The Treatment of the Karabakh Theme İn the Li̇terary Envi̇ronment of Nakhchi̇van: the Influence of Regi̇onal, Poli̇ti̇cal, and Psychologi̇cal Factors
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study examines a comparatively underexplored area in Azerbaijani literary criticism, namely the distinctive treatment of the Karabakh theme in the literary environment of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through regional, political, and psychological perspectives. The primary aim of the research is to identify how Nakhchivan’s unique geopolitical position as an exclave subjected to long-term blockade conditions has shaped a specific literary discourse on the Karabakh conflict. The study argues that this geopolitical reality has produced a regional literary response that differs significantly from dominant national narratives. Employing a qualitative research design, the article analyzes selected examples of poetry, prose, and drama written by Nakhchivan authors between 1990 and 2020. The analytical framework integrates contextual analysis, discourse analysis, and motif analysis in order to reveal the multilayered influences underlying the literary texts. This methodological approach enables a systematic examination of how regional experience, political ideology, and collective psychology intersect in literary representation. The findings of the study reveal three major interrelated dimensions. First, from a regional perspective, the Karabakh theme in Nakhchivan literature is articulated within the conceptual framework of “border literature,” where the experience of blockade transforms the loss of Karabakh into a narrative of “resilience under siege” and a moral test of national endurance. Symbolic elements such as the Araz River and the Alinjagala Fortress function as literary markers of historical continuity, steadfastness, and regional identity. Second, from a political perspective, the Karabakh theme is closely associated with the discourse of statehood and political determination shaped during the Heydar Aliyev period, positioning literature as an ideological medium that emphasizes resolve, sovereignty, and military preparedness rather than defeat. Third, from a psychological perspective, the dominant motifs are not those of passive mourning but of “active anticipation” and the “sentinel archetype,” reflecting heightened national consciousness, vigilance, and readiness for struggle rooted in the lived experience of constant border tension. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that the treatment of the Karabakh theme in the Nakhchivan literary environment represents a distinctive synthesis of regional, political, and psychological factors. This synthesis confirms Nakhchivan’s role not only as a geographical territory but also as a literary and ideological stronghold in the articulation of Azerbaijan’s national integrity.
Authors: NEZAKET İSMAYİLOVA, AZADE NAZİM ALİYEVA
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7166329287