The Kurdish Studies Network (KSN) is "a global research network" for scholars working within the field of

Kurdish studies Kurdology or Kurdish studies is an academic discipline centered on the study of Kurds and consists of several disciplines such as culture, history and linguistics. Kurdish studies traces its institutional history to 1916, when in St. Petersburg in t ...

. It was established in 2009 by Welat Zeydanlıoğlu, a Kurdish researcher and academic based in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

History

The Kurdish Studies Network was established following the Kurdish Studies Conference, held at the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...

in 2009. In an interview with the

Rudaw Rudaw is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ciechocin, within Golub-Dobrzyń County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies south-west of Golub-Dobrzyń and east of Toruń. References Rudaw Rud ...

news agency, Welat Zeydanlıoğlu, the KSN founder, noted that the network came about, "because there was no real communication and connection between scholars and researchers who study the Kurds, the Kurdish question, Kurdish society and the peoples of Kurdistan..." The KSN began life as a mailing list for academics and journalists from a variety of background who shared an interest in the field of Kurdish studies. However, the network expanded its work to include a website, which provides a database of both scholars working on the Kurdish question and a bibliography of works published in the English language pertaining to the field of Kurdish studies. In 2013, plans, initiated by members of the KSN, to publish a

peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

academic journal An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and d ...

were announced and the first issue of ''Kurdish Studies'' was published in October 2013. The KSN has been credited with both helping to increase scholarly interest in the field of Kurdish studies and bringing together scholars from Europe, North America, and the Middle East.

Membership

Unlike regular scholarly associations, the KSN does not have a formal system of membership or paid subscription. The size of the organization is based on the number of subscribers to its mailing list, which, according to the KSN website, numbers over 1000.

Journal

''Kurdish Studies'' is published by Transnational Press London on behalf of KSN. ''Kurdish Studies'' seeks to align "itself with KSN's mission to revitalize and reorient research, scholarship and debates in the field of Kurdish studies..." and publishes articles on or about the Kurds from a variety of academic disciplines. The

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

Martin van Bruinessen Martin van Bruinessen (born 10 July 1946, Schoonhoven, Kingdom of the Netherlands) is a Dutch anthropologist and author, who has published a number of publications on the Kurdish, Indonesia, Turkish, Iran, Persian cultures, and also on aspects of ...

. It is published biannually.

References

External links

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''Kurdish Studies''
{{authority control Kurdish studies Research institutes in Sweden Cultural journals Middle Eastern studies journals