An international conference focusing on the experiences of Kurdish municipalities is being organized in Strasbourg. The conference will explore the innovative governance practices of Kurdish municipalities and their contributions to European democracy.
An international conference called Rethinking European Democracy: Local Democratic Innovations and Discoveries of Kurdish Municipalities in Turkey (1990–2016), will take place on 29 April at the MISHA Conference Hall of Strasbourg University. The conference will explore the innovative governance practices of Kurdish municipalities and their contributions to European democracy.
Since the 2000s, despite state obstructions, Kurdish co-mayors have transformed local politics with governance models that encourage public participation. These initiatives, which played a restorative role for communities affected by violence, have become invisible today due to the exile or imprisonment of many representatives. The conference in Strasbourg will bring together former co-mayors in exile, European researchers, and municipal representatives to question how local democracy can serve as a tool for resistance and restoration in the face of political violence.
Contribution to European democracy
Organized in collaboration with the city government and civil society, the conference aims to demonstrate how the social sciences can resist the erasure of thought by violence and contribute to the construction of European democracy. Participants will propose new ways to analyze and strengthen local democracy while comparing the experiences of Kurdish municipalities in Turkey with similar practices in Europe.
Conference program
The conference at Strasbourg University’s MISHA Conference Hall will be held on April 29 from 09:00 to 19:00. The program is as follows:
09:30–12:30: Sessions on innovations in local democracy. Speakers such as Michel Agier (EHESS), Patricia Zander, and Wiebke Keim (Strasbourg University) will address urban action, European democracy, and the concept of subjectivity. Hamit Bozarslan (EHESS) will discuss interactions with political powers and structural challenges.
14:00–15:30: Former co-mayors Leyla İmret (Cizîr), Bedia Özgökçe (Van), and Osman Baydemir (Amed) will share their insights on the role of local policies in participatory democratic mechanisms. Discussant: Gilbert Vincent (Strasbourg University).
15:45–17:15: Fatma Şık (Sûr), Fırat Anlı (Amed), Abdullah Demirbaş (Sûr), and Nejdet Atalay (Êlih) will explain how participatory democracy functions as a tool of restoration against political and societal violence. Discussant: Fleur Laronze (Strasbourg University).
17:30–17:45: Closing session.
