Suriye’de Unutulanlar: Tanıdık Bir Hikâye, Çerkesler ve Göç
Forgotten in Syria: A Familiar Story, Circassians and Immigration

Summary/Abstract: The Circassians have been deported from the Caucasus to Anatolia and the Balkans and then to the Middle East by the Tsarist Russia. This deportation of the Circassians, starts from the North Caucasus, continues in different geographical and historical periods. Those Circassians from Syria who have been forced to leave the country due to the civil war in Syria and want to return back to their homelands, the North Caucasus, were faced the obstacles by the Russian Federation. There have been many studies on the relationship between the Circassians and immigration until today. Contrary to other studies, this study reveals on the immigration movements of the Circassians, which starts from the Caucasus and continues in different geographical and historical periods, with a historical content analysis based on the studies from the literature. The aim of the study is to clarify the difficulties have been faced by the Circassians who want to return to the North Caucasus because of being forced to leave the country due to ongoing civil war in Syria. In this context, together with the historical reasons, the bureaucratic obstacles, geographical influences, job opportunities and sociocultural adaptation problems can be mentioned among the reasons why the Russian Federation does not allow a demographic change in favor of the Circassian population, which refrain the Circassians from return to the North Caucasus.

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