The aim of this volume, which contains articles about major aspects of the life
and recent history of the Kurds by leading scholars, is to introduce the reader to
the plight of the Kurdish people, and to generate greater understanding and
support for the many Kurds who have been forced to abandon their homelands in
recent years.
Most of the papers in this book were originally presented at an orientation
seminar on the Kurdish problem organized in June 1989 for a group of United
Nations Staff members by Dr Sperl and the External Services Division of the
School of Oriental and African Studies, London (SOAS). The papers have since
been revised and updated by the authors. Other contributions, in particular those
on Turkey, Syria and the Soviet Union, have been especially commissioned for
this volume.
In a book of this type transliteration is a major problem, as different
conventions are normally used to transliterate Arabic, Kurdish, Persian and
Turkish. The editors have sought to achieve some degree of consistency, but it
proved impossible to reach complete uniformity. The use of diacritical signs has
been kept to a minimum, and in some cases preferences of individual
contributors have been respected.
The editors would like to extend their special thanks to Professor Tony Allan
and to Ms Diana Matias, without whose help and encouragement the project would
not have been realized. We also received much valuable help in editing the
papers from Ms Jane Connors, and from Mr George Joffe, Dr Bengisu Rona and
Mr Eralp Alişik. Some of the publication costs were met by the SOAS Research
and Publications Committee and the SOAS Middle East Centre. The final
typescript was compiled with the help of Ms Diana Gur and Ms Fiona McEwan
of the Middle East Centre. We are very grateful for their expertise and for their
unfailing good humour in dealing with the text.