Generations in Conversation – A Conversation Analysis in Kurdish Families in Diyarbakır, Istanbul, and Vienna

29.04.2026

On April 23, Reva Akkus successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, which focuses on the experiences of ethnic and linguistic discrimination among people who identify as Kurdish. The dissertation was supervised by Eva Vetter and Helmut Gruber.

The empirical part of the dissertation is based on interviews with representatives of three generations across the three selected locations: Diyarbakır, Istanbul, and Vienna. Through a conversation analysis of the transcribed audio recordings, Reva Akkus demonstrates how trauma is linguistically articulated. Key findings concern the intergenerational transmission of traumatic experiences of discrimination and the significance of the differing power relations in which these experiences are embedded.

The dissertation includes excerpts from the interviews both in Turkish and in the author’s German translations.

We congratulate her on the successful completion of this long-term project!