Historical Processes of Identity Formation: Displacement, Settlement, and Self-Representations of the Circassians in Jordan

Abstract

Abstract This article examines how the historical experience of displacement and resettlement shapes key notions of identity and self-representation among Circassians in Jordan. Circassians, one of the peoples of the North-West Caucasus arrived in the Ottoman Empire in large waves of migration in the late 19th century and were settled as agricultural communities in different provinces of the empire. The experience of settlement, the types of settlements formed, and the relationships with the local inhabitants in the places of settlement—all inform the sense of identity among Circassians. The key images of being displaced, settlers, and Muslims enable Circassians both to maintain a sense of difference but also to integrate into the broader Jordanian society.