Cultural Identity, National Heritage, and National Unity in the Azerbaijani Diaspora:
An Analysis of 35 Years of Experience
Saida Guliyeva1* 
, Asaf Hajiyev1 , Ulduz Pashayeva2 , Murad Asadov2
Abstract. The main purpose of the study is to examine the organizational process of Azerbaijani emigrants and the principal directions of diaspora activity, to identify the mechanisms for preserving national identity and cultural values, and to analyze the role of emigrant organizations in the formation and development of the ideology of "Azərbaycançılıq" (Azerbaijanism). The source base of the study consists of official state documents, materials of diaspora organizations, and authoritative scholarly research on the subject. The methodological basis of the study is the unity of literature analysis and comparative-historical analysis. Within this methodological approach, existing theoretical concepts and scholarly perspectives were taken as a basis, and the historical processes related to the organization of Azerbaijani emigrants, diaspora activity, the preservation of national identity and cultural values, and the formation and development of the ideology of Azerbaijanism were analyzed systematically.
The results of the study show that the formation and development of the Azerbaijani diaspora have been a focus of state attention at various historical stages. The ideology of Azerbaijanism has served as an important unifying factor in shaping national-spiritual and ideological ties between the homeland and the diaspora. In the modern period, the fact that the activity of the Azerbaijani diaspora also encompasses interaction with Turkic communities living in various countries highlights its contribution to the development of cultural and social ties within the turkic world.
Keywords: Azerbaijani diaspora, diaspora institutionalization, Azerbaijanism, cultural identity, turkic world