Multilingualism Used in Kirkuk and its Impact on Kurdish National Security

Abstract

Kirkuk, a city situated in the northern area of Iraq, has a compound history of ethnic and linguistic variety. The city is home-based to great inhabitants of Kurds, Arabs, Americans, English people, foreigners of other nationalities, and Turkmen, and each group has its own language and cultural traditions. This multilingualism has played an important role in the political and social dynamics of the region, particularly in Kurdish national security. This study employed a qualitative method to analyze the case of Kirkuk, about multilingualism and security, through using the Language Ecology Theory by Haugen 1971, and the securitization theory within Copenhagen school by Barry Buzan, Ole Waever, and Jaap de Wilde (1992).