Feyli Kurds are a marginalised minority ethno-religious group traditionally living in the border region straddling Iraq and Iran; they are predominantly Shi’a Muslims. This unique identity has historically exposed the Feylis to persecution and stigmatisation, especially in the 1970s and 1980s during Saddam Hussein’s rule, leading to mass migration to Iran and later Europe. There is a dearth of information about the post-migration experience of the Feyli community despite half a century of migration into the UK.
In this respect, the proposed research aims to conduct an in-depth study combining ethnographic and archival methods to identify the socio-cultural and political status of the community in the United Kingdom. Firstly, how much have the social, political, and ethno-sectarian discourses in Iraq – and more generally the Middle East – informed and impacted the formation of Feyli identity in London and their relation to their societies of origin? Secondly, how have UK policies and narratives on immigration and integration informed and impacted the Feylis’ sense of belonging and identity, especially the younger generation? A related question is, how much of the aforementioned discourses are intergenerational i.e. informed and shaped by different generations of Feylis over the years?
Accordingly, the research will seek to better understand this community by examining the nature of their ethno-religious identity in diaspora, the narratives around home and belonging, integration-retention process and issues around state policies. The impact of their peculiar Shia Kurdish identity on their sense of belonging as well as the UK integration/migration policies in recognising this community will also be explored as part of Feylis’ post-migration experience.