Jan Yasin Sunca

Contact: jan.yasin.sunca(at)ulb.be

FNRS researcher, Université libre de Bruxelles

Dr Jan Yasin SUNCA, is an FNRS researcher at REPI – Recherche et études en politique internationale at ULB – Université libre de Bruxelles. His research is situated in decolonial historical sociology of the international, with a particular focus on the theory of the nation-state, experiences of statelessness, decolonial politics, and peace processes in colonial contexts. His joint PhD in political science and sociology focused on the emergence and materialization of resistance-based political projects against hegemonic world order(s), based on the experience of democratic confederalism and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Prior to his academic career, he advised European institutions and several NGOs on relations between the EU, Turkey, and the Kurds. His ongoing research project explores the colonial legacies of the nation-state as a failed project of self-determination and examines struggles for decolonization in the postcolonial space, drawing on the experiences of Rojava, North and East Syria, and Chiapas, Mexico.

Tangible limits of stateless democracy: Rojava and Chiapas in a comparative context

The liberal international order and hence representative/liberal democracy are in a crisis. Both the internal structures and international mechanisms of liberal democracy are constrained by the rise of populist right-wing extremism and global hegemonic confrontations. In contradistinction to state-centred understandings of democracy, prefigurative political movements emphasize self-governance, and advocate for radical and direct democracy. Two notable examples of such movements are the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Rojava, North and East Syria, and the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) in Chiapas, Mexico, which have gained global attention and inspired mobilizations beyond their regions. Despite vast differences in history, geography, and politics, both movements challenge state-centred representative democracy with “stateless democracy.” However, these experiences are limited by tangible ideological and geopolitical constraints.

This project proposes a critical comparative study on the (1) ideological origins and contradictions of “stateless democracy” and (2) its emergence in interaction with global political transformations. The working argument posits that stateless democracy results from the rejection of the colonial legacy of the state-centric world order. However, building an alternative democratic community is constrained by power relations at local, regional, and global levels. As working definitions, statelessness refers to its objective absence and an experience of liberation, while democracy is conceived in radical&direct forms, diverging from representative/liberal connotations.