Formations of diaspora nationalism: the case of Circassians in Turkey

Official URL: http://192.168.1.20/record=b1295898 (Table of Contents)

This dissertation aims to understand the multiple and yet interrelated formations of diaspora nationalism through the case study of an under-researched ethnic group in Turkey, Circassians. Based on semi-structured interviews with Circassian intellectuals and activists in Ankara and Istanbul, it aims to explore the dynamics and structures of Circassian diaspora nationalism in Turkey. To explore the formations of Circassian diaspora nationalism, there are four interrelated axes upon which this dissertation is based. Each of these axes is significant in the formation and as the formations of Circassian diaspora nationalism in Turkey. The first axis of this dissertation takes diaspora nationalism as a historical phenomenon with its ebbs and flows as the second axis regards the relationships of the diaspora with the host community, host state and the hegemonic nationalism of the host community. The third axis that this dissertation studies considers homeland as a dynamic construction, and the fourth axis concerns the gendered dimensions of diaspora in general and diaspora nationalism in particular. Through the exploration of these axes, this dissertation studies Circassian diaspora nationalism as a heuristic device through which diasporas, nationalism and ethnicity in a globalized world in general and Turkish politics in particular can be explored.