Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan Baku International Multiculturalism Centre Azerbaijani Multiculturalism Textbook for Higher Education

Historical Factors*

Historically Azerbaijan has been a multicultural state. As President Ilham Aliyev noted, ‘The traditions of multiculturalism, which is a relatively new word in our lexicon, have existed in Azerbaijan for centuries. It had a different name, but its essence remains unchanged.’ In all the stages of the history of Azerbaijan people of different nationalities have peacefully coexisted on its territory. The national minorities who settled here have not been persecuted or discriminated against by the Azerbaijani Turks (the titular ethnos) because of their ethnic, religious or racial identities and ethnocultural values. In this way, the historical factor has played a significant role in the formation of a multicultural society in Azerbaijan.

Geographical Factor

Azerbaijan is situated in a very favourable location, where

	different cultures and civilizations merge and mingle. As part of
	their historical experience, the peoples living in such territory meet
	people from different ethnic, racial, religious and cultural groups
	and build and develop commercial and cultural relations with them,
68	* The multiculturalism policy of the Republic of Azerbaijan is covered in more detail
	in Chapter 6, Part 1.

which in turn creates favourable conditions for the formation of a multicultural environment. The territory of Azerbaijan is situated at the intersection of diverse civilizations, cultures and religions and was crossed by the old Silk Road. This location played a significant role in the formation and development of ethnocultural diversity within society.

Historical and geographical factors, which are essentially objective in nature, thus played a critical role in the emergence and formation of Azerbaijani multiculturalism. However, alongside these objective reasons, subjective reasons were also important. By ‘subjective reasons’ the officials ruling the country and the Azerbaijani people are implied.

At different stages in the history of Azerbaijan the rulers of the country managed the ethnic, racial, religious and cultural diversity in society in such a way that no serious ethnic and religious conflict arose. This was the reason why the national minorities, historically settled in Azerbaijan, were not persecuted by the majority population, the Azerbaijani Turks, for their ethnicity, religion, cultural identity and ethnocultural values, and coexisted with them peacefully. The multicultural environment in Azerbaijan became stronger when it gained independence. For example, during the period of the Democratic Republic the capital Baku was one of the most multicultural cities in the world, but saw no confrontation or conflict on ethnic, religious and cultural grounds among the population. Representatives of several of the country’s national minorities were members of parliament, while the national minorities also had political organizations. Furthermore, members of national minorities held senior posts in government, including ministerial office.

The presence of a favourable multicultural environment in Azerbaijan attracted persecuted nations to this territory at different times in history. Some 2,600 years ago the Jews left Judea (the present-day Israel) for Azerbaijan in search of refuge. In 586 BCE

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the new Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II suppressed a revolt of the Jews in Jerusalem and pulled down their temple. As a result, the great majority of Jews fled the country. Many of them left Israel for Azerbaijan. In connection with the migrations of the Jews to Azerbaijan in later periods in history, Moshe Bekker writes that in 1810 the first Ashkenazi (European) Jews began to move to Azerbaijan from the western provinces of the Russian Empire. Further, in 1864 Jews came from Georgia to Azerbaijan. The refuge found by persecuted nations in Azerbaijan is a clear indicator of the presence of a tolerant environment there at that time. According to Moshe Bekker, the anti-Semitic stereotypes observed in some of the Christian nations that had moved to Azerbaijan disappeared under the influence of the warm attitude towards the Jews on the part of the local people. Consequently, some Christians, who had been brought up in an anti-Semitic spirit in their former countries, changed their views when they saw the warm attitude and tolerance of the local titular ethnos towards the Jews.

The multicultural environment in Azerbaijan improved further in the years of independence. The restoration of independence in Azerbaijan on 18 October 1991, especially the return of the National Leader of the Azerbaijani People Heydar Aliyev to run the country, substantially improved the multicultural environment. Real conditions were created for the maintenance and development of the historical traditions of tolerance, and action was taken to maintain ethnocultural diversity. President Ilham Aliyev is now successfully pursuing the policy of multiculturalism.

The role of the Azerbaijani people, too, should be highlighted amongst the subjective reasons for the birth of Azerbaijani multiculturalism. Hospitality and tolerance of people of other nations, ethnic groups and religious communities are national characteristics of the Azerbaijani people. At no stage in history have the Azerbaijani Turks, the indigenous population, persecuted or discriminated against, on ethnic, religious, racial or cultural

grounds, the national minorities that settled in the country. This is evidence that multiculturalism is a way of life for the people of Azerbaijan. The transformation of multiculturalism into the way of life in Azerbaijan show it is at a very advanced stage of development.

Multiculturalism emerged as a social phenomenon in Azerbaijan, as in other countries, and developed into state policy. The Republic of Azerbaijan is one of the few countries to have adopted multiculturalism as a state policy. Although the state has played the main role in this development, the people’s tolerance of ethnocultural diversity in society, which arises from the national characteristics of the Azerbaijani people, has also been significant in the establishment of multiculturalism as state policy. Multiculturalism as state policy in Azerbaijan is aimed at consolidating the people’s way of life. In other words, multiculturalism as state policy in Azerbaijan interacts with multiculturalism as the way of life of the people there. They are intertwined as subjective reasons for the birth, formation and development of Azerbaijani multiculturalism.

Thus, historical and geographical factors constitute the objective reasons for the birth of Azerbaijani multiculturalism, while the tolerance of ethnocultural diversity in society and ethnocultural values on the part of the state leaders and the Azerbaijani people constitute the subjective reasons.

Having emerged for objective and subjective reasons, Azerbaijani multiculturalism has travelled a long journey of historical development. The ideas of tolerance and multiculturalism are reflected in different forms of social consciousness in Azerbaijan.

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