Kurdish Question in Turkey: Development of Kurdish Political Parties and Their Perception of Kurdish National Movement from 2003 to 2015 ; Kurdų klausimas Turkijoje: Kurdų politinių partijų vystimasis ir jų suvokimas apie Kurdų Nacionalinį Judėjimą nuo 2003-ųjų iki 2015-ųjų metų
This thesis explores the evolution of Kurdish issue in Turkey during the period from 2003 to 2015. It analyzes the political circumstances shaped by the ruling party, AKP (Justice and Development Party) which is led by the current president R.T. Erdogan, and the stages that the Kurdish issue went through. At the beginning the thesis examines the concepts ethnic identity, nation, nationalism that are related to structure of Kurdish people. The theories are taken from different sources and compared and analyzed in various ways. In the next chapter, the thesis introduces the Kurds with their history and origin, and their social structure including language, religion, social and cultural life. The following chapter is formed by observing the political scene of Turkey from 2003 to 2015 which constructs the core study of the thesis. Accordingly, it examines how the AKP became a successful actor in the political arena of Turkey, the contribution of the Kurdish political parties in Turkey's political scene, and the processes that are aimed to solve the Kurdish issue in the country. Afterwards, this paper analyzes the perspectives of current Kurdish political parties in Turkey toward the present situation of the Kurds and their perceptions for the solution of the issue. Henceforth, the paper also indicates the evaluation of the perspectives of Kurdish political parties through the theories that are used to determine the criteria of national and ethnic identity for the sake of implementing the theories on the identical, social and political structures of the Kurds. In conclusion, the paper is aimed to emphasize the situation of the Kurds in Turkey with their rights and freedoms and promote the alternative elements regarding the solution of the Kurdish question.