Features of the Kurds’ ethnic identity formation in South Kurdistan

The paper analyzes the features of the formation and consolidation of the Kurds’ ethnic identity in South Kurdistan. The study shows how the centuries-long living together within the territory with distinct landscape and location can influence on the formation of social relations and specific social structures. The paper examines the impact of the tribal structure of the Kurdish society on the development of ethnic identity. The article studies the formation of the Kurds’ ethnic identity as a stage prior to the emergence and manifestation of national consciousness of people. It identifies the social and political conditions that allowed the Kurds in South Kurdistan to start the liberation movement of the Kurdish people. In addition, the paper examines the factors that hinder the emergence of a genuine national consciousness until the late XIX - early XX centuries.