The Paradox of Legitimacy: Resilience, Successes, and the Multiple Roles of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party

• In Event: 277 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 20. Strategies and Tactics 2

Abstract

Legitimacy is widely considered necessary for the resilience and long term success of insurgent revolutions, yet successful revolutionary movements are frequently viewed as illegitimate during the course of these conflicts. This paradox is examined in the case of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Turkey. Using a novel framework for the analysis of legitimacy, this research details how the PKK took advantage of the benefits of legitimacy until the associated expectations became unwanted constraints. The resilience and success of the group are shown to be the result of their dominant profile in a broader conflict, which was bolstered by actions that were initially perceived as illegitimate. These findings offer broader insights to the study of political violence and collective action, showing how illegitimacy can alleviate constraints, can provide valuable flexibility, and inhibits the success of a movement only to the degree that it compromises their sources of material support or their recognition as representatives of the motivation for change.

Author

• Eric W Schoon, University of Arizona