Rémi Carcélès, special feature – Yoann Morvan, article: «The Kurds in France: roots and transnational dynamics» (Migrations Société)
Rémi Carcélès, Stéphane de Tapia and Tony Rublon (eds.), «The Kurds in France: roots and transnational dynamics», Migration Society, No. 204, 2026/2.
Presentation:
As the main destination for Kurds settling outside their territories of origin, the European continent represents one of the centres of transnational Kurdish identity formation. Europe is the most significant «diasporic» hub within the «transnational space» that links the Kurds« homelands with the host societies of Kurds in exile, structured by networks and ties based on the recognition of a shared Kurdish identity, referred to as »Kurdicity’. Within this context, France constitutes one of the main sub-centres for the development of this Kurdish identity, as the second-largest country of settlement for the Kurdish diaspora in Europe, after Germany, in quantitative terms. Building on the work dedicated to the Kurds by a long tradition of researchers, the aim of this special issue is to bring studies on populations of Kurdish origin in France up to date through the publication of findings from ongoing research. This research enables an analysis of the specific ways of being Kurdish within the French context, in relation to the wider transnational sphere, with a view to the co-development of the ties that structure it. Produced by researchers from a wide range of disciplines, the studies brought together here aim to demonstrate that the transnational sphere is both shaped and reshaped by migrants, in relation to their societies of origin.
Summary of the dossier
France in the transnational Kurdish sphere
Pages 17 to 32 – 24 minutes – Journal article
- By Rémi Carcélès,
- Stéphane de Tapia
- and Tony Rublon
The autonomy of «Marseille’s Kurdistan»: a transgenerational perspective
Pages 33 to 54 – 33 minutes – Journal article
- By Armand Aupiais
The emergence of a transnational Kurdish community in Marseille
Pages 55 to 69 – 23 minutes – Journal article
- By Zelal Koç
- and Yoann Morvan
Rennes, a low-key hub in the transnational struggle of the Kurdish diaspora
Pages 71 to 86 – 24 minutes – Journal article
- By Tony Rublon
Kurdish and pro-Kurdish activist networks in France: influential actors in the transnational sphere of social movements
Pages 87 to 103 – 26 minutes – Journal article
- By Rémi Carcélès
Identity, racism and multiple identities in the accounts of Kurds who grew up in France
Pages 105 to 122 – 27 minutes – Journal article
- By Solène Lange
The Yazidis of Sinjar in France: a community on the fringes of Kurdish identity
Pages 123 to 136 – 21 minutes – Journal article
- By Paul Cavaillé
Selected bibliography
Pages 137 to 139 – 5 minutes – Journal article
