Westernization in Rojava; Infatuation with the West

Abstract

The Kurdish-led Rojava Project in northeastern Syria has gained international attention for its pioneering work on equality, community coexistence, and direct democracy through the implementation of Democratic Confederalism, which is a non-state political system. Although Rojava has only existed for approximately ten years at the time of writing, there is already a body of research on the subject. Researchers have been positive but also critical of Rojava. Scholars’ criticism claims that the people who are building and overseeing Rojava are not complying with Rojava's Charters in various ways. However, the question of why Rojava is inconsistent remains unanswered. This paper attempts to fill this gap through semi-structured interviews with individuals who oversee the movement. The paper then draws on Jalāl Āl-e-Ahmad's (1984) conceptualization of 'Westernized'. This research argues that there is evidence of a yearning for Westernization among Rojava's elite, with a focus on national self-determination with development aspirations inspired by the auspices of Western modernity, thus aiming to model Rojava after the West. This infatuation with the West may be the reason Rojava is not complying with its discursive goal. This research contributes to critical theories of colonialism and Westernization by showing that procedures with colonial influences are still present.