| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, September 30, 2011 | 4:00PM - 6:00PM | Seminar Room 108N, Munk School of Global Affairs 1 Devonshire Place |
Between 1859 and 1864, the Russian empire expelled more than half a million Circassian (Cherkess) tribespeople from the coasts of the Black Sea in the Western Caucasus. Many of the refugees fled to the Ottoman empire, which had negotiated a bilateral agreement with the Russian empire regarding the transfer and settlement of these people. At the time, the significance of this event for European history was commented upon by both Alexander Herzen and Karl Marx.
Was this event evidence of an early case of “ethnic cleansing”? Was it a demonstration of the irreconcilable tensions between Muslims and Christians, pastoralists and agriculturalists? Professor Holquist’s talk examines why the Russian government decided to pursue the “definitive conquest” of the Caucasus in these years, and why it viewed expulsion as the best means to achieve this end.
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