SHORT NARRATION OF AZERBAIJAN.

 AZERBAIJANS NATIONAL IDENTITY.

FEBRUARY 13, 2024.

WHAT IS NATIONAL IDENTITY?

Human beings are naturally social creatures and in order to survive, they have been working together since the beginning of recorded history. People rely on each other to stay alive, whether it be finding food, building houses, or finding jobs. Humans have this need to belong to a group. This need for co-existence is what leads to the formation of nations, and among these nations, identity and uniqueness is developed. Elaborating on what exactly is national identity, it is as a person’s identity or sense of belonging to one state or to one nation. It is the sense of a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by distinctive traditions, culture, language, and politics. Nations are groups of people who have a very strong bond of identity, may it be with having the same ethnicity, having the same interests, sharing the same territory, or sometimes some geographical locations interact and perceive each other. "National identity refers to the identity of the citizens of a country with their own country’s historical and cultural traditions, moral values, ideals, beliefs, national sovereignty"((Liu & Turner, 2018).

DEFINITION OF OTHERING.
"Othering," as defined by Triandafyllidou, is the process through which people or groups are thought to be essentially inferior, foreign, or different because of traits like nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, or other identity markers. This term refers to the process of constructing a "us versus them" binary in which the "other" is portrayed as deviating from the status quo or mainstream culture, frequently resulting in their marginalization or exclusion. The concept of in-group and out-group dynamics may be evident in how different ethnic community interact and perceive each other.Triandafyllidou distinguished between three different types of significant others and three different ways for the “Others” to intimidate, threaten, and influence a nation. 

OTHERING IN AZERBAIJAN.

Azerbaijan is home to diverse ethnic and religious communities, including her neighboring countries Armenians, Russians, Talysh, Lezgins, and others. Throughout history, these minority groups have sometimes experienced othering, facing discrimination, stereotypes, and marginalization based on their ethnic or religious identities. "Armenia ethnicity virtually became the concept of enemy and alien" (Anzhela Elibegova, 113). The conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region has heightened tensions and contributed to the othering of Armenians in Azerbaijani society. This relationship between Azerbaijan and Armenia is a great example of the “second type of external significant others" (Triandafyllidou 1998, p. 600), which involves Armenia (being the rival nation) and a minority living in the ingroup nation (Azerbaijan).The ideology of ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Azerbaijan developed an Azerbaijani supremacy. According to the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), Armenians are the most vulnerable group in Azerbaijan in the field of racism and racial discrimination. “A 2012 opinion poll found that 91% of Azerbaijanis perceive Armenia as the biggest enemy of Azerbaijan" (Anti-Armenian Sentiment in Azerbaijan, 2024). Negative stereotypes and prejudices perpetuated by nationalist rhetoric and historical grievances. Like being denied the right to access education, employment, housing, and public services due to their ethnic background. Discrimination in the workplace, denial of business licenses, and restrictions on property rights are some of the challenges faced by Armenians living in Azerbaijan. This was done to suppress the minority into poverty, which prevents economic competition between the majority and minority. “Armenia as a country is of no value. We will continue to expel these liars [meaning Armenians]. They have neither conscience nor morality. They don’t even have a brain. I was saying that they need to be treated. They are sick; a virus more dangerous than coronavirus has permeated them.” Nationwide address of the President of Azerbaijan (20 October 2020). These are some discriminatory slurs perpetuated against the Armenian people.

AZERBAIJAN NATIONAL IDENTITY.
The governance of Azerbaijan by the Soviet Union was a nightmare for the freedom of the Azerbaijani people, making the identity of Azerbaijanis multifaceted. The Soviet government pursued a policy of Russification, seeking to promote Russian culture, language, and identity throughout the Soviet Union. During the Soviet era, particularly in the early years after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, the Soviet government implemented a policy of state atheism and sought to suppress religious institutions and practices. Mosques, churches, and other religious institutions were targeted for closure. The Soviet government sought to weaken the authority of religious leaders and institutions by restricting their activities and resources. The Soviet regime actively promoted atheism through education, propaganda, and cultural initiatives. Anti-religious propaganda campaigns discredit religious beliefs, which deprive them of religious rights and identity. the tactics of “divide-and-rule" (Yilmaz, H) policy that were applied to all the Turkic nations in the Union. Policies made during the Soviet era often clashed with Azerbaijani national identity, leading to tensions between the Azerbaijani population and the central Soviet authorities. ” The concept of the Azerbaijani national identity was affected by both European Romantic nationalism and Soviet policymaking” (Rosenberg, U. 2023), which made the rebirth of the nation much more complex. Azerbaijan’s geopolitical position within the Soviet Union, bordering the Turks and the Caucasus region, added another layer of complexity to its national identity. Historical ties to neighboring countries and influences from the Persianate world contributed to a distinct sense of Azerbaijani identity that transcended Soviet nationality.

In the end, the problem of defining the national identity of the inherent people of Azerbaijan is rooted in the Soviet era. During the politics of ethnic polishing and history rewriting, the people’s ethnic and cultural roots as Muslims and Turks were destroyed. In order to eliminate the ties of the people to their ancestry in the non-Soviet world, the people were referred to as Azerbaijanis. Instead of acknowledging their historical and cultural reliance on Iran and other Turkic countries, this highlighted their territorial identity. Restoring the cultural foundations of Azerbaijanis after independence was severely restricted by this artificial manufacture of national ideology.

Word count: 970 words.

 

                                                        REFERENCES

 Adibekian, A. (2015, January 1). Armenophobia in Azerbaijan. 

http://books.google.ie/books?id=F0rvswEACAAJ&dq=Armenophobia+in+Azerbaijan&hl=&cd=2&source=gbs_api

Liu, Q., & Turner, D. (2018). Identity and national identity. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 50(12), 1080–1088.

https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2018.1434076

Nationwide address of the President of Azerbaijan (20 October 2020) 
https://defence.az/en/news/147408/azerbaijani-presidentilham-aliyevaddresses-nation-on-tv-%C2%A0live

 Phillips, E. (n.d.). Exploring the Azerbaijani National Identity: A historical analysis – Institute of Middle East, Central Asia and Caucasus Studies. 
https://mecacs.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2021/exploring-the-azerbaijani-national-identity-a-historical-analysis/

Rosenberg, U. (2023, September 25). Was the prehistoric man an Azeri nationalist? Mobilized prehistory and nation-building in Azerbaijan. Central Asian Survey, 1–19. 
https://doi.org/10.1080/02634937.2023.2256796

Triandafyllidou, A. (1998). National identity and the 'other'. Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol 21(4), 593-612.
Yilmaz, H. (2013, July). The Soviet Union and the Construction of Azerbaijani National Identity in the 1930s. Iranian Studies, 46(4), 511–533. 
https://doi.org/10.1080/00210862.2013.784521