In the midst of a horrendous war in Turkey, millions still view Abdullah Öcalan as their political representative and figurehead of the Kurdish freedom movement. Öcalan actively led the Kurdish liberation struggle as the head of the PKK from its foundation in 1978 until his abduction on February 15, 1999. Now, writing from isolation in Turkey's Imrali Island Prison, he has shaped a new political movement in the Middle East called Democratic Confederalism, which is rapidly developing and spreading across the Middle East because it simultaneously combats powerful religious sectarianism while also providing the blueprints for a burgeoning democratic society.
Bringing together Öcalan's ideas in one slim volume for the first time, The Political Thought of Abdullah Öcalan contains a selection of the most influential writings over his lifetime. These ideas can be read in light of Öcalan's continuing legacy during the ongoing revolution and the battle against conservatism and religious extremism within the ruling powers. As the political situation in the Syria intensifies, this book offers a timely and essential introduction for anyone wanting to come to grips with his political ideas on the Kurdish question, gender, Democratic Confederalism, and nationalism.
