"Azerbaijani" and beyond

This book is the outcome of a conference entitled “Identities on the Move: The Caucasus between the Local, the Regional, and the Global. With a Focus on Azerbaijan”, organized jointly by the Center for Security and Energy Research at Qafqaz University and the Observatoire du Caucase, the Caucasus branch of the Institut français d’études anatoliennes (IFEA - Istanbul) based in Baku. Although the conference dealt with the South Caucasus in general, it was also meant to make a focus on Azerbaijan. As such, this book is one of the few ones devoted only to this country. While this country is often referred to as a “crossroad” from many perspectives -geographical, cultural, religious, historical, etc- the contributions also highlight the local dynamics that shape today's process in Azerbaijan. As other contemporary societies, Azerbaijani society is characterized by the increasing number of groups (real or symbolic) individuals feel to be part of. At the same time, group boundaries are getting increasingly blurred and evolve over time while confronting otherness. Therefore, the book adopts a multi-scale approach, focusing on a wide range of topics in relation to grassroots issues but also to more global processes, without neglecting regional aspects.