"Note from Non-People": Kurdish History, Language & Culture with SERHAT TUTKAL & HEVIN KARAKURT

"Note from Non-People": Kurdish History, Language & Culture with SERHAT TUTKAL & HEVIN KARAKURT

Author: Mia Funk April 6, 2026 Duration: 1:16:44

How does the literature of a collective that shares neither one nation nor any one language function? What can the study of state violence in Latin America teach us about the dehumanization occurring in West Asia? And how do we imagine paths out of generations of violence to build new utopias?

In this episode of the Speaking Out of Place podcast, Professor David Palumbo-Liu talks with Serhat Tutkal and Hevin Karakurt to Speaking Out of Place. These two scholars engage in a broad discussion of Kurdish history, culture, politics, literature and language, with particular attention to issues of statelessness, identity, and violence. We talk about the current moment with regard to Turkey, Syria, Palestine, and the US-Israel war on Iran and beyond. We use as a starting poet Serhat’s remarkable essay, “Note from Non-People,” and then move to a discussion of his work on dehumanization. We end with imagining paths out of cycles of violence and dehumanization, and consider specifically the way we might imagine new sorts of utopias and vistas of life-affirmation.

Hevin Karakurt is a PhD candidate in Comparative Literature at Stanford University, where she studies Kurdish literature across languages and territories. In this way, she works on the question of how a literature of a collective that shares neither one nation nor any one language might function. Before coming to Stanford, she worked as a researcher in the Swiss National Science Foundation funded research project “Half-Truths. Truth, Fiction, and Conspiracy in the ‘Post-Factual’ Age”, at the University of Basel.

Serhat Tutkal is a Kurdish academic. He is a postdoctoral researcher funded by the Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation (Secihti) in Mexico. He has a PhD from Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Bogotá) with a dissertation on the legitimation and delegitimation of Colombian state violence. He mainly works on violence, racism, and dehumanization in West Asia and Latin America.

(3:54) READING "NOTE FROM NON-PEOPLE"

(8:00) DECODING STATELESSNESS

The foundational aspects of Kurdish identity and existing outside the nation-state

(17:00) THE STRUGGLE OF LANGUAGELESSNESS

What it means to borrow languages when your native tongue is unrecognized.

(31:00) DEHUMANIZATION & ACADEMIA'S ROLE

Examining the legitimation of violence and the changing role of the university in critical thought

(44:00) DATA RESEARCH & GEOPOLITICS

Connecting data research on social media racism to current events in Turkey, Syria, Palestine, and Iran.

(1:05:00) IMAGINING UTOPIAS

Episode Website

www.palumbo-liu.com

https://speakingoutofplace.com

Bluesky @palumboliu.bsky.social Instagram @speaking_out_of_place


Hosted by Mia Funk, The Creative Process delves into the inner workings of the artistic mind. This podcast is built on intimate conversations with a remarkable range of voices-from authors and filmmakers to dancers, scientists, and activists. Each episode moves beyond the finished product to explore the life, discipline, and unique practice that shape a creator's work. You'll hear from recipients of the world's highest honors, including Oscars, Emmys, and Pulitzer Prizes, as they share unfiltered experiences and hard-won wisdom. The discussions naturally span a wide spectrum of human expression and concern, touching on books, film, theatre, and music, while also engaging with critical themes like social justice, climate change, and technology. What unites these conversations is a deep curiosity about how creativity functions not just in the studio, but as a force in culture and society. Listening feels like being a fly on the wall for a thoughtful, meandering talk where the focus is always on the person behind the craft. It’s a chance to understand how diverse thinkers navigate challenges, find inspiration, and contribute to the broader dialogue through their art and advocacy. This isn't about quick tips or superficial interviews; it's a sustained look at the motivations and methods that drive meaningful creative work across disciplines.
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