Research Interest
I am interested in the relationships between religion and politics in general, and, specifically, in the interactions of religion, secularism, and nationalism. My regional concentration is on the Middle East, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. My dissertation research at the University of Cincinnati examines the links between secularism and ethnic nationalism in Azerbaijan, Iran, and Turkey. During my graduate study in Turkey (at Fatih University in Istanbul) and research at Tehran University in Iran, I studied the rise of political Islam in these states. In the future, I intend to expand my investigation of Islam and politics to include other Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries. I am also interested in examining the interactions of Shia and Sunni Islam with politics, particularly with respect to democracy and nationalism.
My research agenda engages deeply with the way in which these pervasive political reflections of religion have shaped and continue to shape the Middle East. Broadly, what role does religion play in shaping political preferences? What other factors affect the political impact of religion? Specifically, what role does religion play in shaping national identity in Muslim societies? What role does secularism play vis-à-vis religion in the emergence and rise of nationalism and secessionism, especially in ethnically divided societies? What were the similarities and differences between the reactions of Shia and Sunni Islam to modernity, secularism, and secular nationalism? How did religion influence the rise and decline of authoritarian regimes in the Middle East? How have authoritarian regimes influenced the rise of religious radicalism? How do the findings on the interactions of religion, secularism, nationalism, and politics in the Islamic world help our understanding of events in other parts of the world?
My research agenda engages deeply with the way in which these pervasive political reflections of religion have shaped and continue to shape the Middle East. Broadly, what role does religion play in shaping political preferences? What other factors affect the political impact of religion? Specifically, what role does religion play in shaping national identity in Muslim societies? What role does secularism play vis-à-vis religion in the emergence and rise of nationalism and secessionism, especially in ethnically divided societies? What were the similarities and differences between the reactions of Shia and Sunni Islam to modernity, secularism, and secular nationalism? How did religion influence the rise and decline of authoritarian regimes in the Middle East? How have authoritarian regimes influenced the rise of religious radicalism? How do the findings on the interactions of religion, secularism, nationalism, and politics in the Islamic world help our understanding of events in other parts of the world?
My Dissertation
My dissertation examines the interaction of religion, secularism and nationalism in Iranian (Southern) Azerbaijan and Caucasian Azerbaijan (now the independent Republic of Azerbaijan). Azerbaijanis were part of the same political establishment until their split in 1828. Why did Northern Azerbaijanis establish two independent states, interrupted by a period as a Soviet Republic, while Iranian Azerbaijanis—the largest minority in the Middle East with a population two times the size of Northern Azerbaijan—remained a part of Iran, even at times of permissive political conditions for secession and independence?
I argue that the primary reason for the rise of “assertive nationalism” in the North is the influence of the “secular nationalist” elite, who were exposed to Enlightenment ideas. This elite led the way to a “secular nationalist revolution” and the construction of a new nation from the ummah. In the South, however, religious institutions and identifications with Shia Islam led to an “integrationist nationalism” among Azerbaijanis in Iran.
These conclusions are based on my comprehensive analysis of primary and secondary sources in four different languages and scripts. The Azerbaijani minority in Iran is an understudied community despite its religious and political importance in Iran. My seven different case studies in two countries at different time periods make a significant contribution to the existing literature on the Azerbaijani minority in Iran in particular and nationalism in general.
Ramin Ahmadoghlu ©