Resettling the Borderlands : State Relocations and Ethnic Conflict in the South Caucasus

A study of Imperial Russian and Soviet resettlement policies in the South Caucasus and their impact on the ethnic conflict. A study of Imperial Russian and Soviet resettlement policies in the South Caucasus and their impact on the ethnic conflict. Until the arrival of the Russian Empire in the early nineteenth century, the South Caucasus was traditionally contested by two Muslim empires, the Ottomans and the Persians. Over the following two centuries, Orthodox Christian Russia – and later the officially atheist Soviet Union – expanded into the densely populated Muslim towns and villages and began a long process of resettlement, deportation, and interventionist population management in an attempt to incorporate the region into its own lands and culture. Exploring the policies and implementations of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, Resettling the Borderlands investigates the nexus between imperial practices, foreign policy, religion, and ethnic conflicts. Taking a comparative approach, Farid Shafiyev looks at the most active phases of resettlement, when the state imported and relocated waves of German, Russian sectarian, and Armenian settlers into the South Caucasus and deported thousands of others. He also offers insights on the complexities of empire-building and managing space and people in the Muslim borderlands to reveal the impact of demographic changes on the Armenian–Azerbaijani conflict. Combining in-depth and original analysis of archival material with a clear and accessible narrative, Resettling the Borderlands provides a new interpretation of the colonial policies, ideologies, and strategic visions in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. "The book explores resettlement policies conducted by Russian Empire and the Soviet Union in the South Caucasus in 1817-1953. The author investigates the state-managed population transfers concerning Germans, Russians, Armenians and Azerbaijanis. Farid Shafiyev offers insights on imperial tools to manage space and people in Muslim borderlands. The research seeks to find not only parallels and continuity between the resettlement policies of Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union, but also aims at analyzing the modalities and complexities of empire-building in the borderlands under investigation. Among key findings is the nexus between foreign policy and religious factors in population transfers. The focus of the study is also the impact of demographical changes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. The author presents newly available archival material from Azerbaijani deposits concerning the Soviet period."-- Provided by publisher Cover RESETTLING THE BORDERLANDS Title Copyright Dedication Contents Tables Acknowledgments Abbreviations and Terms Notes on Transliteration, Names, and Dates Maps Introduction 1 Russian Conquest of the South Caucasus 2 First Imperial Projects: Foreign Settlers – Germans and Armenians 3 Resettlement of Russians 4 Locals and Settlers: Conflicts under Russian Rule 5 Soviet Population Management and Deportations 6 Soviet Postwar Resettlement Projects in the South Caucasus Conclusion Appendix Major Timelines Notes Bibliography Index