Chechen Diaspora in the countries of the Middle East: on the issue of generational continuity and socio-political dynamics of communities

Abstract

The article is concerned with little-studied dynamics of the Chechen and, more broadly, North Caucasian Diaspora in Jordan, Syria and Turkey, starting with the emergence of these communities in the 19th century during the era of the Ottoman Empire. The article traces a slow change in the character of these diasporic communities from the “exodus” from the Russian Empire to the building up of international relations with the Chechen Republic in the 21st century on the basis of “cultural similarity” and the importance of the idea of an ideal ancestral home. The article argues that the Diaspora changed its character from a refugee Diaspora to an imperial Diaspora during the Ottoman Empire, and then became a “cultural Diaspora” with predominant narratives of cultural and geographical proximity with the country of origin a century after the resettlement. The article also argues that cultural and geographical similarity leads to the importance of ethnopolitical factor in international relations and diasporic politics.