ИЗВЕСТИЯ СОИГСИ

The study of the history of the formation of the North Caucasian diasporas in the Middle East is an important prerequisite for an adequate understanding of their further ethno-social transformation and the current situation in the countries of the region. In this article, the main principles of organizational and administrative regulation of the reception, resettlement and primary adaptation of the North Caucasian immigrants in the Ottoman Empire in the 1830s–1870s are examined. In particular, the instructions on the settlement of the immigrants, the directive documents issued by the central government, detailing the legal basis for the process of North Caucasian colonization, have been characterized. The article relies mainly on the data of Ottoman archival materials, most of which are being introduced into scientific circulation. The study found that the Porte’s approaches to the problem of settlement of the North Caucasian immigrants underwent certain evolution during the reviewed period, being corrected according to current circumstances and challenges. The analysis of the contents of the instructions unambiguously points to the desire of the Ottoman authorities to achieve the fast economic rehabilitation and re-socialization of their new subjects and their transformation into a productive segment of the agrarian population. At the same time, with the rise of the immigration flow, especially since the mid-1860s, the trend towards a gradual reduction in the amount of public spending on colonization projects and shifting their burden on the local population and immigrants themselves is increasingly evident. The documents also reflected the difficulties in the practical implementation of the provisions of the instructions, stemming from both the low efficiency of the Ottoman administrative system and the specifics of the traditional social structure of the migrants. Nevertheless, on the whole, there is undoubtedly consistent improvement in Porte’s methods and mechanisms of settlement and socio-economic adaptation of the North Caucasians in their new homeland.

Keywords: Ottoman Empire, North Caucasian immigrants, colonization, socio-economic adaptation, instructions on the settlement of immigrants.

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