Özcan Yilmaz is lecturer of International History and History of the Middle East at the University of Geneva. He obtained a PhD in International History and Politics from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies for his thesis on the formation of the Kurdish national identity in Turkey. His research interests include nationalism, state building, identity and politics in the contemporary Middle East. His recent publications include La formation de la nation kurde en Turquie (PUF, 2013).