Performing Peace, Reframing Power: Öcalan’s Ceasefire Call and the Post-Conflict Imaginary in Kurdish Politics, the End of PKK?
Performing Peace, Reframing Power: Öcalan’s Ceasefire Call and the Post-Conflict Imaginary in Kurdish Politics, the End of PKK?

Summary/Abstract: This paper analyzes Abdullah Öcalan’s 2025 ceasefire call within the evolving dynamics of the Kurdish conflict in Turkey. Far from representing a straightforward gesture toward peace, the call must be situated within a complex landscape of political repression, strategic recalibration, and contested leadership within the Kurdish movement. Drawing on insights from conflict transformation theory and the study of symbolic politics, this analysis argues that Öcalan’s message functions as both a tactical intervention and a performative act aimed at repositioning his authority, re-opening dialogue possibilities, and navigating heightened state repression against Kurdish political actors. The study situates the ceasefire call within broader regional developments, including Turkey’s intensified securitization of the Kurdish issue, intra-Kurdish fragmentation, and the increasing marginalization of democratic channels such as the Peoples’ Democratic Party (Halkların Demokratik Partisi, HDP). By examining official responses, political reception, and the broader strategic context, this paper contributes to an understanding of ceasefire declarations not merely as conflict-resolving tools but as instruments of symbolic contestation and political maneuvering. In doing so, it sheds light on the constraints and possibilities for political agency in authoritarian and post-conflict settings.

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