Abstract
The Discourse on the Process of the Circassian Exile in British Newspapers: Use of the Concepts of Migration, Exile and Genocide
Discussions about the concepts that should explain the arrival of the Circassians from their homeland of the Caucasus to the Ottoman Empire continue today, as well as in the second half of the 19th century. Throughout all studies in the literature, concepts with different meanings are simultaneously used to explain the movement of the Circassian population and its results. When considering British newspapers published during the years of the population movement, it is clear that concepts expressing different meanings are used simultaneously. This conceptual inconsistency in the literature is also evident in the debate over whether the incident should be viewed as an "exile" or a "genocide". The interpretation of the "exile" and "genocide" debate in the British public of the period is based on two opinions; (1) Russia "exiled" the Circassians to the Ottoman Empire in anticipation of mass death, (2) the panic caused by the Russian occupation and mass deaths caused the incident to turn into a mass and "unplanned migratory movement." However, in the years when the population movement took place, the concepts of "ethnic cleansing" or "genocide" were not used in the British public. The purpose of this study, prepared using the method of discourse analysis, is to explain the concepts on the basis of which the discourse on the process of the "Circassian population movement" was formed in the British public, and thus to contribute to the ongoing discussions about the "exile" and "genocide".
Keywords
Circassian Exile, emmigration, discourse analysis, genocide.
