The sources provide a detailed study of Roger Lescot (1914–1975), a French Orientalist whose career uniquely bridged rigorous scholarship and state diplomacy, defining the Kurdish-French connection during the French Mandate era. Lescot received elite training in Middle Eastern languages, but his crucial specialization in Kurdish signaled that the French state intended to use him as a specialist in the "Kurdish question" for intelligence and administrative purposes. Functioning with a "dual casquette" as both scholar and state agent, Lescot actively collaborated with exiled Kurdish nationalists, most notably the Bedirkhan brothers, providing vital academic and political validation for their cultural nation-building goals. This collaboration resulted in foundational works like the Grammaire Kurde and his influential report, Bases éventuelles d'une politique kurde, which successfully advocated for French cultural patronage as a means of strategic anti-communism. Ultimately, Lescot institutionalized this alliance by creating the first Kurdish lectureship at INALCO and then transferring the post to his nationalist collaborator, Kamuran Bedirkhan, solidifying the Bedirkhans' version of Kurdish culture as the academic standard in Europe.
Note: This was made with AI research and AI audio output, and does not conform to academic standards. However, sources are confirmed as genuine.
This page was created on: November 16, 2025 and last updated: