Historical Dictionary of the Kurds Second Edition

A very useful reference work. ― Journal of Global South Studies

A comprehensive dictionary of maps, a chronology, an introductory essay, a dictionary containing several hundred entries on various aspects of Kurdish experience and an extensive bibliography. ― Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

The value of this work is its timeliness. The 153 articles and book bibliographic entries are well organized. … Anyone interested in the history of politics of the Kurds and the current politics of the Middle East will want to have [this book] within reach. ― Middle East Journal

Brilliant and committed. … This work provides good maps and a fantastic bibliography. ― American Reference Books Annual

Recommended. ― CHOICE

Scattered throughout four countries―Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria―Kurds are one of the world’s largest ethnic groups without an independent country. First published in 2004, this second edition of Historical Dictionary of the Kurds includes many new, expanded, and revised entries; dated items were deleted. Similar to the format of the other books in the various Scarecrow Historical Dictionaries series, most of the work comprises A–Z entries covering history, politics, sociology, geography, and other related topics. In addition, the book includes maps, a chronology, an introductory essay, and an unannotated topical bibliography. (One quibble: this series does not include bibliographical references after each entry.) Author Gunter has studied and written about Kurdish history and society for many years. He is to be commended for both his candor and rigor: “I have always sought to be as objective as possible without being egregiously politically correct.” Since the plight of the Kurds in Turkey and Iraq is featured in current Middle East news and inspires growing interest in their history, this useful and well-researched reference book will undoubtedly inform and educate readers in academic and large public libraries. ― Booklist

For this update of the 2003 edition, Gunter (Kurds Ascending) has reconsidered each entry and expanded the book’s relaxed and edifying historical narrative to encompass recent events. Multiparagraph entries are organized alphabetically by terms translated from Kurdish. To orient readers, three maps detail Upper Kurdistan and postdiaspora pockets of Kurdish majority. A cache of black-and-white photographs at the book’s center offers an enriching glimpse of significant Kurdish sites and figures. And of special value to researchers is the 90-page, thematically organized bibliography, which rounds out the book. Wonderful informational background. ― Library Journal

This second edition covers significant historical events, people, and places in Kurdish history from 401 BCE to early 2010. Gunter (Tennessee Technical Univ., Cookeville), a respected expert, has written numerous books, book chapters, and journal articles on Kurdish history and politics. Even with its broad historical scope, covering 2,000-plus years of history, this work does a very good job of presenting both introductory overviews and detailed information within each entry. The dictionary begins with an acronyms/abbreviations section that is essential for understanding the work and for studying the subject more broadly. An excellent, detailed chronology of significant historical events follows. Well worth reading, the introduction provides an overview of the region, economy, and historical background of the Kurds. Entries are well written and contain multiple cross-references that are boldfaced for easy identification. The thorough bibliography is divided into subtopics to assist readers with finding the most appropriate content. Summing Up: Highly recommended. ― CHOICE

I have not been able to find any other reference book that covers all the material contained here….Academic libraries catering for programmes on the Middle East or on any of the countries concerned, libraries catering for readers on the geopolitics of oil, or on international relations in general will find this book worth considering….The political situation in the Middle East is changing extremely rapidly, and it is worth trying to keep up with it. ― s