STRUGGLES

GLOSSARYOF TERMS AND ACRONYMS
Kurdistan is currently split between four countries:
BAKUR: Meaning 'North' in Kurmanji Kurdish, Bakur is the region ofnorth
Kurdistan within Turkey.
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ROJAVA: Meaning 'West' in Kurmanji, Rojava is the region ofKurdistan in northern
Syria. It is also the name given to the autonomous administration which declared
autonomy from the Assad regime in 2012. Rojava is divided into the three cantons of
Cizîrê, Kobanê and Efrîn, which are organised based on the theory ofdemocratic
confederalism.
BAŞÛR: Meaning 'South' in Kurmanji, Başûr is the region ofsouth Kurdistan that is
in Iraq. It is also a term used when referring to the autonomous region ofIraqi
Kurdistan.
ROJHILAT: Meaning 'East' in Kurmanji, Rojhilat is the region ofKurdistan which
lies within the borders ofIran.
We will use the terms Bakur, Rojava, Rojhilat and Başûr throughout this
book to describe the different parts ofKurdistan.
glossary
The terms 'Kurdish' and 'Kurdistan'
There have been some conversations amongst activists as to whether it is correct to
use the terms 'Kurdish' and 'Kurdistan' when talking about the struggles for autonomy
in the region. This is because many Kurdish people themselves do not want their own
state ofKurdistan, and because the revolution that has taken place in Rojava is not just
Kurdish. We acknowledge that the struggles for autonomy are not only Kurdish
struggles and that the movements in Rojava, and increasingly in Bakur, have diverse
ethnicities involved.
However, we have chosen to use the word 'Kurdistan' to refer to the geographical
region which is inhabited mostly by Kurdish people. For too many years, Kurdish
people have had their identity denied, and the words 'Kurdish' and 'Kurdistan' were
banned. To many people, this is very much a Kurdish struggle because they are
oppressed solely for being Kurdish, so we see nothing wrong with helping to reclaim
these words. As you will see from many ofour interviews, the people that we spoke to
constantly used these terms.