Investigating Components of Identity in the Republic of Azerbaijan during the Soviet Union and after Independence

jahandideh, Shaban (2021) Investigating Components of Identity in the Republic of Azerbaijan during the Soviet Union and after Independence. Masters thesis, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili.

Text 58@.pdf Download (1MB)

Abstract

Identity is one of the most important issues of the people, especially the civil activists and the intellectual class of the Azerbaijani society, which has been accompanied by serious challenges and conflicts at the same time with the separation of this country from Iran and the beginning of the Russian rule. During the Soviet era, the identity of the Muslim people of Azerbaijan was openly fought and many measures were taken to eliminate it. In the years after independence, identity policies have caused identity challenges in Azerbaijani society. Identity building in the Republic of Azerbaijan in each period has been done with emphasis on specific identity elements and within the ideology of governments, so the main question is what are the elements and components of identity in the Republic of Azerbaijan and in what concepts, interpretations and attitudes? The main hypothesis is that the elements and components of identity were formed in the Soviet period within the framework of communist ideology and in the post-independence period within the framework of Azerbaijani ideology. The main results of the research are that in the Soviet period, identity policies in addition to communist ideology were influenced by Russian nationalism. The element of religion had no place in the Soviet identity discourse, and other components, including culture, language, history, were defined in the context of Russian communist-socialist ideology and nationalism. In the years after independence, identity building in the framework of the ideology of Azerbaijaniism is done by being influenced by Turkism and modernism. The method used in this study is descriptive-analytical.

Actions (login required)

View Item