Cataloged from PDF version of article.Using comprehensive and original data derived from a recent major
public opinion survey, this study examines an under-investigated aspect of the Kurdish
issue in Turkey: the dynamics and factors behind Kurdish ethno-nationalism at a mass
level. The empirical findings disprove the conventional socio-economic peace and
Islamic-peace hypotheses around this issue, and our statistical analyses provide strong
support for the relative deprivation hypothesis, i.e. that those who think the Turkish
state discriminates against Kurds are more likely to have ethno-nationalist orientations.
Multivariate analyses further show that religious sectarian differences among
Kurds (i.e. the Hanefi-Shafi division) matter: the more religious Shafi Kurds have a
stronger ethnic consciousness and a higher degree of ethno-nationalism. The study also
provides a discussion of the broader theoretical and practical implications of the
empirical findings, which may provide insights into conflict resolution prospects in
countries with a Kurdish population
