The Karabakh Conflict and the Image of the "Historical Enemy" in Azerbaijani Textbooks

Abstract

The currently unresolved conflict over Karabakh supports the discursive image (myth) of the "historical enemy" having a central place in Azerbaijani educational texts. Along with Armenians, this image also includes Russians and Iranians (Persians). This conflict also has a determining impact on the interpretation of all previous clashes between Azerbaijanis and Armenians, which took place in the early 20th century (1905, 1918-20). The policy that was conducted in the region by the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union is also interpreted through the context of this conflict. The situation in the field of the academic historical research and the teaching of national history in Azerbaijan, may be interpreted in the same way, because the discursive image of the enemy occupies a key role in the historical narrative and public as well as political debates.