Reflections of Nationalism and the Role of Language Policies in National Identity Formation in Post-Soviet Azerbaijan a Thesis S
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REFLECTIONS OF NATIONALISM AND THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE POLICIES IN NATIONAL IDENTITY FORMATION IN POST-SOVIET AZERBAIJAN A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY SELMA AKYILDIZ IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EURASIAN STUDIES SEPTEMBER 2019 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Yaşar Kondakçı Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Işık Kuşçu Bonnenfant Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. Ayşe Ceylan Tokluoğlu Supervisor Examining Committee Members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tümen Somuncuoğlu (AHBV, TAR) ________________ Prof. Dr. Ayşe Ceylan Tokluoğlu (METU, SOC) ________________ Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Asker (Karabük Uni., ULU) ________________ I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Surname : Selma Akyıldız Signature : iii ABSTRACT REFLECTIONS OF NATIONALISM AND THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE POLICIES IN NATIONAL IDENTITY FORMATION IN POST-SOVIET AZERBAIJAN Akyıldız, Selma M.S., Department of Eurasian Studies Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ayşe Ceylan Tokluoğlu September 2019, 118 pages After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the newly independent Azerbaijan has entered its nation-building process. Azerbaijani political elites aimed to re-form national identity through a set of language policies. In this context, they focused on the alphabet, and on the name of the official language which they consider as markers of their national identity. Turkism versus Azerbaijanism as the two competing ideologies have left their mark on this process. Language has been used as a political tool for promoting Turkish identity first and then Azerbaijani identity. This study will analyze the construction of Azerbaijani national identity in the post-Soviet period scrutinizing language policies in the light of the ethno- symbolist approach where symbols, myths, values, and memories are the decisive elements for the formation of national identity. In this regard, language has assumed a vital role by ascending Azerbaijani national consciousness and by awakening the feeling of unity and uniformity among the Azerbaijanis. I argue that the Azerbaijani presidents relied on language policies to assist the nation-building process in the country, which had a strong influence on the creation of the Azerbaijani national identity together with the influence of the Nagorno-Karabakh war. In this context, I will examine the shifts, continuities, and ruptures in the political discourse of the Azerbaijani elite with regard to the name of the nation and language after Azerbaijan’s independence in 1991. iv Keywords: National Identity, Language Policies, Ethno-symbolist Approach, Turkism, Azerbaijanism v ÖZ SOVYET SONRASI AZERBAYCAN’DA MİLLİ KİMLİK İNŞASINDA DİL POLİTİKALARININ ROLÜ VE MİLLİYETÇİLİĞİN YANSIMALARI Akyıldız, Selma Yüksek Lisans, Avrasya Çalışmaları Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Ayşe Ceylan Tokluoğlu Eylül 2019, 118 sayfa Sovyetler Birliği’nin dağılmasından sonra, yeni bağımsız Azerbaycan ulus inşası sürecine girmiştir. Azerbaycan siyasi elitleri bir dizi dil politikaları aracılığıyla milli kimliği yeniden oluşturmayı amaçlamıştır. Bu bağlamda, milli kimlik inşası için, milli kimliğin göstericileri olduğunu düşündükleri alfabe ve resmi dilin adı üzerine odaklanmışlardır. Türkçülük ve Azerbaycancılık, birbiriyle rakabet eden iki ideoloji olarak ulus inşası sürecine damgasını vurmuştur. Dil, önce Türk kimliğini, daha sonra Azerbaycanlı kimliğini geliştirmek için siyasi bir araç olarak kullanılmıştır. Bu çalışma, Sovyet sonrası dönemde Azerbaycanlı milli kimliğinin inşasını dil politikalarını inceleyerek semboller, mitler, değerler ve anıların milli kimlik inşası için belirleyici unsurlar olduğu etno-sembolcü yaklaşımın ışığında tartışacaktır. Bu açıdan, dil Azerbaycanlı milli bilincini arttırarak ve Azerbaycanlılar arasında birlik ve benzerlik hisleri uyandırarak hayati bir önem üstlenmiştir. Milli bilincin güçlenmesinde önemli bir etkisi olan Dağlık-Karabağ savaşının yanı sıra, Azerbaycan cumhurbaşkanları ülkede ulus inşası sürecini desteklemek için Azerbaycanlı milli kimliğinin oluşturulmasında güçlü bir etkiye sahip olan dil politikalarına güvenmişlerdir. Bu bağlamda, bu tez, 1991’de Azerbaycan’ın bağımsızlığından sonra Azerbaycanlı elitlerin ulusun ve dilin adına ilişkin siyasi söylemlerindeki değişimler, süreklilikler ve kırılmaları araştıracaktır. vi Anahtar Kelimeler: Milli Kimlik, Dil Politikaları, Etno-sembolcü Yaklaşım, Türkçülük, Azerbaycancılık vii To those who have bonds of love with "the Land of Fire" viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Prof. Dr. Ceylan Tokluoğlu for her encouragement, endless support, and patience. This thesis has been possible thanks to her precious guidance and enlightening knowledge. I might be the luckiest person in the world to have such an advisor. I would also like to thank Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tümen Somuncuoğlu and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Asker for their constructive comments and suggestions. My heartfelt gratitude goes to my beloved family. They have always supported me and believed in me. I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my dear friends who supported me wholeheartedly during the entire process of my study. My special thanks go to Büşra Akıncı and İpek Özyurt; they were there when I emotionally needed them. I am indebted to Sultana Sadaka for her endless support and precious assistance, and Cansu Çeliker for her guidance and motivating words. I cannot explain my gratitudes to them with words. I am also grateful to Seda Çokoğlu for being with me during my thesis defense. I would particularly like to thank Hazal Varol, Arailym Gaipova, Tuğba Boz, Buket Karan, Gizem Kulaklı, Merve Yerli, Berna Çetinalp, Burcu Değirmencioğlu, Huriye Memiş, and Mheddin Saho for their immense support and encouragement in this process. Also, I am very grateful to my managers Ömer Orkun Düztaş and Alparslan Işıklı and my colleagues in the Büyütech Company for their insightfulness and support. I also wish to thank my dear Azerbaijani professors and friends. Baku has become my second hometown thanks to their cordial attitudes towards me. Lastly, I would like to extend my gratitude to all my interviewees for allocating their precious time to me. Due to their hospitality, kindness, and helpfulness my fieldwork turned into the most enjoyable conversations that I have ever made. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM ......................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iv ÖZ .............................................................................................................................. vi DEDICATION ....................................................................................................... viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................... ix TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................. xii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 1 1.1 Overview .................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Methodology .......................................................................................... 11 1.3 Organizational Structure ........................................................................ 13 2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: NATIONAL IDENTITY AND ETHNO- SYMBOLIST APPROACH ......................................................................... 15 2.1 Nationalism and Ethno-symbolism ........................................................ 15 2.2 Ethnicity ................................................................................................. 22 2.3 National Identity ..................................................................................... 26 3. A REVIEW ON AZERBAIJAN .................................................................. 31 3.1 A Glance on Blurred Ties: On the Qui Vive .......................................... 33 3.1.1 Script Changes in Azerbaijan in the Formation of Azerbaijani National Identity .................................................................................. 38 3.1.2 Elements for the Persistence of Azerbaijani National Identity .. 43 3.1.3 The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: Resurgence of Identity ......... 47 3.2 Reframing Identity: Cui Bono, Cui Malo? ............................................. 52 3.2.1 The Ideology of Turkism: Period of the Presidency of Abulfaz Elchibey (PFA Government) .............................................................. 57 3.2.2 The Ideology of Azerbaijanism: Period of the Presidency of Heydar Aliyev ....................................................................................