Customer Reviews

AZERBAIJANI TURKS (HOOVER INST PRESS PUBLICATION)

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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.

If you don't know much about Azerbaijani Turks and their identity then I think this is a decent book in order to understand them. If you want to understand Azerbaijan and the Caucasus then just stay away. Buy something else. I really wanted to learn about Azerbaijan but this book didn't explain the Albanian peoples history very well, like what happened to them, are there any left. They probably assimilated to Turkish culture but its clear. Secondly, the WWI and 1st Republican period is very hazy. I didn't understand how the ADR was formed; it just popped up in the book. Also nothing about neighboring Armenian and Georgia was discussed in that period other than vague conflicts. One reference to the Dashnaks and Mensheviks and no mention to the Ottoman Empire attacking Armenia. Little was discussed about Azeri relations and other minorities in Azerbaijan other than the negative things and absolutely nothing about Kurds and their Red Kurdistan in the Lachin Corridor. There really is no descriptions of any battles. I simply did not understand what the borders of the ADR were at that time.

The soviet period was decent, mostly regarding some economical and especially politics issues. The biggest problem was that she never discussed Karabagh during the 20's through 1987. Everything she was saying during the NK conflict's chapter seemed a bit of a shock if you didn't know much about conflict. There was no discussion about Karabagh's Armenian and Azeri relations in the Soviet era and the Armenian and Azeri militias in the conflict were not looked into. It felt like it pure happiness during those 60 years. No pop. figures were ever given about Karabagh as well.
There is seriously more I can critique.

The flow of the topics were NOT smooth. She would start one topic and leave it to go to another topic making me ask questions often.
It is clearly biased, which i expected. It's anti-Russian except in the beginning and most of the soviet era. The anti-Armenian sentiment is obvious in the text and especially because Armenian sources were non-existent. Suny's studies on Baku don't count.

I believe if she used more Armenian sources the book would be more clear and whole. Azerbaijani Turks would understand their own countries history and identity much better if that were the case. Persian sources would be great too and I think there was some Georgian sources. There is just too much missing in this book. Though the use of periodicals was impressive but she relies too much on it and the narrative is thrown off.

I like the use of periodicals and I appreciated the intelligentsia movements and formation of Azeri nationalism, that was good chapter. Educational issues were interesting as well.
I recommend a buyer to look for a book published AFTER 1992 about Azeris. This one is biased and doesn't show the whole picture. Read it and you'll agree I'm sure about. Its not about Azerbaijan, its about the Azeri's like it says.

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.

The authors did a great job in researching a lot of historical documents, however what seemed obvious to me is that they had decided to write about such a delicate subject as Azerbaijan's history without researching sources probably other than those available in the West, in Russia and provided by Azeris themselves, who did not have that traditions of historiography, as Armenians and Georgians for instance have. As they acknowledge in the book, Aztrbaijan is a relatively new formation in the history, which in many cases explains the nature of the Soviet era Azeri interpretation of the history, which among others aimed to justify Azerbaijan's geopolitical position, create a kind of history, which would match with the neighboring countries with really " old" histories.

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.