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Citation |
Soleimani K, Mohammadpour A. Br. J. Sociol. 2020; 71(4): 741-760. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2020, London School of Economics and Political Science, Publisher John Wiley and Sons) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
unavailable |
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Abstract |
Through the investigation of kolberi (cross-border labor), this paper sheds light on the state?s policy of de-development (or internal colonialization) of the Kurdish region (known as Rojhelat) in Iran. While the most dangerous form of labor, kolberi has become a dominant employment opportunity for Rojhelat Kurds in the last decade. There are no Iranian state laws criminalizing kolberi, and yet those laborers die on a regular basis?being shot or thrown off mountain cliffs by the state forces, stepping into minefields, and so forth. Nevertheless, there is not a single scholarly paper on this subject. Using the mixed methods research approach, our study analyzes the existing data along with in-depth interviews with 20 people who are currently engaged in kolberi to contextualize this understudied phenomenon. Our finding demonstrates that kolberi is a direct outcome of a uni-ethno-religious policies of development and part and parcel of the state's Perso-Shi?ification strategy in Kurdistan. Therefore, kolberi is more of a political phenomenon than an economic one. |
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Keywords |
apartheid economy; kolberi; Kurdistan; mixed methods research; Perso-Shi‘i state |