Identity perceptions of the Azerbaijan national students receiving higher education at universities in Ankara

Raheb Mohammadi Ghanbarlou. "Identity Perceptions of the Azerbaijan National Students Receiving Higher Education at Universities in Ankara?? Postgraduate Thesis, Ankara 2013. In this study, the identity problem of the Azerbaijan Republic national students continuing their university educations in Turkey on basis of identity perception and national identity definitions and their main characteristics according to national, religious, social, collective, political, cultural and ethnical identity concepts and symbolic interaction theory. The historical events from last century up to day among the factors affected the national identity building of Azerbaijan were researched. The various aspects and stages of the flow occurred from the beginning of 20th Century until today by also considering the historical background of national identity building process in Azerbaijan are researched within the scope of subject of the study. The purpose of this study is consisted of to what extent the Azerbaijan Republic national students continuing their educations in student status in Ankara are affected from assimilation policies of Soviet Union and its policy excluding the national consciousness and by which national identity forms, i.e. ??Turkish??, ??Azeri??, ??Azerbaijan Turkish?? or ??Azerbaijani?? they define themselves. The sample consisting of 4 women, 18 men total 22 students between ages 23- 27 who continue their education in post graduate and doctoral programmes at Gazi and Hacettepe Universities in Ankara has been transmitted to the students who were enrolled between 2007-2011 years in form of 20 questions which were issued on basis of interviewing technique of qualitative research method. The nation who was under pressure during Soviet era communist regime has survived its potential to own national values in cultural aspect. Despite imposition of ??Soviet Identity?? for a period of 70 years, their surviving their national identities in different aspects as a social response is a fact of surviving the ??Turkish?? elements in social scale. Most of the people interviewed as a result of the data obtained define their national identity as ??Azerbaijan Turkish??. They see the ??Azerbaijan Turkish?? definition more convenient and comprehensive on basis of the socio-cultural problems lived in Azerbaijan today and in the past and problems caused by ethnical minorities in defining the national identity and considering both geographic and ethnical origin. The main reason of keeping up to dateness of national identity in Azerbaijan is not converging of intelligentsia and community defending the different ideologies on a national identity unanimously to the great extent and briefly and clearly and not usage of Turkish concept officially by the State and not giving education to new generation to ensure they aware that they are Turkish rooted.