Identity Construction in Circassian Exile Stories

Abstract

Circassians, estimated as over a million, were forced to migrate to the land of Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of the Caucasian War in nineteenth century. Today, approximately two and a half million Circassians live in Turkey. The narratives such as myths, tales and heroic stories about the 1864 Great Exile, which are transmitted orally from one generation to another, hold an important place for Circassians. This study aims to evaluate Circassian stories about the exile told by the first generations within the framework of cultural trauma and diasporic identity. The scope of the study embraces seven stories in the book entitled Historical Memories and Stories published in 2014 by Caucasian Research Culture and Solidarity Foundation. Using the method of thematic analysis, the study demonstrates that the trauma of exile in the examined stories is formed around four main themes, namely defeat and despair, human and nature, Xabze-Circassian customs and Circassian language. The trauma of exile remains as the constitutive element of Circassian diasporic identity, and it is repeated around common themes in order to sustain the identity. In this respect, this paper discusses constituting and sustaining the Circassian diasporic identity through keeping the cultural trauma alive in stories.