Balo Bilatti and the Trials of Exile
At the start of May, a row erupted between the political classes of Armenia and Azerbaijan regarding each titular nation’s alleged collaboration with Nazi forces during the Second World War. The Great Patriotic War, as it is often known in the former Soviet states, is still a major event in many nations’ historical narratives. The…
Not Your Stereotype: Laz Written Expression in Turkey
A few months ago, I wrote about a small-run personal history of the town of Azakh written in the Azakheni dialect of Arabic. In the preamble, I mentioned that there are a whole host of ethnicities resident in Turkey lacking official recognition or support for cultural autonomy. Despite such administrative inertia, the names and customs…
Publishing the Diaspora: North Caucasian Periodicals in Turkey
An exploration of periodicals published by the North Caucasian diaspora in Turkey over the latter half of the 20th century, with a particular view towards activist networks and expressions of identity.
From Altay to Yughur 