1864 Caucasian migration in the context of migration sociology

Since the early periods of history, migration, driven by geographical, political, economic, religious, and socio-cultural reasons, has been defined as the movement from one place to another desired location, and sociological migration theories have been developed on this subject. Migration, which has caused the demographic structure to change and the extended family to evolve into a nuclear family, has changed the social status and roles of individuals in society. At the same time, in the process, immigrants' customs, traditions, beliefs, etc. It is seen that the acceptance and practices in these fields are in a trend from tradition to modernity.Wars are one of the most important factors affecting the beginning of the history of migration. The Caucasian migration of 1864, which constitutes the subject of this study, took place because of the Caucasian-Russian wars and the expulsion of the indigenous people to the Ottoman lands. The Russian government, which developed settlement policies aimed at changing the demographic structure in the territories it occupied, achieved the ideal of landing in the warm seas by settling communities of different beliefs, cultures and ethnic origins in the regions vacated by the autochthonous (indigenous) people. The Ottoman government attempted to solve the problems of migrants, such as temporary settlement, sustenance, housing, and health, through migration commissions in accordance with the laws and instructions it put into effect and settled Caucasian migrants in permanent settlement areas in line with the settlement policies it implemented.The phenomenon of migration has influenced migrants who are compelled to settle in different geographical locations from their homelands to create a collective memory in their new living areas, to reinvent their traditions, and to construct their individual and collective identities. The Caucasian immigrants discussed in this research also experienced problems of adaptation and belonging in Anatolia. All Caucasian peoples such as Adyghe, Abaza, Kabardian and Chechen, who are considered within the concept of "Caucasian immigrant", were called "Circassian" by the Anatolian people. Non-governmental organizations such as associations and foundations, which are the expression of the collective identification process, have contributed greatly to the formation of a common memory in the identification process of Caucasian migrants, and have played a leading role in preserving socio-cultural characteristics and acting together in economic, political, and other areas.In this study, which was mainly carried out through literature review and participatory method, the aim was to create a source for the literature by examining the settlement problem of the immigrants after the 1864 Caucasian migration, the socio-cultural developments in their new living spaces and the adaptation processes.