Diaspora, Transnationalism, and Ethnical Identity Among Ahıska (Meskhetian) Turks: Exploring Historical Roots, Contemporary Issues, and Türkiye’s Role in Resettlement

Authors : Okan Kaymak

Pages : 1-23

View : 207 | Download : 83

Publication Date : 2025-04-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The Ahıska (Meskhetian) Turks are a unique ethnic group with a complex history of migration, displacement, and diaspora. They originally hailed from the Meskheti region of Georgia. (Suny, 1994, p. 48) Following a series of forced migrations and political upheavals in the mid-20th century, many Ahıska Turks were displaced from their ancestral homeland and became a dispersed diaspora community scattered across various countries, including Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States. (Aydıngün et al., 2006a; Swerdlow, 2006; Bilge, 2011; Trier, Tarkhan-Mouravi and Forrst Kilimnik, 2011, p. 55) This displacement and subsequent dispersion have led to the emergence of a distinct Ahıska Turkish transnational identity, characterized by a strong sense of attachment to their ancestral homeland, as well as a dynamic engagement with their diaspora and the host society. (Aydıngün, 2014, p. 8)
Keywords : Ahıska Türkleri, Diaspora, Ulusötesilik, Etnik Kimlik, Entegrasyon

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