representation, attatchemnt and globaliation - kurds

How can place be represented in different ways

Places are represented through both informal and formal agencies.

• Informal: personal photos, social media, films, music, art, literature, blogs and news media.

• Over 4.9 billion social media users globally share place images and narratives.

• Film and media representations can increase tourism by 20-30%. • Formal: census data, GIS mapping, deprivation indices, planning reports and academic

research.

• Formal datasets cover entire populations and guide planning and investment decisions.

• Representations are selective and shaped by power, institutions and perspective.

Representing rural places

• Rural places often portrayed as peaceful, scenic, traditional and community-focused

• Representations emphasise agriculture, nature, heritage landscapes and slower lifestyles.

• Tourism and migration marketing often use idealised countryside imagery.

• However rural realities may include service decline, ageing populations and limited employment.

• Rural areas typically have higher proportions of over-65s than urban areas.

• Rural wages often 10-15% lower than urban averages.

• Rural representation is therefore selective and idealised.

Influence of emotional attachment to place

• Place attachment develops through personal and social experiences.

• Personal: childhood memories, family ties, familiarity, safety and length of residence.

• Long-term residents show stronger attachment than newcomers.

• Social: community belonging, shared culture, traditions, language and religion.

• Shared experiences create collective identity and perception of place.

• Migrants may develop dual attachment to origin and destination places.

Globalisation impact on sense of place

• Globalisation is increasing interconnectedness via flows of goods, people, capital and information.

• Global trade has increased more than 20-fold since 1950.

• International migration ~280 million people worldwide.

• Internet users ~5 billion enabling instant global communication.

• Shared global culture (brands, media, lifestyles) spreads worldwide.

• Places increasingly shaped by global media, migration and economic networks.

• The world is described as a 'global village' due to reduced distance barriers

Advantage of time space compression

• Highly connected places and global cities gain investment and economic growth.

• International tourism ~1.4 billion arrivals per year

• Skilled workers access global labour markets and opportunities.

• Knowledge transfer and cultural exchange accelerate.

• Improved accessibility increases trade and migration.

• Connected regions become economic and cultural hubs.

Disadvantages of time space compression

• Peripheral and rural regions less connected to global networks.

• Digital divide limits participation for billions of people.

• Local cultures diluted by global homogenisation.

• Economic inequality increases between connected and isolated places.

• Job losses from global competition in less competitive regions.

• Remote places marginalised from global flows.

Kurds - background

• The Kurds are an ethnic group of 30-40 million people, making them the world's largest stateless nation.

• Their homeland, known as Kurdistan, covers approximately 450,000 km'

• Kurdistan spans parts of: Turkey (15-20 million Kurds), Iran (8-10 million), Iraq (5-7 million), Syria (2-3 million)

• The region is mountainous (Taurus and Zagros Mountains), which historically helped preserve Kurdish culture and autonomy.

• Despite strong cultural identity (language, traditions, nationalism), there is no internationally recognised Kurdish state.

Kurds - history

• After World War I, the Ottoman Empire collapsed. • The Treaty of Sèvres (1920) proposed the creation of a Kurdish state.

• However, the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) removed this provision.

• Kurdish territory was divided between Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. • Throughout the 20th century, Kurdish groups sought autonomy or independence.

• In northern Iraq, Kurds gained de facto autonomy after the 1991 Gulf War.

• The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) was formally recognised in Iraq's 2005 constitution.

Kurds - current

• The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) controls northern Iraq.

• Autonomous since 1991.

• Capital: Erbil.

• Population: approx. 5-6 million. • However, Kurds in Turkey, Iran and Syria do not have formal autonomy.

• Political tensions continue in Turkey and Syria. Large Kurdish diaspora communities exist, e.g. ~1 million in Germany.

• Globalisation has strengthened Kurdish nationalism through media and international awareness.

• Kurdish identity remains strong despite political division.

Kurds - economy

• Traditionally, Kurdish regions relied on: Subsistence agriculture, Pastoralism (sheep and goat farming)

• Mountainous terrain limited large-scale industrial development. • Kurdish areas are often economically peripheral within their host states.

• Eastern Turkey (Kurdish-majority areas) has lower GDP per capita than western Turkey.

• Northern Iraq (KRG region) has oil reserves and exports oil via Turkey.

• Agriculture remains important in rural Kurdish areas, but oil and public sector employment dominate in Iraqi Kurdistan.