The Circassian Diaspora in Turkey: A Political History

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4/9/2017 TheCircassianDiasporainTurkey:APoliticalHistoryBookReviews|InsightTurkey
http://www.insightturkey.com/thecircassiandiasporainturkeyapoliticalhistory/bookreviews/10581 1/2
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The Circassian Diaspora in Turkey: A Political History
The Circassian Diaspora in Turkey: A Political History
ThisbookisthelongexpectedfirstbookonthepoliticsandhistoryoftheCircassiandiasporainTurkeyinEnglishthatcoversan
ambitioustimeframe,rangingfromthelastperiodoftheOttomanEmpireto2011.Besleneynotonlybroughtintheadvantagesof
havinganinsiderunderstandingofculture,healsodidfieldworkinvariouscountries,wheretheCircassiandiasporacommunitiesare
located,i.e.Turkey,theU.S.,Germany,Belgium,theNetherlands,Adyghea,andAbkhazia.Therefore,thisworkisauniquecontribution
todiasporastudiesandCircassianstudies,aswellasTurkishandpostSovietstudies.Inthis“politicalhistory,”Besleneylargely
providesahistoryofethnicorganizationsfoundedbytheCircassiansinTurkey,andtheirrelationswiththehostlandandhomeland
organizations.
Inthefirstchapter,Besleneydiscussesvarioustheoriesintheliteratureonethnicityandnationalism,thediasporastudiesandvarious
issuesrelatedglobalizationandtransnationalismliterature.Hethinksthatthefailureofthe“SovietprojecttocreateaseparateAdighe,
KabardianandCherkessidentity,”“ethnicsolidarityoftheCircassiansinthe14thand15thcenturyMamlukEmpire,”and“survivalof
CircassianethnicidentityinvariousCircassiandiasporassincethe1860s,despitesubjectiontothenationalizingpoliciesofthestatesin
whichtheyfoundthemselves”demonstratethattheethnosymbolisttheoryofnationexplainstheCircassiancasebetter(p.11).
Besleneyrightlyarguesthat“asingleformula”isnot“capableofexplainingemergence,creationand/orsurvivalofallnationsor
nationlikeentities.”Itwouldbethenappropriateforhimtoconsiderwhetherconstructivismwouldexplaincertainperiodsof
Circassianethnonationalhistorybetter,especiallysincehisworkfocusesoneliteorganizationsandhowtheycontinuouslyrenegotiate
theCircassianidentity(whetheritincludesAbkhaz,Abazin,Ubukh,Ossetians,andevenotherNorthCaucasiansinadditiontoAdyge)
andredefinewhatiscentraltobeingaCircassian.Itseemsthatethnosymbolistframeworkalsopreventedtheproblematizationofthe
fitbetweentheCircassianidentity/identitiesinTurkeyandtheCircassianidentity/identitiesintheformerSovietUnion/Russia,and
otherdiasporasettings,whichisamainissueformanydiasporas.Atopicsuchasdiasporacouldbenefitalotfromaconstructivist
approach,asitisaboutanethnicidentitythatishardtostandardizeandthatiscontestedevenmorethanotherterritorialnations.
Next,theauthorarguesthatCircassiansfulfillmostcriteriaforbeingadiasporaprovidedbySafran,andwouldfitin“victimdiaspora”
inthetypologyofCohen.HealsoarguesthatCircassiansatthesametimedemonstratethepossibilityofenrichedexistenceinthe
hostlandandembracethepossibilityofbelongingtoboththediasporasettingandthehomeland,apointmadebyTölölyanwithregards
tothetransformationofdiasporasintheglobalage.Again,theseethnosymbolisttheoriesofdiasporaaremainlyabouttheidentityof
diasporicmasses,andsaylittleabouttheroleofelitesandorganizationsbutthisbookfocusesmainlyonthelatter.Finallytheauthor
emphasizesthesignificanceofinterconnectedness,andadvancementsintechnology,especiallytheinternetinrejuvenatingand
reshapingthediasporaidentity.Atthesametime,theseglobaltransformationshavealsocreatednewchallengessuchasaclashof
interestsbetweendiasporasandthehostlands,asevidencedbyCircassiansupportofAbkhazians,despitetheofficialTurkishforeign
policythatsupportedGeorgia.
Inthesecondchapter,theauthorintroducesCircassiaandCircassians,followedbyachapteronthepreexilehistory.Inthefourth
chapter,heexaminestheformationoftheCircassiandiasporainTurkey.LateOttomanandpre1950historyofTurkeyunfortunatelyis
notwellresearchedorunderstoodbecauseofalackofdata,insufficientinterestanddominanceofnonobjective,ideological
approaches(especiallyintheTurkishacademia),makingitharderfortheauthortoplaceCircassiansinthehistoryofpre1950s
OttomanEmpireTurkey.Inaddition,thereisnotmuchdataormanysourcestounderstandhowCircassiancommunities,minoritiesor
even“Turkish”societyfeltorwhytheyactedinthewaytheydidinthisperiod.TheauthorexplainshowCircassians,asseveralother
minoritiessufferedinthischaoticperiodofwarandtransitiontoTurkey,andlaterwereunjustlypunishedbydeportationsofcertain
villages(whichwasreversed)andsuppressionoftheirethnicdifference.
WhileitistruethatCircassianswereunjustlylabeledintheTurkishideologicalhistoriographyastraitorsbecauseoftheconflictsof
someCircassianleadersandcommunitieswithMustafaKemal’smovement,theauthortoofocusesonpointsofconflictbetween
CircassiansandMustafaKemal’sleadershipanddeemphasizeshowmuchotherCircassianscooperatedwithMustafaKemal,andin
facthowmuchtheyledthe“Turkish”resistancemovementagainstoccupiers.Itisinterestingthattheauthorpointsoutthesimilarities
ofCircassianswithAlevis,orKurds,butnobodywoulddenythatCircassianintegrationandinclusionintoTurkishsocietyfarsurpasses
thesegroups,beingcomparabletoCrimeanTatarsandBalkanimmigrants.Inshort,morehistoricalevidenceisneededtomakea
Reviewedby
F.TutkuAydın
Author
ZeynelAbidinBesleney
Publisher
LondonandNewYork:
Routledge
Year
2014
Pages
224pages
ISBN
9780415730464
Price
$42.61
PurchaseatAmazon.com


4/9/2017 TheCircassianDiasporainTurkey:APoliticalHistoryBookReviews|InsightTurkey
http://www.insightturkey.com/thecircassiandiasporainturkeyapoliticalhistory/bookreviews/10581 2/2
conclusivejudgmentaboutordinaryCircassiansinthisera.ThelevelofnationalconsciousnessamongCircassiansbeforethe1950sis
notyetknownforcertain,anditisnotcleareitherwhetherpeopleactedonthebasisofbeingCircassianorotheridentities.
Whatisknown,though,isthatbeingoppressedinTurkeydidnotstoptheCircassianelitenationalistsfromconductingdiasporic
activity.TheysimplyshiftedtheircenterofactivitytoEuropeinthisperiod,andworkedforthedemiseoftheSovietUnion,in
collaborationwithotherémigrénationalitiesoftheSovietUnionandEuropeangovernments.Althoughinterwaractivityiscoveredin
thelaterchapterundertheUnitedCaucasianistmovement,itdeservestobeexploredasamovementofpre1950sCircassiandiaspora
history.Confiningadiaspora’shistorytoaparticularhostlandislimitingbecausediasporabydefinitionisatransnationalphenomenon.
Chapters5and6arethechaptersinwhichtheauthormakesanoriginalcontributiontotheliterature.Thediasporaorganizationsand
theirtransnationalrelationsinthesecondhalfofthe20thcentury,andthe21stcenturyareanalyzedindetail.Aquestioncomesto
mindaboutresonanceoftheseethnicorganizations,for,iftheresonanceofsomeoftheseorganizationsisquitelow,thenthiswould
affecttheirrepresentationcapacity,theirhistoricalsignificanceandthelimitsofdiasporaidentificationamongthoseofCircassian
origin.Asexplainedinchapter6,theCircassiandiasporapoliticsbecamemoretransnational,internetbased,informallyorganized,
grassroots,issuebased,andparticipatoryinthe2000s.Whiletheauthorrightlycelebratestheinnovationsbroughtbythesenew
formsofmovement,atthesametime,asIobservedinthecaseoftheCrimeanTatarswhounderwentthesimilartransformation,this
newsituationbringsnewchallengessuchasthedurabilityandcontinuityofnationaltraditions.Effectivenessofthesenewformsof
diasporamovementrequiresfurtherdiscussion.Theauthorarguesthata“fewhundredCircassianactivistsintheU.S.canmountcyber
campaignswhichprompttheRussianstatetoreactandmakepolicychanges”(p.17)butthecausallinks,andsignificanceofwhatis
achievedrequiresfurtherexplanation.
ThisbookisaninvaluablecontributiontoCircassianstudiesandisanessentialbookforanintroductiontoCircassianhistory.Similar
worksonsociologicalandhistoricaldimensionsonCircassiansinTurkeyandintheworld,aglobalhistoryofCircassiannationalism(à
laPanossian)andotherCircassiandiasporacommunitiesarestillmuchneeded.Circassiangenociderecognitionmovementisanew
phenomenonthatneedstobeaddedinfurtherrevisionsofthisbook.
Topics: InsightTurkeyVolume18No.4BookReviews
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