Kurdish Media: From Print to Facebook

Abstract

In the previous chapter, I suggested that a cross-border or transstate Kurdish identity has been strengthening in the past two decades or so primarily due to three factors: political developments in Kurdistan, the expansion of Kurdish diasporas, and the use of satellite television and the Internet among the Kurds. In this chapter, it is suggested that the latter is a catalyst in strengthening a cross-border Kurdish identity. Why is this? Previously, I illustrated that other forms of media such as newspapers and radio or cable television have played crucial roles in the formation and reproduction of national identities and nation-building projects, particularly in Europe. Why has this not been the case in Kurdistan? Have the Kurds not had access to these more traditional media forms prior to using satellite television and the Internet? If they have, why have they not been able to embark on constructing a strong pan-Kurdish identity until very recently?