Kurdish Diaspora Mobilisation in Denmark
Supporting the Struggle in Syria
Anne Sofie Schøtt
280 pages
Edinburgh Studies on Diasporas and Transnationalism
Published October 2021 (Hardback)

Examines how the Kurdish diaspora in Denmark supported the Kurdish struggle in Syria from the battle of Kobane (2014) to the defeat in Afrin (2018)
.Investigates how the Kurdish diaspora mobilised in support of Syrian Kurds, stressing the role of transnational actors in war
.Introduces strategic interactionism into the study of diaspora mobilisation, showing new paths for research
.Coins the term ‘alter-territorial’ identification to clarify how some Kurds identify with the political entity in a part of Kurdistan other than their place of origin
Anne Sofie Schøtt contributes to our understanding of mobilisation and identity formation in the periphery of the Kurdish diaspora by examining the small but well-established community in Denmark. Arguing that the Danish authorities treat the diaspora differently in comparison to neighbouring Sweden and Germany, Schøtt examines the political lobbyism, the courtroom activism and the humanitarian action of the various Kurdish diaspora groups. She examines the position of the Syrian Kurds within the diaspora who, like the Kurds in Syria, have been largely ignored until recently.

Part I: Kurdish Diaspora Mobilisation and Identity Formation
1. Introduction
2. Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
3. Methodology and Fieldwork
Part II: The Emergence of Kurdish Activists in Syria and In Denmark
4. The Kurds of Syria: From the Forgotten People to World-Stage Actors
5. The Becoming of A Diaspora: The Kurds and Kurdish Activists In Denmark
Part III: Ambiguous Interplays
6. The Castle and the Square: Political Lobbyism
7. The Courtroom: Legal Struggle for Military Support
8. The Suburb and the Field: Charity Work
Part IV: Findings and Conclusions
9. Ambiguous Interplays and Reformulations of Kurdish Identities
Appendix. [1]