Gathering the Dispersed: State Evasion and State-Making in Modern Jewish, Kurdish and Berber History

Located at the intersection of Jewish Studies Studies, Kurdish Studies and Berber Studies, the research project “Gathering the Dispersed” focuses on the puzzling transition from state evasion to state-making in three non-state communities in the Middle East and North Africa: While Jewish, Kurdish and Berber/Amazigh communities in the 19th century were marked by different patterns of state evasion (physical dispersion, segmentary kinship, an acephalous social structure), nationalist movements sought to transform them into state-making communities (densely settled populations, governed by a central organization, unified in language and culture). Despite pressure from outside forces and committed resistance from within their communities, the Zionist movement established a robust nation-state (Israel), Kurdish nationalists built a fledgling proto-state (Kurdistan Regional Government – Iraq), and Berber activists mobilized a growing transnational movement for greater Berber autonomy in the Maghreb. By bringing together scholars from the fields of Jewish Studies, Kurdish Studies and Amazigh Studies, the research group will contribute to theory-building on stateless politics by translating the framework of James Scott (The Art of Not Being Governed, 2009) into a Middle Eastern context.