Circassian diaspora

The 19th-century exile of Circassians from their Black Sea homeland remains a painful tragedy, said Turkey's president on May 21. 

"On the 157th anniversary of the deportation of our Circassian brothers from their homeland, I feel a great pain in my heart, and I wish Allah's mercy to those who lost their lives," Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Twitter.

In Turkey and elsewhere, identity politics have defined the last 30 years. Across the spectrum - from Islamist to secularist politics, from Kurdish nationalism to Turkish nationalism - cultural identity has become the key conduit for political expression.

'The Circassian Diaspora in Turkey: A Political History' by Zeynel Abidin Besleney (Routledge, 224 pages, £84)