Origins of Nation-Building in Azerbaijan

Abstract

The article presents an analysis of the origins of the nation-building in Azerbaijan focusing on the discourses of nation-building, role of religion in defining national identity, and multiculturalism. It argues that Azerbaijanism embraces a civic understanding of citizenship identity acknowledging Turkish roots with a particular value and importance to secularism, multiculturalism and tolerance. Azerbaijan consolidated both its nation and state-building processes after the Second Karabakh War in 2022 and is in the process of redefining its place in a geo-political context challenged by security concerns over the last decades.