The North Caucasus: Histories, Diasporas and Current Challenges

: April 20, 2010

The papers and abstracts in this volume were originally presented at a two-day conference, "Towards a New Generation of Scholarship on the Caucasus," held in Sukhum, Abkhazia, on October 30–31, 2007. The conference was coorganized by the SSRC, Circassianacademia (a scholarly listserv), and the Center for Strategic Studies (Sukhum).

The overall purpose of the conference was to explore the themes and issues that are emerging in recent scholarship, especially by younger scholars, and the ways in which they speak to contemporary challenges faced by the various small republics and states of the region. A range of academic discplines—and regional traditions within these general disciplines—were represented, including sociology, demography, linguistics, anthropology, political science, and history, as well as specialists working with NGOs and with government research agencies.

Contributors
Editorial Development: Dr. Alice Horner
Cover Page: Zeki Yildirim
Map: Ozgur Ozgur

Publisher: Kaf-Dav
Kafkas Arastirma Kultur Dayamsma Vakfi, Ankara-Turkiye

CONTENTS

Map of Major Ethnic Groups in the Caucasus
- Preface
  Seteney Shami and Ergun Ozgur
Opening Remarks
- Seteney Shami
- Oleg Damenia
- Zeynel Abidin Besleney
- Ergun Ozgur
State, Society and Citizenship
- Abkhazo-Adyghean Languages and Some Recommendations to Secure Their Future
  Viacheslav A. Chirikba
- NGOs in Abkhazia and Their Contribution to the Democratization of the Country
  Ergun Ozgur
- Caucasus Jews and Their Neighbors: Social Networks in a Multi-Ethnic Society
  Chen Bram
- Quality of Life in the Republic of Adygeya
  Cemre Erciyes
Economic Challenges: A Case Study
- Economics of Small States and Globalization: Lessons for the Caucasus
  Erol Taymaz
- Economic Development of the State of Abkhazia
  Beslan Baratelia
- Abkhazia and the European Union
  Maxim Gunjia
Northern Caucasian Diasporas in Turkey
- An Overview of Circassian Studies Literature
  Zeynel Abidin Besleney
- Some Consequences of the Re-Encounter with the "Homeland" on the Production of Local Knowledge: A Case Study of Circassians in Turkey
  Eiji Miyazawa
- Diaspora Nationalism as a Gendered Discourse: The Circassian Diaspora in Turkey
  Setenay Nil Dogan
- The Circassians in Turkey: An Eastern Mediterranean Socio-Demographic Sampling
  Cahit Aslan
- National and International Protection of Minorities: The Circassians in Turkey
  Sigah Sahin
Research Notes
- Demographic Conditions in Abkhazia: A Summary
  Astanda Khashba
- Political and Legal Factors in the Economic Transition of Abkhazia
  Zaur I. Shalashaa
- The Prospects for Abkhazia and the Stability of the Black Sea-Caucasian Region
  Leila Tania
- Emigration To the Ottoman Empire: An Overview
  Berat Yildiz
- The Circassian Diaspora in Europe: Preliminary Research
  Cansu Denef Oktay