Circassians, Multiple Displacements, Homelands, Diasporas, Diaspora Organisations

This introductory chapter discusses the concepts and issues that will be elaborated on in the following four chapters. It focuses on the displaced Adyghe, Abkhaz-Abaza, Ubykh and North Caucasian diaspora, who are commonly referred to as ‘Circassian’ and occasionally as ‘Cherkess’. It also focuses on those in Syria who were forced to leave their homes for the fourth time after the civil war began in 2011, as well as Circassians who left the North Caucasian republics in the Russian Federation following the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022. It discusses the definition of ‘Circassian’ and outlines the multiple forced displacements that occurred during the Russo-Caucasian War (1763–1864) and its aftermath until 1877. 1864 is a particularly significant year, marking the defeat of the Caucasian peoples by Tsarist Russia, and it continues to be commemorated as the year of genocide, exile and mass deportation. The chapter examines the concept of diaspora and how the Circassian diaspora fits into this framework, as well as its relations with ancestral homelands. It also provides background on diaspora organisations in Türkiye and Syria.