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Belfer Center Studies in International Security
Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity
The Azerbaijani people have been divided between Iran and the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan for more than 150 years, yet they have retained their ethnic identity. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of an independent Azerbaijan have only served to reinforce their collective identity. In Borders and Brethren , Brenda Shaffer examines trends in Azerbaijani collective identity from the period of the Islamic Revolution in Iran through the Soviet breakup and the beginnings of the Republic of Azerbaijan (1979-2000). Challenging the mainstream view in contemporary Iranian studies, Shaffer argues that a distinctive Azerbaijani identity exists in Iran and that Azerbaijani ethnicity must be a part of studies of Iranian society and assessments of regime stability in Iran. She analyzes how Azerbaijanis have maintained their identity and how that identity has assumed different forms in the former Soviet Union and Iran. In addition to contributing to the study of ethnic identity, the book reveals the dilemmas of ethnic politics in Iran.
- GenresIran
300 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 5, 2017
This book was a great introduction to the topic of Azerbaijani identity in the 20th century, but the author seriously undermined her argument by failing to examine how ethnicity has developed in the Iranian context and instead highlighting as much as possible the extremely marginal existence of separatist currents within Iranian Azerbaijani thought.
The author recognizes and explains repeatedly that by and large very few Azeris in Iran have any even remote interest in political secession, but instead that if Azeris have any distinct political demands from other Iranians it is almost exclusively in the realm of the push for language rights. Despite this, every statement by groups outside Iran related to the need for political secession of Azeris in Iran is presented to the reader as expressing a possibly repressed political desire, with little analysis of how extremely marginal these groups are and of how they rely on ideas about ethnicity that are uncommon in Iran
The core problem is that the author never problematizes the idea of "ethnicity," instead adopting the commonly-floated European definition at the beginning and failing to notice or even allow the possibility that ethnicity functions in other contexts very differently, particularly in Iran where it has rarely been politicized or suggested as an alternative to national identity in modern history. The author hints at this possibility throughout, but never examines the implications of this relationship to Azeri-ness in Iran for the larger question of how to think about "ethnicity in Iran."
Instead, we are given a ready-made model of ethnicity and Azeris are squeezed into it, despite the obviously poor fit. The result is a book with a wealth of details and knowledge but one that insists upon the "challenge" of Azerbaijani identity, in the process suggesting that this identity is in fact a "challenge" and not just an obvious and normal fact of life for millions of Iranian Azeris, who don't see any contradiction between their multiple identities (a fact she accepts but, again, doesn't explore).
The author recognizes and explains repeatedly that by and large very few Azeris in Iran have any even remote interest in political secession, but instead that if Azeris have any distinct political demands from other Iranians it is almost exclusively in the realm of the push for language rights. Despite this, every statement by groups outside Iran related to the need for political secession of Azeris in Iran is presented to the reader as expressing a possibly repressed political desire, with little analysis of how extremely marginal these groups are and of how they rely on ideas about ethnicity that are uncommon in Iran
The core problem is that the author never problematizes the idea of "ethnicity," instead adopting the commonly-floated European definition at the beginning and failing to notice or even allow the possibility that ethnicity functions in other contexts very differently, particularly in Iran where it has rarely been politicized or suggested as an alternative to national identity in modern history. The author hints at this possibility throughout, but never examines the implications of this relationship to Azeri-ness in Iran for the larger question of how to think about "ethnicity in Iran."
Instead, we are given a ready-made model of ethnicity and Azeris are squeezed into it, despite the obviously poor fit. The result is a book with a wealth of details and knowledge but one that insists upon the "challenge" of Azerbaijani identity, in the process suggesting that this identity is in fact a "challenge" and not just an obvious and normal fact of life for millions of Iranian Azeris, who don't see any contradiction between their multiple identities (a fact she accepts but, again, doesn't explore).
August 17, 2011
Exagera el papel del movimiento nacionalista azerbaiyano en Iran, hace afirmaciones que no tienen que ver con la realidad basandose en nada y da en general un vision de la realidad muy desvirtuada al menos en lo referente al azerbaiyan irani.
December 13, 2020
I would call this work a milestone in the contemporary history of (north/south) Azerbaijan.
I have never read any book about the late modern and contemporary Azerbaijan period (both Caucasian and Iranian Azerbaijan), which was objective. This work is bias-free in every line of it, in its entire body. The previously published works expressed dominantly the nationalistic poor perspective of either Iranian, Azerbaijanian, Turkish, or Russian. Especially almost all Iranian publications about Azerbaijan work entirely with the idea of "unification" and "patriotism" of Iran and Iranian which blinds and prohibits the Iranian (mainstream) authors from the deeper investigation of the topic, which makes them failed to understand Azerbaijani mindset. By Iranian (mainstream) authors, I mean both Iranians living in the Islamic republic and their periphery community of diaspora, mainly from the U.S. Although these two fronts are more or less opposed to each other, they mostly meet in their view towards "آزربایجان/آذربایجان" (Azerbaijan).
On the other hand, this work dealt with the matter and expressed the historical facts with proper referencing, which always lacked in Azerbaijani history textbooks (even the author included numerous referencing speeches and magazine articles). Analyzing Iranian, Russian, and Azerbaijanian sources, the author managed to identify and independently address the previous dilemmas and topics that once thought to be "obvious" and "answered" are taken into detailed consideration here and systematically investigated. Additionally, the interviews and the so-called "on the ground" research show that the author understands the demographics of the different ideas and identities that co-exist within Azerbaijan lands.
I believe the novelty and significance of this valuable piece come in answering the questions like (1) Was Azerbaijani identity in North formed due to Qarabagi conflict or was it only flammed by it? or (2) Was the enthusiasm of Baku (SSR Baku) toward making relation or aiding the revolutionary front in Tabriz (i.e., Southern Azerbaijan/Iranian Azerbaijan/North West Iran) was only due to Moscow's interest in the region? This book also brings another perspective into the question that (3) why does Azerbaijanian in Iran be one of the main (if not the only) fronts of bringing modernity (I suppose by modernity the authors means European French culture mostly) to Iran?
Moreover, this book deals with "nationality" as an issue (or challenge) in modern societies and shows how complicated it is for an Azerbaijani. The books truly categorize nationality into three different subgroups and state that for Azerbaijani multiple identities that might be inconsistent with each other, could actually live in one unity (or harmony) without inconsistency and analyze this in the courses of ability in co-existence and the urge to not to give up Azerbaijani identity for another super ethical form.
The other very interesting is a concise analysis (1-2 pages) of how currently some Azerbaijanians from two sides of Araz see the opposite side; the small, very tiny common believes which exists undoubtedly under the minds of Azerbaijanian who is living in the Iran or Azerbaijan Republic. Particularly, some northern may saw people in south more conservative and some southern take northern more Russified. Of course, the authors fail to analyze that the believers of such thought in Iran holds a solid relation toward Tehran's mainstream supra-ethnical advertisements.
A downfall of the book comes in the investigation of the period of Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari movement. The author signifies the era in a very odd form, almost as if the author takes a one-sided opinion on that matter. And it seems she reflects the viewpoint of his son mainly, which she acknowledged in the introduction.
Finally, in contrast to the mainstream Iranian writers, this book truly separates the Azerbaijani identity from any form of Iranian belonging. The orientalists thought of "Azerbaijan is marginal Iranian states and must be analyzed within that frame of Iran." The Iranian side's urge to analyze Azerbaijan within Iran's framework would not give an accurate perspective since the two nations are of different cultures and backgrounds. On the other hand, the book could have gone into analyzing Turkey's effects on the region but fails to do so; I understand that the book is a Ph.D. thesis work, and probably the reason should be allocated to the time limits (?) in such works. The Ottoman's effects, especially on the history of the Azerbaijani Republic, should not be doubted.
I have never read any book about the late modern and contemporary Azerbaijan period (both Caucasian and Iranian Azerbaijan), which was objective. This work is bias-free in every line of it, in its entire body. The previously published works expressed dominantly the nationalistic poor perspective of either Iranian, Azerbaijanian, Turkish, or Russian. Especially almost all Iranian publications about Azerbaijan work entirely with the idea of "unification" and "patriotism" of Iran and Iranian which blinds and prohibits the Iranian (mainstream) authors from the deeper investigation of the topic, which makes them failed to understand Azerbaijani mindset. By Iranian (mainstream) authors, I mean both Iranians living in the Islamic republic and their periphery community of diaspora, mainly from the U.S. Although these two fronts are more or less opposed to each other, they mostly meet in their view towards "آزربایجان/آذربایجان" (Azerbaijan).
On the other hand, this work dealt with the matter and expressed the historical facts with proper referencing, which always lacked in Azerbaijani history textbooks (even the author included numerous referencing speeches and magazine articles). Analyzing Iranian, Russian, and Azerbaijanian sources, the author managed to identify and independently address the previous dilemmas and topics that once thought to be "obvious" and "answered" are taken into detailed consideration here and systematically investigated. Additionally, the interviews and the so-called "on the ground" research show that the author understands the demographics of the different ideas and identities that co-exist within Azerbaijan lands.
I believe the novelty and significance of this valuable piece come in answering the questions like (1) Was Azerbaijani identity in North formed due to Qarabagi conflict or was it only flammed by it? or (2) Was the enthusiasm of Baku (SSR Baku) toward making relation or aiding the revolutionary front in Tabriz (i.e., Southern Azerbaijan/Iranian Azerbaijan/North West Iran) was only due to Moscow's interest in the region? This book also brings another perspective into the question that (3) why does Azerbaijanian in Iran be one of the main (if not the only) fronts of bringing modernity (I suppose by modernity the authors means European French culture mostly) to Iran?
Moreover, this book deals with "nationality" as an issue (or challenge) in modern societies and shows how complicated it is for an Azerbaijani. The books truly categorize nationality into three different subgroups and state that for Azerbaijani multiple identities that might be inconsistent with each other, could actually live in one unity (or harmony) without inconsistency and analyze this in the courses of ability in co-existence and the urge to not to give up Azerbaijani identity for another super ethical form.
The other very interesting is a concise analysis (1-2 pages) of how currently some Azerbaijanians from two sides of Araz see the opposite side; the small, very tiny common believes which exists undoubtedly under the minds of Azerbaijanian who is living in the Iran or Azerbaijan Republic. Particularly, some northern may saw people in south more conservative and some southern take northern more Russified. Of course, the authors fail to analyze that the believers of such thought in Iran holds a solid relation toward Tehran's mainstream supra-ethnical advertisements.
A downfall of the book comes in the investigation of the period of Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari movement. The author signifies the era in a very odd form, almost as if the author takes a one-sided opinion on that matter. And it seems she reflects the viewpoint of his son mainly, which she acknowledged in the introduction.
Finally, in contrast to the mainstream Iranian writers, this book truly separates the Azerbaijani identity from any form of Iranian belonging. The orientalists thought of "Azerbaijan is marginal Iranian states and must be analyzed within that frame of Iran." The Iranian side's urge to analyze Azerbaijan within Iran's framework would not give an accurate perspective since the two nations are of different cultures and backgrounds. On the other hand, the book could have gone into analyzing Turkey's effects on the region but fails to do so; I understand that the book is a Ph.D. thesis work, and probably the reason should be allocated to the time limits (?) in such works. The Ottoman's effects, especially on the history of the Azerbaijani Republic, should not be doubted.
July 21, 2021
Thesis looking, fact and script based review of Azerbaijan Turks settled in Azerbaijan republic in north and Iran in south; with the former one a newly announced republic and the latter dealing with assimilation process going on in Iran.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews