Country: Russia
Group: Adyghe
Date: 2/6/22
Name: Hannah Goldman (lead), Isabella Boker, Anthony Un
Content Warning: None
Approximate Time Period: 1864-present
There is ample evidence from credible sources that the Adyghe in Russia have experienced forced displacement.
The Adyghe are a subgroup of Circassians from the North Caucusus region (Minority Rights Group, 2015). In the late 18th century, the Russian government invaded the North Caucasus leading to a period of warfare until a Russian victory in 1864 (Shenfield, n.d.). Towards the end of the war, in the late 1860s, the Russian government deported hundreds of thousands of Circassians to the Ottoman empire. Estimates range from 470,000 to almost 2 million where most began to integrate into Ottoman life (Richmond, 2013). In 1991, the Adyghe remaining in Russian created a commission to help return those forced away and the same year the Adyghe Republic was given autonomous status (Minority Rights Group, 2015). In 2002 a national census reported that 128,528 Adyghe live in the Russian federation, the majority in the Adyghe Republic (Minority Rights Group, 2015). The government does not recognize the Adyghe minority and believes they belong to the Cherkess people. Current information about the Adyghe is limited.
The data quality is a 3 out of 3 because of reliable good quantity evidence available.
Sources
- Minority Rights Group. Adyghe. (2015, June 19). Minority Rights Group. https://minorityrights.org/minorities/adyghe/
- Richmond, W. (2013). The Circassian Genocide. Rutgers University Press.
- Shenfield, S. D. (n.d.). THE CIRCASSIANS – A FORGOTTEN GENOCIDE? 10.