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Highlanders: A Journey to the Caucasus in Quest of Memory

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From New York Times Book Review, November 19, 2000, reviewed by Colin Thubron:

The mountains and valleys of the Caucasus, spreading 750 miles between the Black and Caspian seas, may contain greater ethnic and linguistic diversity than any comparable region on earth. Throughout history, the area has attracted beleaguered minorities and insulated them in precipitous terrain. Long after the Russians completed their arduous conquest in 1864, the people of the Caucasus remained grimly self-sufficient.

To unravel this web of small republics into a coherent narrative is a formidable challenge, and the Israeli foreign correspondent Yoav Karny has approached it head-on. During the early 1990's, following the collapse of Soviet power, his travels brought him into contact with many of the region's most influential figures: the wise, the rash, the moving and the ridiculous. He conducted his interviews with intelligence and modesty, astute in his interpretations but sensitive to possible misjudgments. If his new book, ''Highlanders,'' seems to zigzag through a maze of political factions and to deliver contrary messages, it is only reflecting the region's complexity. Karny at once negotiates crosscurrents of near tribalism and steamrolling modernity, bitter memory and contrived history, and emerges with a cry of foreboding.

The net he casts misses some areas (no Georgia, no Ossetia), yet its reach is adventurously wide. There are the Cossacks, of course: a Russian resurgence seething with barely repressed militarism. And the once-renowned Circassians, clinging to their terrain in the long aftermath of a catastrophic 19th-century expulsion. And the remnants of small nations removed by Stalin and now returned: the Ingush, fewer than 250,000 strong; the Balkars, who lost over a third of their people in the deportation; and the Chechens, inexplicably intrepid.

But Karny reserves the heart of his book for another ''autonomous republic'' within the Russian Federation: Dagestan. ''It is unlike any other part of Russia,'' he writes; ''indeed, few parallels could be produced anywhere. Thirty-odd nations, speaking some of the world's most exotic languages and heirs to some of the planet's oldest surviving traditions, are all bundled together in one province about half the size of Virginia.'' These tiny groups of people, united under a collective presidency, defy the lessons of Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and the old Soviet Union by surviving together in precarious statehood. The once-powerful Kumyks; the 90,000-strong warrior Laks; the Lezgins, split fatally between Russia and Azerbaijan -- all cohabit with communities as small as the Mountain Jews and the one-village nation of Khynalug, a near-illiterate Lezgin subgroup with its own language.

Nationalism is shallow-rooted in the Caucasus, where loyalties have traditionally been regional and religious. But in the void left by the death of a supranational socialism, local patriotism rushed in. Within half a generation after the Soviet collapse, however, the intellectuals who took the stage for nationalism were ousted by a younger, tougher breed: businessmen and administrators, some of whom make up the ill-defined ''mafia'' lamented throughout today's Russia. Karny traces this decline graphically in two successive representatives of the little Lak nation. In the heyday of Gorbachev's liberation, its spokesman was the fiery and cultivated Ali Aliyev. But now, in harsher times, he has been replaced by Magomed Khachilayev, a shaven-headed karate champion amassing wealth and political power in tandem.

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This book full of heartfelt uncertainties has its defects. Sometimes it loses focus (as in a longueur on Chechens living in Jordan). Playfully, it employs the chapter summaries common to 19th-century travelogues, as if to place in another genre what is essentially a journalist's reportage. Yet I doubt if any Westerner understands the political scenery of the post-Soviet Caucasus better than Karny, or has gathered and deployed his knowledge with such courage and sympathy.

Thanks to Yo'av Karny for such an informative book. I was pleasantly surprised to find such a detailed account of my Circassian History. This book really hit home with me, and I found myself weeping. Weeping because it brought back memories and stories that my grandfather used to tell me as a child. This book even covers the story of the Circassians living not only in the Caucasus, but also in the Golan Heights. Yo'av reveals both the good and bad side of Circassians, and Circassian history. Circassians suffered our own Genocide at the hands of various Russian tyrants. On the other hand, Circassian warriors were known for their ruthless actions during all of our battles. That is why Circassians were chosen by countless of kings and presidents alike to act as body guards. That is also why we were given the name "CHERKESS" (Neck Cutters) by our enemies. When European and Middle Eastern mothers wanted to frighten their childeren, they would warn them that if they weren't good, THE CHERKESS would come for them. Those are the sad facts. This book was a pleasure to read. Thank You Yo'av......Yaz Barsbay

Israeli journalist Karny has assembled a massive and somewhat rambling book attempting to capture the history and spirit of the "Highlanders" who dwell in the Caucuses. Part history, part memoir, part travelogue, part contemporary reportage, the book would have benefited from slightly more focus. What we get is 70 pages on the Circassians, who are three tribes spread across several provinces and regions to the north of Georgia (and much of the Middle East and Western world). Then come 125 pages on Daghetsan, which borders the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, and Chechnya. Part three is 150 pages on Chechnya, which would have brought things to a nice climax. However, Karny leaves the Northern (currently Russian) Caucuses and presses on for a further-comparatively skimpy-55 pages on Armenia and Azerbaijan. This last section is troublesome in that by including it, Karny's book discusses all the major players in the region except Georgia! (Perhaps he felt that country had already been well-covered in Peter Nasmyth's recent book, Georgia: In the Mountains of Poetry) One is left with the impression that he has included it because the Azeri-Armenian conflict is such a vivid illustration of his thesis concerning the use and manipulation of history and memory in the region that he couldn't resist putting it in.

The subjectivity of history and memory in the Caucuses is one of Karny's main themes, as is the fact that many of the unique cultures and languages are dying out, victims of modernization and Russian schools. Karny exhibits a marked ambivalence about the highlander desire to never forget the past. While he admires this trait for its role in maintaining culture, and resisting invaders, he also sees it as a force of division in contemporary times-sometimes leading to self-destruction (in the case of Chechnya). Of course the history he shares gives plenty of justification for continued anger against the Russians, who invaded first in the 1830s, occupied the area, and under Stalin engaged in mass relocation and killings against many Caucasian nationalities.

The book emerged from a number of trips Karny took to the region from 1993-1999, and he writes with a steady knowledge of history and contemporary events. He is perhaps a little too fond of reproducing conversations with various officials he meets with, but his flair for describing the everyday people he meets makes up for it. The book is peppered throughout with photos taken on his travels which aren't always the best, but are invaluable for putting a face on the people and places he talk about. If nothing else, one should read the section on Chechnya for a better understanding on why they continue to resist rule from Moscow. Particularly enlightening is his discussions of the various strains of Sufism most Chechens follow, and how they influence the resistance.

A very well written, enthralling book on a fascinating region. Karny's style is very lyric, if at times a little too colloquial. Two of the themes Karny stresses throughout the book are: first, the way the high mountains have commonly influenced the development of the multitudinous cultures in the Caucasus (or maybe how the high elevations have attracted a certain type of cultural character); second, how unique cultures are dying and the importance of preserving these cultures. However, the book lacks a satisfying conclusion. After briefly introducing us to the Azeri-Armenian conflict, the book abruptly ends, without tying together the several themes and cultures of the book. The Armenian-Azeri section is also a troubling aspect of the book. The book is mainly about the highland peoples of the North Caucasus, which the Azeris and the Armenians are not. If the book was about the entire Caucasus region, then the book is missing any information on one of the most important players in Caucasus history: the Georgians. But if the book is mainly, as I believe it is, about the highlanders to the north, than the short and inadequate chapter on Azeris and Armenians is not necessary, escept for the fact that Karny supposedly originally went to the Caucasus to report on the Azeri-Armenian war.

In spite of these two aspects, this book is a must read for those who wish to understand Caucasian "highlander" mentality." Once you pick it up, it is virtually impossible to put down. Some of the most insightful sections of the book include the role of the Chechen diaspora and the role of the zikr dance in Chechen culture.

A magnificent read, with a gentle poetry all its own. This meticulously reasearched book is an absolute must-read (no, a must-own) for anyone with a thirst for history or the world in which we live today. You will learn more about the post-Soviet Caucasus republics and their indigenous peoples than by reading any other COLLECTION of works. Karny has obviously spent time among his subjects, and his respect for each (by our standards) idiosyncracy shines through his writing. Read this book, and you will never read another news report on the war in Chechnya again.

Thank you to Yo'av Karny for writing this book. As a Circassian, this book really hits home. For example, on page 292, when Yo'av writes about the fight at the Amman University, I have cousins that were a part of that dispute. On page 293, Yo'Av writes about the Golan Heights, between Israel and Syria. My family is from that region. My family observed first hand the death and suffering. As a small child, I saw first hand Israeli and Syrian jets in their deadly dance of death. For good or for bad, Circassians are a proud and stubborn people who are trying to retain their culture and history. We are spread out all over the world in countries such as the USA, Germany, Israel, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, and Great Britain. This book brought tears to my eyes. The Circassian and Chechen history is a very sad one, and millions of Circassians, Chechens, and Daghestanis have perished under Russian hands. On the other hands, Yo'av shows how Circassians were also capable of being violent and bloody. The Turkish people have a name for Circassians, and that is CHERKESS, (Neck Cutters). That sad fact is self explanitory. THANK YOU SO MUCH Yo'AV for wrting this book. GOD BLESS YOU......(Y.B.) A CIRCASSIAN.

This book is a most honorable effort to introduce the unknown peoples of the Highlands. It is extremely well orgainzed, beautifully written, and full of information and suprises. My hat is off to the author for taking on this most important and daunting project. I highly reccommend this book to anyone with an interest in people and culture.

First Im 'sorry for my bad English. It's not my native language.

When we travelled with Yo'av through Caucasus I thought the future book will be the collection of stories in style "Foreigner in Caucasus". And my Russian and Caucasian friends told me: "Be serious, Alex. Your American-Israely journalist is not able to understand us!" But now... I've never read such a kind and clever book on this theme neither in English nor in Russian. Yo'av have seen such points and details, which can make honour to best experts in region. Thank you, Yo'av. Thank for the beautiful book, for your friendship and for I feel no shame telling that I rendered you a little piece of help.

As an academic interested in the Caucasus, and a Dagestani by birth, I found the book to be one of the best accounts of history of the region. Karny offers an unprecedented analysis of the problems faced by the people of the Caucasus while managing not only to romanticize the region but also convey the feeling of emotional frustration. Unlike other authors who write about the region, Karny manages to engulf the reader in the region, rather than simply present historical narrative.
Exceptional, must read.
ps the ironic fact of purchasing a used copy from a US university library that no longer wanted the book because of room restrictions makes me sorrow.

I loved this book. It's long. It's detailed. And yet it's broken into dozens of small stories--each one well written and highly documentary.

Yo'av Karny does a phenomenal job of presenting vignettes of culture--demonstrated by the people he has met, and the stories they have to tell. In a sense, he has created a short encyclopedia of life--life and culture which has, and even more so, will likely be erased with the passing of the next couple generations.

Avars - Lezgins - Azeris - Cherkess - Dargin - Chechen - Inguish - Kumyk -- each told about in some detail. Read about them all, how they got where they are, how they have lost much of their identity already, and what the future may hold.