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The Circassian Question; the Formation of Linguistic and Cultural Identity in the Caucasus from the Mid-Nineteenth Century to Modern Times

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The Circassian Question; the Formation of Linguistic and Cultural Identity in the Caucasus from the Mid-Nineteenth Century to Modern Times Uniwersytet Warszawski Wydział Orientalistyczny Studium Europy Wschodniej Hamed Kazemzadeh The Circassian Question; The formation of linguistic and cultural identity in the Caucasus from the mid-nineteenth century to modern times Praca doktorska napisana pod kierunkiem: Dr hab. Mariusz Kowalski Opiekun pomocniczy: Dr David Kolbaia Warszawa, wrzesień 2018 I II Acknowledgments I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to Professor Mariusz Kowalski for his unlimited help, support, guidance, and supervision, which gave me the courage and motivation to complete my thesis. His never-ending encouragement and sincere attitude were essential in developing my academic interests. His creative approaches to studying the past and his generosity with his students have made a lasting impression on me. I also thank my academic advisor, Prof. David Kolbaia and director of the Center for East European Studies, Prof. Jan Malicki for their guidance and presence and their valuable comments at the beginning of this dissertation. Through the conceptualization and execution of this project, they were always there to offer their keen analytical insights and to show me how to make my work relevant. To Prof. Piotr Taracha, Dean of Oriental Studies Faculty and Prof. Jolanta Sierakowska-Dyndo, thank you all for your help and intellectual insights at the last phase of the dissertation. I believe that I have been able to achieve my academic goals to this end because of your support and because I have tried to follow the examples, you set. Additionally, I am grateful to Dean’s office especially Ms. Ewa Szczerkowska and Ms. Agnieszka Kulka for their help and kind that they provided. I owe a big thank to Dr. Lars Funch Hansen, Dr. Karina Vamling, Dr. Jade Cemre Erciyes and Dr. Sufian Zhemukhov for their relentless efforts in helping me while conducting this study. Words will never express my appreciation to the most angelic person I have ever met who unfortunately passed away last year in 2017, Dr. Amjad Jaimoukha. I would like to thank him for the help and support in completing my work. His efforts are priceless. He is a great loss to all the people who know him. May his soul rest in peace, and for his family - comfort through the love of God. Finally, I would like to thank my family whose blessings and support have kept me moving forward against all hardships and adversity. I am indebted first to my wife, Dr. Anahita Shahrokhi. Her constant supports and cares were unimaginable. No words can return to her what she has always given me. Through their unfailing encouragement and reassurance, I was able to finish my thesis. It is with the utmost respect and ultimate love that this thesis is dedicated to her. III IV Abstract Historically, the North Caucasus has introduced the peoples, whose numbers are bounded to some hundreds, and whose mother tongues are different from each other. Beyond this ethnic and linguistic intricacy, the cultural schema has been an extra element to complicate the regional issues. All these commons have constructed a style of living, or a mutual and unique identity surrounding the peoples of the North Caucasus which called the Mountainous Identity (Grotsy). The Circassians are among the most populated nation or ethnic in the region. The changing political geographies have worked to influence local constructs of identity and place of Circassian in their history linguistically and culturally. To explore how place factors into the construction of ethnonational identity in the course of common language and culture by examining the concept of homeland, is one of the first aims of my research. In general, this study aimed to investigate how the Circassians have used from their language and culture in different domains to establish a specific ethnolinguistic identity in the North Caucasus and to examine the cultural elements that they have preserved since the 19th century to modern times. It also tried to disclose the effects that facilitated them in protecting some of the Circassian cultural sights. The cultural elements for having a common identity that is mainly preserved were cuisine, folklore, music, and celebrations. On the other hand, they preserved Adige Xabse that is a group of social refined manners that are based on respect, honor, hospitality, responsibility, self-control, discipline, and good character, which is passed naturally to generations. Historical awareness was concerned with major 19th- century historical events that mainly reflected the suffering of their ancestors. Therefore, this thesis focused on the Circassian history starting from the Caucasian war in the 19th century and chronologically tried to survey their aspect toward their identity under the main topic of the Circassian Question in the modern term. Although the Circassian diaspora constitutes a significant part of Circassian Question, the actual history of this nation is disproportionately not well known both within the Circassian diaspora and within the Circassians in Circassia at large. This thesis investigates the evaluation of Circassian linguistic and cultural identity and diaspora from a theoretical, historical and practical view and evaluates the role of the various domestic and international factors in the course of current issues in the North Caucasus. V VI Table of Contents 0 CHAPTER - INTRODUCTION -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 0.1 Preface ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 13 0.2 Prelude ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 14 0.3 Objective---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 0.4 Methodological Assumptions ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 16 0.5 Structure ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 0.6 Hypotheses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 18 0.7 Limitations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 0.8 Result -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19 1 CHAPTER - HUMAN GEOGRAPHY & ETHNOGRAPHY ------------------------------------------- 21 1.1 Introduction ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 1.2 Circassia - Homeland ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 23 1.2.1 Etymology ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 1.2.2 Geographical Landscape ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27 1.2.3 Geographical Distribution -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28 1.3 Circassian People ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31 1.3.1 Tribes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 32 1.3.2 Identity--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33 1.3.2.1 Traditional & Local Economy --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 35 1.3.2.2 Social Structure -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 35 1.3.2.3 Customs & Traditions ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37 1.3.2.4 Music & Dance --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38 1.3.3 Beliefs ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40 1.3.3.1 Pre-Islamic Beliefs ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 41 1.3.3.2 Islam ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43 1.3.4 Language & Literature ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 45 1.4 Ethno-Political Issues ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47 2 CHAPTER - HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ------------------------------------------------------------ 51 2.1 Introduction ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 51 2.2 Rise up in the History ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 52 2.3 Circassia in 18th-19th Centuries ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 58 2.4 Russo–Ottoman War ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 60 VII 2.4.1 Belgrade Treaty (1739) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 61 2.4.2
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