as the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey. It has served as a bone of contention between the EU and Turkey ever since its implementation. As anticipated by many experts, critical voices and NGOs in Turkey and Europe, the Facility has provided the Erdogan regime with a strategic tool to blackmail the EU without caring for the humanitarian needs.

Work, Employment and Society

India presents a rich context for research on work and employment, epitomising the paradox of an ... more India presents a rich context for research on work and employment, epitomising the paradox of an ‘emerging economy’ but one where 92.4% of the workforce is informal – insecure, unprotected, poor – and women and disadvantaged groups most vulnerable. It displays a wide range of production relations in its formal/informal economy, embedded in diverse social relations, and the related forms of exploitation and resistance. This WES Themed Collection aims to review existing WES scholarship on India since 2001, identifying both gaps in scholarship and fruitful avenues for future research on India. The purpose is to showcase some of this scholarship while also advancing the internationalisation and expansion of the journal’s presence in countries in the Global South. This effort is timely as decolonisation of scholarship and increased focus on the South is on the intellectual agenda, challenging established structures of power and knowledge in academia.

sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav

Dutch Crossing: Journal of Low Countries Studies, 2016

With Kurds in Iraq and Syria under attack from the Islamic State, many young Kurds in Europe have... more With Kurds in Iraq and Syria under attack from the Islamic State, many young Kurds in Europe have been joining resistance forces—a trend occluded by the media focus on European-born jihadists.

Summarises the outcomes from a pilot study of Middlesex students resident in Newham. Through surv... more Summarises the outcomes from a pilot study of Middlesex students resident in Newham. Through survey interview and secondary data analysis it examines the extent, experience and economic significance of student working. Also establishes extent work-related problems and low level of knowledge of employment rights

Dutch Crossing: Journal of Low Countries Studies, 2016

David Romano, Professor of Middle East Politics, Missouri State University

Keles, Janroj Yilmaz (2015) Media, Diaspora and Conflict Nationalism and Identity amongst Turkish and Kurdish Migrants in Europe. London, Newyork:I. B. Tauris

Tin Handbook “Diasporas, Media and Culture’, edited by Retis. J and Tsagarousianou, R, 2019

in Migrant Capital: networks, identities and strategies, edited by Louise Ryan, Umut Erel, Alessio D’Angelo, 2016

XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 15-21, 2018), Jul 17, 2018

Academy of Management Discoveries

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research

Societies

The Commentaries

Work, Employment and Society

sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav

Dutch Crossing: Journal of Low Countries Studies, 2016

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 2019

PurposeBuilding upon previous studies on the factors shaping undocumented migrants’ experiences o... more PurposeBuilding upon previous studies on the factors shaping undocumented migrants’ experiences on the host labour markets, the purpose of this paper is to expand the theoretical understanding of labour market participation and ethnic solidarity networks, accounting for the sending context of war and political persecution, and the trajectory to irregularity.Design/methodology/approachThis paper extends the understanding of the role of ethnic solidarity networks on the labour market participation of migrants with insecure legal status. It draws on data from a questionnaire survey of 178 Iraqi-Kurdish migrants with insecure legal status, four focus groups and ten expert interviews. Working conditions and sectors of employment are explored alongside strategies for accessing work and the role of ethnic solidarity networks.FindingsThe analysis of the data provides strong support for the theoretical expectations outlined above, assuming that the conflict-generated diaspora communities dis...

Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication, 2016

The Internet and its applications, such as social media, have revolutionized the way stateless di... more The Internet and its applications, such as social media, have revolutionized the way stateless diasporas communicate transnationally. This new virtual, deterritorialized conversation between diasporic individuals contributes to building (digital) social networks which constitute resources and opportunities for diasporas, central to social and geographical mobility. This paper explores the role of the Internet in connecting diasporas without a home nation-state, encouraging subordinated people to participate in civic society and creating a collective source of digital social capital in the diaspora. I argue that the Internet, particularly social media, contributes to the growth of social networks, social capital and the community’s cultural and political participation within and across nation-state borders.

This research project was commissioned by the International Organisation for Migration – Iraq (IO... more This research project was commissioned by the International Organisation for Migration – Iraq (IOM - Iraq) to a research team from the Middle East Consultancy Services (MECS) to explore and analyse migration patterns from Iraq to the UK, with a particular focus on Kurdish undocumented migrants from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRoI). The report aims to provide an overview of the flows, routes, networks and dynamics of migration from Iraq to the UK, and will subsequently focus on undocumented Iraqi-Kurdish migrants living in the UK.

The phenomenon of 'return' migration has not only become an important feature of the sociology of... more The phenomenon of 'return' migration has not only become an important feature of the sociology of migration but is also an emerging issue of economic and political importance. Since the collapse of the Saddam Regime in 2003 and increasingly since 2005, a significant number of high skilled British-Kurdish young people, born and/or educated in the UK, have moved to Kurdistan Iraq to work in the public and private sectors including education, health, oil and gas, construction, finance companies, human resources, healthcare and the international NGOs.

Drawing on the British Institute for the Study of Iraq funded pilot research on the “transnational mobility of British-Kurdish high skilled young people” from the UK to Kurdistan Iraq, this report aims to provide the scope of existing debates about the “return” migration and identify the motivations of high skilled young people with diasporic background to “return” to their parental homeland. The phenomenon of transnational and “return” migration is an emerging issue of economic, political and technological significance in many developing and post-conflict countries and regions. In this context, it is crucial to find out what drives British-Kurdish high skilled young people, born and/or educated in the UK, to move to Kurdistan Iraq where in the 80s and 90s, many Kurds were forced to seek refuge in Western countries as a result of war, mass killing and ethnic prosecution by the Iraqi governments.

This report draws on empirical research carried out with 32 British-Kurdish young people of diverse age (18-35), gender, income, political affiliation, occupation, religious background and length of residency concerning return migration and social networks. The occupation background of young people were: Teachers including two English language teachers, four university lecturers, four oil and civil engineers, a researcher who worked with Serin- the European Centre for Nuclear Research, three IT workers including a web-designer, two medical scientists, two humanitarian aid workers, two local government service provider, two media workers, two young entrepreneurs, five students and three key informants. In total 32 people including 10 living in the UK (6 males, 4 female) and 22 living in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (14 males, 8 females).

Alongside all this, online discussions and internet activism of the British-Kurdish young people living here and in Kurdistan have been observed to understand their cross-national communication and to reach and interact with a larger number of people with diverse backgrounds.

Expanding the networks of disadvantaged entrepreneurs

This report aims to consider how networking might be used to enhance the entrepreneurial success ... more This report aims to consider how networking might be used to enhance the entrepreneurial success of disadvantaged groups. It begins by setting out the core rationale for this aim, namely, the positive outcomes which have been associated with entrepreneurial networking. The main elements of importance to entrepreneurial networking – structure, context, process – are also explained, before being applied to consideration of a variety of disadvantaged groups. Next, extant policy interventions are presented and analyzed. Each section of the report closes with specific recommendations as to future good practice, which are briefly revisited in the concluding comments.

Drakopoulou Dodd, S. and Keles, J. Y (2014), “Expanding the networks of disadvantaged entrepreneurs”, prepared for the OECD LEED Programme as part of a series of policy briefs on inclusive entrepreneurship produced by the OECD Local Economic and Employment Development Programme and the European Commission Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, led by Jonathan Potter and David Halabisky of the OECD. For further details click at http://www.european-microfinance.org/docs/emn_aisbl/vacancies/KEBE14001ENN%20(1).pdf

Paper presented at the International …, Jan 1, 2009

Chartist (09687866); Mar/Apr 2018, Issue 291, p18-19., 2018

On my recent visit to the Kurdistan region in 2017, a Kurdish politician told me that “Kurdish pe... more On my recent visit to the Kurdistan region in 2017, a Kurdish politician told me that “Kurdish people can no longer live like this, suppressed in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria”. In this context, the Kurdish question is an international issue which needs an international response. The UN, EU, US and Arab League can play a crucial role in a peaceful solution to the decades-old problem. The Kurdish political leaders should also reflect and learn lessons from their mistakes in terms of their inability to overcome internal divisions, lack of long-term political strategies and unwise use of existing resources. Beyond being a landlocked de-facto state, surrounded by hostile countries, these aspects have also dramatically contributed to the postponement of their aspirations for statehood and peace and prosperity for the Kurdish people in the Middle East.

Akdeniz’in göçmen mezarlığına dönmesinde sorumluluğu olan AB’nin 10 maddelik eylem planı, “aynı ş... more Akdeniz’in göçmen mezarlığına dönmesinde sorumluluğu olan AB’nin 10 maddelik eylem planı, “aynı şeyleri yaparak farklı sonuçlar beklemek ahmak”lığından başka bir şey değildir. AB artık insanı merkeze alan politikaları hayata geçirmeli.

PolitikArt , Oct 1, 2014

Avrupa ülkeleri, siyasi düşünce, etnik, din, milliyet, belirli bir sosyal gruba mensubiyetten kay... more Avrupa ülkeleri, siyasi düşünce, etnik, din, milliyet, belirli bir sosyal gruba mensubiyetten kaynaklanan kovuşturmalardan dolayı kendi ülkelerini terk etmek zorunda kalanların durumunu ve uluslararası sözleşmelerin kendilerine tanıdığı hakları göz ardı ederek mülteci ve iltica sorununu bir göçmen sorununa indirgedi. Bunun sonucu olarak da mültecilerin ülkelerini terk etme nedenleri kamusal alanda görünmez hale getirildi.

"This paper, written in Turkish, argues that the transnational Kurdish Roj Tv should not be shut ... more "This paper, written in Turkish, argues that the transnational Kurdish Roj Tv should not be shut down by Danish authorities. The elaborated version of the same paper will be published in a refereed journal soon.
http://janrojkeles.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/roj-tv-nicin-kapatlmamal.html

Summary of the research project This interdisciplinary and cross national pilot research projec... more Summary of the research project

This interdisciplinary and cross national pilot research project aims to explore the intersection of transnational relationships and identities through new media. It explores the role of the new media in constructing collective identity, shared experience, sense of belonging and building (digital) social capital among the UK "Iraqi"-Kurdish young people who are looking for employment opportunity in Iraq, especially in Kurdistan Autonomous Region.

The theories of social capital pay too much attention to physical private and public spaces, rather than virtual spaces. Indeed the virtual spaces become a kind of sociological “superglue” which contributes to building of multidimensional networks for migrants, diasporas and ethnic minorities across borders and boundaries. These social networks (ties, nodes and relationships) constitute material and non-material resources (information, social, economic and emotional supports, time, expertise and so on) and consist of the flow information and transfer of resources that may help “connected” individuals to have access to opportunities and overcome certain disadvantages. In the literature, far too little attention has been paid to the online interaction of young people with BME background with their "homeland". This research will use traditional (in-depth interviews) and innovative (ethnography of computer mediated communication) to analyse the UK "Iraqi"-Kurdish young people’s online communication with their homeland to build and accumulate (digital) social capital.

Longer Description

The theories of social capital (Granovetter 1973, Coleman 1988, Bourdieu 1996, Portes 1998, Putnam 2007) key to understanding an individual and/or a community's social interactions, civic engagements and widening participations (Bourdieu, 1986; Coleman, 1990; Putnam, 2000). The concept of social capital may be briefly described as ‘a collective asset made up of social networks based on shared norms and trust and mutuality’ (Gilchrist 2004: 4). These networks constitute resources which can help individuals and groups to fulfill their social needs and contribute to the improvement of their livelihood (Keles 2015a; Erel 2010; Ryan et al, 2008). However the theories of social capital pay too much attention to physical private and public spaces, rather than virtual spaces (Putnam 1993, 2000; Thompson 1995), yet networked communities are part of the globalized world and boundaries between virtual and offline communities have become blurred which has led to interlocking offline and online relationships among people, in particular among diasporas who, diaspora studies emphasize, reside forcibly outside of their homeland, but claim a legitimate political and economic aspiration for their homeland. Key arguments that scholars have put forward to explain diasporic identifications have been the role of collective memory, a sense of loss, forced expulsion, displacement from their homeland, a strong sense of ethnic affiliation, belonging, and a narrative, vision and the myth of return (Keles 2015b, Holgate, Keles et al 2012, Vertovec 2005b).

The political and economic advances in post-conflict countries have increasingly become pull factors for migrants to repatriate to their country of origin and play a crucial role in post-conflict reconstruction and “consolidate the process to which they have contributed from abroad” (Al-Ali et al. 2001b:617) . Returning home has attracted in particular young people born and/or educated in diaspora where they may experience discrimination, unequal opportunity in the labour market. A good example is the return migration of the British-Kurdish young people, born and/or educated in the UK to Iraq. (King, D, 2008). The majority of them work for oil and gas companies and for Federal Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government’s public sectors such as universities, health and tele-communication sectors and diplomacy and international policy (Keles at al 2013). However very little is known about the transnational mobilization of the UK Iraqi-Kurdish young people’s reasons why young people give up life in the UK, their motivations, hope and expectations and how they use the internet in particular social media to build and accumulate digital social capital to improve their livelihood. The UK is important diasporic space for "Iraqi"-Kurds since the 70s.

‘Social capital’ has become a relevant theoretical concept for understanding the way in which migrants (don’t) get access to resources and participate in social, economic and political life in their settlement country and beyond (Engbersen, van San, and Leerkes, 2006; Lancee, 2012). Social networks are a tool to enhance social mobility and to help overcome disadvantage among marginalized individuals and communities (Anthias, 2007; Ryan et al ,2008; Valdez, 2008; Zontini, 2010; Bloch 2013) such as undocumented migrants (Bloch 2013) and diasporic groups from conflicted regions (Keles, 2015a). A key aspect of diasporas is strong ethnic group consciousness, mutual trust and solidarity which play a central role in “bonding” and accumulating social capital in real and virtual communities. In the case of “connected migrants” (Diminescu, 2008), in particular social media (social networking applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Skype and so on) has re-connected geographically dispersed Diasporas (Keles 2015a, Baltaretu and Balaban, 2010). This new network capital may contribute to building (digital) social capital amongst the transnationally connected young people born/educated in their settlement countries and may contribute to the improvement of their life. This includes the possibility of finding new social orientations and employment opportunities in "their" country of origin. Yet, this working hypothesis is based on analysing the literature and needs to be complemented by empirical research to systematise our evidence. The internet, in particular social media can provide a unique insight into mapping of the individuals and communities networks, conversation, self-presentation and negotiating cultural, ethnic identities and the multiple meaning of images, texts disseminated online (Reips and Buffardi 2012).

The key research questions are:
1. The question is to what extent does the internet contribute to the UK "Iraqi"- Kurdish young people’s sense of belonging, and help them “bridging” and accumulating social capital, offering them access to the overseas employment opportunities as well as influence their mobility and decision to return to "their" country of origin? To examine critically the contested and problematic concept of social capital in relation to the inequalities of power relations of class, gender and sexuality ( Gilchrist 2004, Zontini 2010, Christoforou and Davis 2014), access to information, cultural/elite power, individual socioeconomic, political status.
2. To what extent does the UK "Iraqi"-Kurdish young people (female and male)’s political engagement lead to the employment opportunities in "their" country of origin? What’s about the question of the “digital divide” (Norris 2001) between “those in possession of the information globe and those that are not” (Greco and Floridi 2004: 75).
3. How do young people reciprocally generate new types of identities and knowledge about homeland and diaspora in “virtual communities”? Do the young people with diverse age, gender, political affiliation, education, class, occupation and length of migration and/or settlement (first, second and third generation) think in similar way or are there significant differences between young people coming and living indifferent geographical spaces?

Research methods

This research uses a multi-method approach to explore British Iraqi-Kurdish young people’s online communication and the written and audio-visual contents of their conversation in relation to build and accumulate digital social capital to return and have access to employment opportunities in Iraq. I will undertake the virtual ethnography for this study (Hine 2000). Virtual ethnography is also described as nethnography, ethnography of computer mediated communication (CMC), internet and cyber ethnography (Hine, 2000; Ignacio, 2005; Leung, 2005; Mann and Stewart, 2006; Smith and Kollock, 2001). As a “new” form of research method, virtual ethnography is “the process of conducting and constructing an ethnography using the virtual, online environment as the site of the research” (Evans, 2010:11). It examines the constructed identities, communities and cultures through computer-mediated social interaction, “the impact of CMC on social interactions and the presentation of the self-online” as well as pattern of economic and social behaviours (Mann & Stewart, 2006:4). Virtual ethnography is important for this study to reach and interact with a larger number of people with diverse backgrounds including class, gender, ethnicity, age, different geographical spaces and to understand the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness, gaining and accumulating social capital within the virtual communities. 20 highly skilled Iraqi-Kurdish young people from the UK from three different Facebook groups will be chosen and examined their conversations over a period of 4 months to understand how the young people construct their identities and sense of belonging across the national borders and build social capital to overseas employment through computer-mediated social interaction.
The research will also be based on in-depth interviews with 20 Kurdish young people of diverse age, gender, occupation, education in the UK who I follow on social media. The in-depth interviews will be done to collect more rich and detailed empirical data.

1.International Relations, Peace and Conflict, Gender, Political Violence, Ethnicity and National... more 1.International Relations, Peace and Conflict, Gender, Political Violence, Ethnicity and Nationalism, International Politics of the Middle East and North Africa, Globalisation and Politics, Statelessness, Diasporas and International Relations, Social Movements and Kurdish and Turkish Studies.

2. Migration, Undocumented Migrants, Asylum and Refugee Issues, Forced Migration, Forced Labour and Trafficking in Europe,Ethnic/Immigrant Entrepreneurship, Transnational Political and Economic Mobility, Kurdish and Turkish Migration (Germany, the UK and Sweden), Superdiversity, Multi-culturalism, Industrial relations and ME groups in the UK.
3. Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theories and Sociology of Work
Media and Political Communication, Globalisation and the Mass Media, Media Representations, and Globalisation, Locality and Youth,
4. Research Methods (Doing Sensitive Research,Visual Research and Ethnography of Computer-Mediated Communication (Nethnography))

3rd INTERNATIONAL KURDISH STUDIES CONFERENCE Shifting Dynamics of the Kurdistan Question in a Ch... more 3rd INTERNATIONAL KURDISH STUDIES CONFERENCE

Shifting Dynamics of the Kurdistan Question in a Changing Middle East -

Over 35 million Kurds live under the national jurisdictions of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria where the Kurdish identity, culture, linguistic rights, homeland and own political representation are contested and contained in most cases by the force of arms. Consequently, the combination of authoritarian state ideologies, the systematic and recurrent use of state violence in these countries has led to the rise of Kurdish opposition. In turn, the ruling states have further used the Kurdish resistance as a pretext to reinforce draconian policies of negation, assimilation and elimination of Kurdish national aspirations.

The 20th century has marked the most repressive state policies against the Kurdish quest for self-determination. At the turn of the 21st century, however, various political developments suggest a shift for the Kurds. The regime change in Iraq in 2003, the ongoing civil war in Syria and the emergence of ISIS were among the watershed events that have not only changed the balance of power in the Middle East but also the perception and position of the Kurds in the global political system.

The establishment of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Kurdistan-Iraq, the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria and the rise of pro-Kurdish political parties in Kurdistan-Turkey have given rise to the political visibility of the Kurds in international politics. The old borders and boundaries that separated the Kurds are becoming increasingly ineffective. These crucial developments have deepened the sovereignty crisis of the oppressive regional states. Simultaneously with this emerging new political geography and visibility of the Kurds, the number of scholarly studies on the “Kurdish Question” and “Kurdistan Question” has rapidly increased in recent years. The “Kurdistan Question” is growing into an international political issue that needs a global response to find a peaceful settlement in the region.

Keynote Speaker

Prof Abbas Vali, Emeritus Professor of Sociology

Call for Abstracts
This interdisciplinary conference aims to bring together researchers from a range of disciplines working on Kurdish history, politics, culture, gender, minority rights and diaspora to examine the ongoing political, social and cultural developments in the lives of the Kurds and Kurdistan. In this context, we seek a broad range of contributions from disciplines of sociology, politics, anthropology, philosophy, psychology, gender studies, cultural studies, history, economics, law, international relations and migration studies.

Researchers are kindly encouraged to contribute to and help shape the conference through submissions of their research abstracts. We also welcome proposals for sessions and are open to suggestions as to what format these take, including panel discussions, roundtables and workshops or book launches. The conference will provide an excellent venue for academics, researchers, students, professionals and policymakers.

How to submit
Please submit your abstract of maximum 350 words to KurdishStudies@mdx.ac.uk. Please suggest up to 5 keywords, indicate your institutional affiliation and the stage of your fieldwork, if it’s relevant.

The Conference Organising Committee

Dr Janroj Yilmaz Keles, Middlesex University
Prof Joshua Castellino, Middlesex University and Minority Rights Group International
Dr Naif Bezwan, University of Innsbruck, Austria, and UCL
Ibrahim Dogus, Centre for Kurdish Progress
Ass.Prof Mehmet Ali Dikerdem, Middlesex University
Dr Tunc Aybak, Middlesex University
Dr Edel Huges, Middlesex University
Prof Dr Abdurrahman Gülbeyaz Nagasaki University
Dr Arzu Yilmaz
Dr Selim Temo, Associate professor
Dr Umut Erel, Open University
Dr Necla Acik, University of Manchester
Dr Kamal Soleimani, The College of Mexico, Mexico
Dr Mohammed Shareef, University of Exeter

Conference Details
Location: Middlesex University, London, UK

Dates
Abstract submission deadline March 15th , 2019
Notification of acceptance April 1st , 2019
Conference Date June 25-26, 2019

Conference Fee
Registration fee: £ 100
Discount fee for students (postgraduate and doctoral): £ 50
All delegates will be expected to make and pay for their own travel and accommodation arrangements.

Abstract Submission Guidelines
The maximum word limit for the abstract is 350 words. The abstract must contain a brief statement of the objectives, methodology, essential results and the conclusion of the study.
The abstract must also contain the authors’ names, institutional affiliations, contact number, email and postal address. Please submit your abstract to KurdishStudies@mdx.ac.uk email address.

This conference is organised by the Department of Politics and Law, Middlesex University, Minority Rights Group International and Centre for Kurdish Progress.

Contact: For more information, please contact Dr Janroj Yilmaz Keles at J.Keles@mdx.ac.uk

1st Kurdish Migration Conference 2016: From Subordination to Transnational Mobilization May 27,... more 1st Kurdish Migration Conference 2016:
From Subordination to Transnational Mobilization

May 27, 2016, Middlesex University, London, UK

Call for abstracts – Deadline: February 1st

Conference Aims and Objectives
The lack of a home nation state has led to a relative invisibility of Kurdish migrants both in public and academic spheres in the settlement countries where they have been registered according to their nationality but not ethnic affiliation. As a result of this, Kurdish migrants have constantly been encompassed in national categories of their country of origin. This was also reflected in a limited public and scholarly attention on them. However, local civic and cultural activism, together with transnationalized Kurdish political mobilisation has drawn attention to the Kurds in the Diaspora. Consequently, recent years have witnessed a growing number of theoretical, conceptual and empirical works on themes related to Kurdish migration. The Kurdish Migration Conference 2016 aims to bring together researchers from multiple disciplines working on Kurdish migration to exchange and share their research findings and experiences about all aspects of migration in, from and to Kurdistan.

Keynote speakers:
• Prof Floya Anthias (University of East London, UK) – TBC
• Prof Jane Holgate (Leeds University, UK)
• Dr Minoo Alinia (Södertörn University, Sweden)

Call for abstracts
Researchers are kindly encouraged to contribute to and help shape the conference through submissions of their research abstracts. The conference themes cover issues relating to migration in, from and to Kurdistan.

Topics of interest for submission include, but are not limited to:
• Migration, ethnicity, citizenship, belonging and identity politics
• Migration, labour market, entrepreneurship and economic integration
• Migration, gendered experiences, and sexuality
• Family dynamics and intergenerational relationships
• Migrants, media and translocal cultural politics and representations
• Political participation, (digital) networks and organizations
• Transnational ties and/or remittances
• Migration, law, legal status, rights, and undocumented migration
• Internal and international migration, borders and borderlands
• Discrimination and xenophobia and diasporic narratives of Kurdish resistance
• Refugee and internal displacement issues
• Migration theories and frameworks
• Research methodology and Kurdish migration

How to submit
Please submit your abstract (no more than 300 words) online at:
www.mdxmigration.wordpress.com/kurdishconference2016/

There is no fee for attending the conference but all delegates will be expected to make and pay for their own travel and accommodation arrangements.

For more information, please contact the conference organisers:
Dr Janroj Yilmaz Keles: J.Keles@mdx.ac.uk
‎Dr Alessio D'Angelo: a.dangelo@mdx.a.uk

Important Dates
The deadline for abstract submissions: February 1st, 2016
Notification of acceptance: February 19, 2016
Conference date: May 27, 2016

This conference is organised by the Business School and the Social Policy Research Centre at Middlesex University with support from The British Institute for the Study of Iraq

2nd International Kurdish Migration Conference 2017 Globalisation, Diaspora and Transnational Bel... more 2nd International Kurdish Migration Conference 2017
Globalisation, Diaspora and Transnational Belonging
June 15-16, 2017, Middlesex University, London, UK
Call for abstracts – Deadline: March 1st, 2017

Conference Aims and Objectives
Following the success of the first international Kurdish migration conference (KMC) held in 2016 at Middlesex University (London) and the strong interest and participation by the international scholarly community, the 2nd KMC will be held at Middlesex University on 15 and 16 June 2017.
Displacement and forced migration have a distinct meaning and significance in the history of the Middle East. In recent years, the political and economic instability of the area, together with the repressive and coercive policies of most regional states and their international allies, the marginalisation of minority groups and the rise of fundamentalist movements, continue causing permanent crises, fuelling displacements and forced migrations. Millions of people have lost their homes and livelihood and were forced to seek a safe haven either in the neighbouring countries or taking a long and dangerous journey to Europe. The images of drowned three-year-old Kurdish boy Alan Kurdi in the Aegean Sea, mass killing of Yazidis and Syrian nationals, and displacements of religious and ethnic minorities made global headlines without any effect.
Similarly to its neighbouring countries, today the Kurdistan Region in Iraq hosts some 1.8 million refugees from Syria and internally displaced persons. A considerable number of refugees and displaced people are also hosted by the Kurdish Cantons in Rojava (Kurdish region in Syria) and by municipalities in the Kurdish Region of Turkey.
Far away from the homeland, the over 2 million Kurds living in Europe, the USA, Canada, Former Soviet republics and other countries are following with great concern the events in the Middle East. Since the 1980s, the Kurdish diaspora in the Western has played an important role, recreating new Kurdish diasporic spaces in settlement countries while simultaneously reconnecting to their home country and making the question of Kurdistan a transnational political issue through their political engagement, media and cultural production and activism. However, what is the relationship of the Kurdish diaspora with the contemporary challenges and conflicts in and around Kurdistan? What kind of exchanges and interactions are taking place? How do Kurds relate with new refugees and displaced people living in Kurdistan, the Middle East and Europe? Moreover, what are the experiences of the Kurdish diaspora in countries where hostility and discrimination towards immigrants are alarmingly on the rise?
The Kurdish Migration Conference 2017 aims to bring together researchers from a range of disciplines working on Kurdish migration to discuss these and other relevant questions and to exchange their views and findings about all aspects of migration from, through and into Kurdistan, as well as about the experiences of diasporic communities and second generations abroad.

Keynote speakers
Professor Joshua Castellino (Middlesex University, London)
Dr Osten Wahlbeck (University of Helsinki, Finland)
More speakers will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Call for abstracts
Researchers are encouraged to contribute to and help shape the conference through submissions of their abstracts. The conference themes cover issues relating to migration from, through and into Kurdistan.

Topics of interest for submission include, but are not limited to:
Migration, ethnicity, citizenship, belonging and identity politics
Migration, labour market, entrepreneurship and economic integration
Migration, gendered experiences, and sexuality
Family dynamics and intergenerational relationships
Migrants, media and translocal cultural politics and representations
Political participation, (digital) networks and organizations
Transnational ties and/or remittances
Migration, law, legal status, rights, and undocumented migration
Internal and international migration, borders and borderlands
Discrimination and xenophobia and diasporic narratives of Kurdish resistance
Refugee and internal displacement issues
Migration theories and frameworks
Research methodology and Kurdish migration

We also welcome submissions of proposals for panels.

Special panel: Kurdish Studies at British Universities
Due to a strong demand of scholars working in all subjects of Kurds and Kurdistan at British universities, we have decided to organise a special panel(s) on “Kurdish Studies at British Universities”. The papers for this panel are not limited to migration but are open for all subjects of Kurds and Kurdistan studies. If you would like to be considered for the special panel please note this in your submission.
How to submit
Click here to submit your abstract (or panel) proposal online
N.B. All speakers will be required to register and pay the registration fee ahead of the conference. You will be sent information on how to register upon acceptance of your paper.
Registration fee: £ 50
Discount fee for students (undergraduate, postgraduate or doctoral): £ 25
For more information, please contact the conference organisers:
– Dr Janroj Yilmaz Keles: J.Keles@mdx.ac.uk
– ‎Dr Alessio D’Angelo: A.Dangelo@mdx.a.uk
Important Dates
– Deadline for abstract submissions: March 1st, 2017
– Notification of acceptance: March 15, 2017
– Conference date: June 15-16, 2017
This conference is organised by the Business School and the Social Policy Research Centre at Middlesex University