Primordial, Instrumental Identities and the Formation of Ethnic Collective Movements: The Case of Azeri Nationalism

In: Canadian review of studies in nationalism: Revue canadienne des études sur le nationalisme, Band 19, Heft 1-2, S. 31-41

Abstract

Compares two major schools of thought on ethnicity -- instrumentalism & primordialism -- to examine the possibilities that may exist for the formation of ethnic collective movements aimed at unification across international borders. A case study of the development of Azeri nationalism in the former USSR & Iran reveals that: (1) instrumental considerations of economic integration of the two Azerbaijans may at the same time limit & promote unification efforts; (2) generations of separate historical development may have produced elite loyalties that hinder such efforts; & (3) regardless of instrumental considerations & elite attachments, there may exist significant primordial support for unification among the newly participating Azeri masses on both sides of the border. Such a comparison of primordial & instrumental attachments & differences between mass & elite loyalties is encouraged in the development of a more comprehensive theory of ethnic collective movements. AA