August 1990

The RAND Corporation

All ethnic groups in the fragmenting Soviet Empire, including the Russians themselves, are reexamining their history and drawing conclusions from it that contrast sharply with views that have been imposed upon them by communist dogma. Few areas have as rich a history as the North Caucasus, where Russian armies fought from the 1830s into the 1860s to subdue the indigenous peoples. This paper explores a neglected aspect of Russia's prolonged Caucasian wars: the effort to conquer the Circassians and their stubborn resistance which culminated in emigration en masse when they were finally defeated. The long struggle of the North Caucasian mountaineers against Russia in the mid-19th century attracted broad European sympathy and admiration. Historians described the struggle primarily in terms of the leadership and personality ...

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 ...