The Genocide Recognition Dossier brings together materials on the history, documentation, memory, and international recognition of the Circassian genocide.
It is designed as a public and policy-facing resource for researchers, students, journalists, civil society actors, public institutions, and organisations interested in historical justice, recognition processes, and Russian imperial violence in the Caucasus.
The dossier includes explanatory materials, recognition precedents, documentary references, policy commentaries, event materials, and public resources connected to ongoing discussion of the Circassian genocide.
Historical Background
This section provides introductory and analytical materials on the Circassian genocide, forced displacement, exile, and aftermath. It situates the destruction of Circassian communities within the broader history of Russian imperial expansion in the Caucasus, the Caucasus War, mass violence, deportation, and the long-term consequences of displacement.
Forthcoming materials will include:
- What happened to the Circassians? A short historical guide
- The Caucasus War and the destruction of Circassian sovereignty
- Deportation, exile, and the formation of the Circassian diaspora
- The 21 May Day of Mourning: history and memory
- Circassia, the Black Sea coast, and Russian imperial conquest
Recognition Precedents
This section collects materials on recognition initiatives and precedents concerning the Circassian genocide. It examines how recognition has been debated, adopted, framed, or proposed in different national and institutional contexts, including Georgia, Ukraine, Lithuania, and other relevant cases.
Forthcoming materials include:
- Recognition of the Circassian genocide: international precedents
- Georgia and recognition of the Circassian genocide
- Ukraine and the Circassian genocide recognition debate
- Lithuania and parliamentary recognition initiatives
- Recognition, historical justice, and contemporary Russia policy
Policy Commentaries
This section publishes policy-facing texts on recognition, historical justice, Russian imperialism, the North Caucasus, diaspora politics, and contemporary debates about Europe’s Russia policy.
Featured and forthcoming commentaries include:
- Circassia Is Not a Footnote: Genocide Recognition and Europe’s Russia Policy
- Why Poland Should Examine Recognition of the Circassian Genocide
- The North Caucasus in Europe’s Russia Policy
- Circassian Genocide Recognition and the Politics of Historical Justice
- Circassian Diaspora, Memory, and Russian Transnational Pressure
Documents and Sources
This section provides selected references to documentary, archival, published, and community-based materials relevant to the study of the Circassian genocide, forced displacement, exile, and memory.
- references to archival and documentary collections;
- published primary sources and translated excerpts;
- historical maps and visual materials;
- bibliographic notes on major works;
- source guides for students, researchers, and journalists;
- materials connected to the Circassian Genocide: Documentary Sources book project.
Public Resources
This section provides accessible materials for readers seeking reliable introductory information on Circassian history, genocide recognition, memory, terminology, geography, and the North Caucasus.