Abstract
This work aims at criticizing Rogers Brubaker’s “diaspora-homeland-host state relations” theory through investigating the positions of Ossetian and Chechen-Kist communities in Georgia in the issues of South Ossetia and Chechnya as the exceptional cases of this theory and the reasons why these issues followed different processes. This work focuses on the issue of de facto states and de facto states’ diaspora such as Ossetians, Abkhazians and Chechen-Kists in Georgia in order to contribute to his theory. According to Brubaker’s theory, while “host state” excludes “diasporas” from its nation-state building process, diaspora communities react against it and their “motherlands” make pressure over “host state”, supporting diaspora’s movements and using them as its political tool. This situation is seen in the case of Russian communities in the former Soviet states, especially in Baltic states and Kazakhstan. On the other hands, while Ossetians, Abkhazians and Chechen-Kists in Georgia followed different process. While Georgia entered exclusionist nation-state building process, Russia supported Ossetians in South Ossetia and Abkhazians in Abkhazia and is making pressure over Georgia, giving the status of “legal-political Russian diaspora” to them. On the other hand, Ossetians and Abkhazians in Georgia are not supported by Russia and their “homelands” and is exposed to Georgian society’s doubt. In the case of Chechen-Kists in Georgia, Georgia supported Chechnya, defined as Chechen-Kists’ “homeland” in order to restrain Russia and “Chechen-Vaynakh diaspora” identity developed in this process. On the other hand, Chechen-Kists in Georgia were excluded from Georgian political-economic life due to this identity transformation and the chaos in Pankisi. In conclusion, Russia uses people in de facto states as a political tool in order to make pressure on Georgia, recognizing them as its diaspora. Thus, the issue of de facto states appears as a different form of “diaspora-homeland-host state relations” in the tension between Georgia and Russia. On the other hand, in terms of the relations between Georgia and de facto states, while Georgian society is suspicious against Ossetians, Abkhazians and Chechen-Kists in Georgia, these communities are not supported by their homelands such as South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Chechnya. Therefore, Ossetians, Abkhazians and Chechen-Kists in Georgia respect Georgia’s principles and do not support the governments of their homelands while they hope the expansion of their socio-cultural rights and relations with their homelands.