Post-Conflict Transformation In Azerbaijan: Rethinking The Politics Of Nationalism And Rewriting History

Abstract

This paper explores the dynamics of the politics of nationalism and historiography in Azerbaijan after the Second Karabakh War, focusing on the evolution of the history of nationalism in Azerbaijan by tracing its transformation over the past two centuries. The research specifically examines the impact of the colonial policy of Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union on the writing of history and the formation of identity in Azerbaijan. The study suggests that the Victory in the Second Karabakh War required consideration of rewriting the history of the politics of nationalism. In this sense, the decolonizing of the historiography is important. To protect its sovereignty and independence from the neocolonial tendencies, Azerbaijan should escape from the colonial way of historiography and the colonial definition of national identity. In this context, rethinking nationalism implies redefining Azerbaijan’s identity into a new form, which is embracing Turkishness as a constituent part while reflecting its multicultural pattern.