War-Resistance as Decolonization

• In Event: Logics of Colonialism and Practices of Emancipation

Abstract

Public critique of war and individual refusal to serve are commonly discussed through the lens of pacifism and conscientious dissent. A wide range of topics are explored in this context including the versatile roots of principled opposition to wars and killing, the moral and political courage of citizens who risk significant losses as a result of their refusal to serve, and the implications of war-resistance for theories of sovereignty, obligation, and dissent. This paper makes a case for another formulation of war-resistance and conscientious objection. It draws upon historical and ethnographic analysis of the protracted war between the Kurdish liberation movement and Turkish state and the resistance of Turkey’s antiwar activists to present a case for understanding war-resistance as militant decolonization. The argument is raised in three steps. I begin with situating Kurdish guerilla warfare against Turkish rule in Northern Kurdistan (southeast Turkey) that began in early 1980s within the theoretical context of anticolonial struggles for self-determination, and move to frame the antiwar movement initiated in late 1980s by the Turkish Left as decolonial solidarity with the Kurds. As the antiwar movement evolved to include diverse ideological and religious positions during the 2000s, war-resisters refined their critique of war and militarism in conjunction with anticolonial arguments for liberation, autonomy, and dignity. The paper traces how Turkish and Kurdish anticolonial activists and scholars engaged with more commonly known theorists of decolonization such as Fanon in this context and creatively transformed their arguments in light of the historical specificity and political challenges of the Kurdish struggle. The paper concludes with reflections on the political implications of understanding war-resistance and conscientious objection as militant decolonization and collective resistance.

Author

• Pınar Kemerli, Bard College