openDemocracy, May 21, 2010
Circassian communities are scattered throughout the North Caucasus and the diaspora is spread throughout the world. On the day of Circassian Genocide and Exile, Zeynel Abidin Besleney examines the role played by the internet as a lifeline linking otherwise isolated activists and communities and reinforcing the Circassian nationalist cause.
In recent years nationalism studies have been paying increasing attention, perhaps rightly, to the impact of the internet on various ethnic groups, national identities and diasporas. The internet facilitates trans-national communication between scattered communities beyond the geographical and political restrictions imposed by nation states, national institutions or by international borders. The internet is an important communication tool not only for the Circassian diaspora scattered all around the world, but also for Circassians living in their homeland. This article focuses on the use ...