Water and counter-hegemony: Kurdish struggle in the Tigris and Euphrates in Turkey

Abstract

Water issues are often related to general questions of justice. This article discusses Tigris and Euphrates water issues from the point of view of Kurds in Turkey. The goal here is not to discuss the entire landscape of power relations and interests in the recent history of these rivers inside the country or across borders, but to understand how opposition Kurds view the way in which Turkish authorities manage water resources, policies and politics within the basins, affecting local society and the environment. It has been found that beyond establishing hydro-hegemony over co-riparian states along the Tigris and Euphrates (Syria and Iraq), the Turkish state has sought to deploy its soft and hard power over Kurds. The opposition Kurdish movement has responded by developing its own counter-hegemonic measures. Their proposals seem to aim at winning over Kurds, but also Turks and other peoples. Their framing of a different type of stakeholder participation in decision-making calls for a model of direct democracy covering different aspects of life, including water management and environmental soundness. The research is based on academic and government literature and a number of semi-structured interviews with Kurdish municipal officials, faculty and activists.