Nationalism in Azerbaijan according to Molla Nasreddin Magazine

The hypothesis of this thesis is that ''Molla Nasreddin magazine struggled to awaken a national consciousness among Azerbaijani Turks''. The aim ofthisstudy is to reveal the background of the idea of Nationalism that developed among Azerbaijani Turks against the colonial and Russification policies implementedby Tsarist Russia in the Azerbaijan geography since the beginning of the nineteenth century. In the thesis, Molla Nasreddin magazine, which was published as a result of the freedom environment in the press area at the beginning of the twentieth century, humorously addresses the current problems of the period, language, religion, women and education in the process of developing national identity among Azerbaijani Turks who lack political independence and building a modern nation it will be examined how it gives messages tothe society by taking. Although there are many studies about the magazine in Azerbaijan and Turkey, there is no detailed research on the struggle of Molla Nasreddin magazine tocreate a national identity and create a modern nation. In the first part ofthe thesis, the subjects of ethnicity, nation, nation-state and nationalism were examined in order to understand the research well and to determine its boundaries. Types of nationalism are explained and then theories of nationalism are mentioned to examine how the idea of nation and nationalism are formed. In the second part, after giving information about the history and geography of Azerbaijan and the political structure in the region, after the occupation of the Tsarist Russia and its applications, the reforms made by the Azerbaijani intellectuals in the name of social structure change were discussed. In order to protect national identities within the framework of innovation and nationalism steps, the spread of a cultural nationalism has been examined. In the third part, Molla Nasreddin magazine, which deals with current issues humorously, was examined and published in the Tsarist Russia after the 1905 revolution, with the idea of creating a national consciousness among the Azerbaijani Turks and creating a modern nation as a result of the increase in publishing activities after the freedom of the press. It was discussed how he wanted to make a change in society with cartoons and articles.