This article uses the Kurdish diaspora in Austria to describe its diversity in Europe. Despite many attempts by different political actors of the Kurdish national movement to organize and present a common diaspora, the Kurdish diaspora in Europe reflects the entire diversity and thus also the political divisions of Kurdistan. The example of Austria does not necessarily stand for all European states, as we sometimes have very different migration histories in different European states. This means that the Kurdish communities are not only very different in size but are also made up of very different groups. The Kurdish diaspora in Austria is characterized by great political, cultural, religious, and linguistic diversity. This reflects almost the entire diversity of the region of origin. The diversity of the Kurdish diaspora described here is therefore not necessarily transferable to all other Kurdish communities in Europe, but some of the characteristics of the Kurdish diaspora can be identified. This article begins with a historical overview of the various Kurdish migrant groups and will then discuss the diversity of the Kurdish diaspora in Austria as part of the Kurdish diaspora in Europe. It is based on long-term participant observation and a series of conversations and formal interviews conducted with activists and members of the Kurdish communities in Austria over the last 20 years. The author did not conduct this research exclusively for this article, but for several publications on this topic, mainly in German. Where the text refers to individual statements by specific interviewees, these are cited.
KEYWORDS: Austria, Diaspora, politics, language, religion.