The Azerbaijani Turks: Power and Identity Under Russian Rule (Hoover Institution Press Publication)

In 1990, two centuries of harsh domination culminated in Black January, when Soviet Troops opened fire on the civilian population of Baku. The following year, Azebaijan declared its independence and began rebuilding its political and economic system. Former Communists and opposition leaders continue to struggle for dominance. Audrey L. Alstadt makes use of both Russian-language and Azerbaijani Turkish-language newspapers, journals, and scholarly publications. Much of this material has never been used in any other Western studies. Altstadt's original research adds the Azerbaijani perspective on the two-century relationship between Russia and Azerbaijan. She identifies key issues and actors and documents a pattern of continual struggle against colonial rule from the initial conquest to the political movements of the late twentieth century. Russian domination has encompassed more than the military, political, and economic spheres. There have also been harsh restrictions on cultural expression, including killing leading intellectuals and falsifying historical facts. However, Azerbaijani Turks continue to thwart Russian control by protecting their rich and ancient heritage through native-language education and the arts. As Alstadt writes, "The Azerbaijani Turks used the antiquity of their history language, and literature as a weapon of self-defense, as proof they need no tutelage in self-government, economic management, education or literature."

That is why heavy influence by Azerbaijani sources does not help the authors much to fairly present the history of Azerbaijan (both past and present) and especially its relationship with Armenia and Armenians. In the bibliography I noticed 1-2 Armenian sources among hundreds that they used. There are lots of Armenian ancient sources (Armenain ancient historian Knorenatsi, for example) that could be used. Presentation of events in Sumgait and Baku seem also very biased and heavily influenced by Azeri official position. I follow Azeri media for the last 7 years and the identity of your position with the Azeris was unfavorably striking.

Anyway, I would like to thank them for the interest in the region. I just wish they had a more thorough analysis of the available historical data and more balanced approach in presenting their thoughts.


Profound Scholarly Book on Azerbaijan   March 4, 2006
arf (Canada)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Definitely, Audrey Altstadt made an extensive work for such profound book on Azerbaijan. Her exploration of Azerbaijani identity and the development of the statehood based on a number of sources as well as her own analysis. The book mainly focuses on the period of from the end of the XIX century to the collapse of the USSR, and thus it covers mostly the Soviet period. It must be read by anyone who start studying Azerbaijan and the region of the South Caucasus as a whole.


The Identity of the Azerbaijani Turks   December 28, 2007
Mike Cunha (Boston)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

The central theme of Azerbaijani Turks' political life is their relationship with the Russians. In "The Azerbaijani Turks: Power and Identity under Russian Rule," the author examines this theme through the study of Imperial and Soviet Russian central government policies and the Azerbaijani Turks' responses to them.

The origins of the Azerbaijani Turks--the correct name of the ethnic citizens of Azerbaijan--are covered here only briefly. Using Russian and Azerbaijani Turk contemporary sources that provide a bounty of relevant information, the main focus of the book is from the nineteenth century onwards, from the time of the Russian conquest to the time of its publication in 1992.

Reacting first against heavy-handed Russian military rule and later the institutionalized racism of Tsarist colonial administration, the author elucidates on the creation of an Azerbaijani Turk identity by ethnic elites keen to maintain that identity as a cultural bulwark against their Slavic overlords. Extensive study is dedicated to the brief-lived Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the demographically devastating first decades of communist rule. "The Azerbaijani Turks" is a groundbreaking work for those who study this fascinating South Caucasus nation.

It is also deeply illuminating on the reasons why Azerbaijan has taken pains to distance itself from the Russians in the post-Soviet era. Altstadt's work also sheds light on the Nagorny-Karabagh conflict from the Azerbaijani side, laying its origins at the feet of Leninist nationalities and Soviet economic policies.

Although it could most definitely use a timely update this is a well-written, if weighty, history of Azerbaijan and its people. It is as unique by reason of the author's efforts as much as it is by being (probably, maybe?) the only book in English to cover the topic.