SHUSHA, Azerbaijan, July 6. Identity is alive only when memory exists, and memory is preserved through the transmission of cultural heritage, Cahit Aslan, Researcher at Türkiye’s Çukurova University, said, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
He made the remark during a panel discussion on “Ethnic and Cultural Diversity as a Treasure of Humanity” as part of the international conference titled “Cultural and ethnic diversity: lessons from history, contemporary challenges” in Shusha.
Cahit Aslan stated that currently, millions of Circassians living in various countries around the world strive to preserve their collective memory through family recollections, cultural rituals, and commemorative events.
“Throughout history, Circassian identity has been understood in various ways. In a narrow sense, it refers to the Adyghe, but in a broader sense, it represents a supra-ethnic identity uniting many indigenous peoples deported from the North Caucasus,” Aslan said.
Moreover, he noted that the deportations of the peoples of the North Caucasus, including the Karachais, Balkars, and Chechens, carried out by the Kremlin during the Soviet period, left a deep mark on the collective memory.
"Collective memory is not only a way of preserving the past, but also a drive to build the future. Identity is alive only when memory exists, and memory is preserved through the transmission of cultural heritage. For this reason, Circassian national identity should be viewed as a dynamic process, nourished by the past but directed toward the future,” Aslan explained.
An international conference on the topic "Cultural and ethnic diversity: lessons from history, contemporary challenges" is taking place in Shusha.
The event is organized by the “Center for Cultural and Ethnic Diversity” Public Association in partnership with the “Silk Road” Public Association for Cultural and Historical Research.
Representatives from Azerbaijan, the U.S., France, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Israel, Türkiye, and Georgia are participating in the conference.
