Abstract

The Eurasian region is home to diverse ethnicities, including Turkic peoples, whose historical presence has shaped the political landscape. The Caucasus, with its Turkic populations, has faced significant challenges due to wars and subsequent repercussions, impacting ethnic pluralism and nation-building efforts. Local struggles mirror the broader challenges faced by Turkic peoples across Eurasia and the diaspora, underscoring the need for continued efforts to preserve and celebrate their rich cultural heritages in light of assimilation and erasure.

The dominance of Russia and relations with Türkiye have affected many dynamics, with Turkic peoples still being seen as threats to regional sovereignties. Pipeline agreements, trade partnerships, and support from international entities like the European Union and NATO, alongside strengthening relations with China further marginalizes Turks, compelling them to relinquish their identities and assimilate into the prevailing state nationalism. Historical shifts from their semi-nomadic lifestyles and regime changes have profoundly affected Turkic minority rights in the region. Meskhetian Turks, deported during the Soviet era on Stalin's orders, were compelled to abandon their Turkish identity to return home, driven by the geopolitical significance of their location and their situation underscores the geopolitical complexities of their region, particularly in areas like South Western Georgia, where proximity to Armenian populations poses challenges to Georgian control over the region and raises concerns for Georgian sovereignty. The significant Turkish minority in Iran, bordering Azerbaijan and Türkiye influences Iran's political and economic relations towards the Turkic world within the region. The Azerbaijani Turks in Iran exemplify this struggle as they leverage various platforms, including sports, to voice their resistance against cultural erasure, assert their identity and resist assimilation. These experiences resonate across all the Turkic nations from the European and Gagauz Turks, through to the Crimean Turks, the Uygurs, and so on.

This paper is a frank discussion of the experience of long-standing erasure and assimilation of Turkic peoples. The negotiation of Turkic identities in and from the diaspora will focus on the Turks of Crimea, the Caucasus, and Iran. The persistence of racial discourses, segregation, mis-recognition and non-recognition within academia exacerbates the resulting harm to knowledge production, scholars, social cohesion, and most of all, Turkic peoples. Through the academic lenses of the social and political sciences, we aim to address the complexities of the Turkish question in Eurasia, minority rights and the conception of Eurasian ethnicity in the diaspora, and for Turkic peoples in North America.

Abstract

Applying the linguistic landscape perspective as a departing point this study attempts to explore the multilingualism and ethnic/religious diversity of the ‘8 km District’ (neighbourhood) in Baku, Azerbaijan. The study is based on ethnographic research focusing on a complexity of multilingual codes present on a scene and uses visual signs, wild posting advertising, language use and in-depth interviews with the inhabitants as sources of data.

The selection of the research site is not accidental. The 8th km district is considered to be ‘a typical’ Soviet ‘sleeping district’ built in 1960th and characterized by standardized housing complexes (dominated by Khrushchyovka and Leningradka buildings) to accommodate the growing population of factory workers. The extension of the metro line to the area in 1972 and construction of two metro stations added dynamism to the area and brough it closer to the central parts of the city. The recent construction boom led to the gradual demolition of the Khrushchyovka buildings and the construction of multi-story buildings instead, significantly expanding the number of residents and transforming it into the vibrant commercial area.

Using the theoretical lens of ‘lived space’ as coined by Lefebvre, I regard ‘8th km District’ as "a product of mediation", where global processes, local ideologies, and commercial interests come together to produce the periphery of the capital city. In particular, the case study focuses on the discrepancies between the official language policy and street-signs regulations of the national authorities (top-down) and the impact of that policy on individuals as reflected in such localized experiences as shop names or street posters (bottom-up signs). The findings of the research demonstrate that the official policy of de-Russification of the linguistic landscape is being challenged by the local inhabitants for whom Russian language retains its positions of medium of communications and commercial functionality. However, the parallel tendencies of linguistic globalization through proliferation primarily of English and Turkish languages can be observed. Thus, the microcosm of the ‘8th km District’ acts as a “reflection of society on the ground” where certain meanings are being negotiated whereas the restrictions and regulations are creatively circumnavigated.

Key words: ‘lived space’, linguistic landscape, urban periphery, language policies, de-Russification

Abstract

This research focuses on "History and Geography of Tabriz" written by Prince Nādir Mīrzā Qajar (1827-1887/8), as a mirror to an overlooked architectural heritage narrative, prevalent among Iranians in the nineteenth century. The concept of “architectural heritage” is a product of modern times, giving rise to dominant narratives about the preservation and valuation of architectural heritage. However, different cultures and societies have their own approaches to architecture and its preservation, which may not align with the Euro-centric narrative of heritage. This discrepancy prompts scholarly investigations into how societies have historically perceived, valued, and protected their built environments outside the dominant narrative of European modernism. Like many other places affected by the influx of modern ideas of Europe in the nineteenth century, Iran was influenced by the European concepts of heritage during that time as well. This makes the nineteenth century a pivotal point in the history of Iran, a time when European modernism clashed with the traditional and religious ideas prevalent in the country. The focus of my research is the traditional perceptions of the built environment and its preservation in nineteenth-century Iran, when new ideas of heritage were introduced. In this regard, Nādir Mīrzā was chosen for this research, who was a member of Iran’s non-reformist elite, and his viewpoints were deeply rooted in Iran’s traditional and religious thought, in contrast to the European modernist ideas of heritage. Nādir Mīrzā’s book, "History and Geography of Tabriz," which is uniquely replete with architectural descriptions offers a reflection on the unseen narratives of how architectural heritage was perceived before the modern concept of heritage emerged in Iran. Through a deep examination of this historical text, this paper aims to elucidate its value as a resource for uncovering previously overlooked attitudes toward architecture and historical buildings in Iran.