Blurred borders: Kurds, empires, and identity in the Caucasus

This article examines Kurdish populations in the Caucasus borderlands within the context of Ottoman–Russian imperial rivalry from the nineteenth century through the aftermath of the First World War. It argues that Kurdish political behavior in this frontier zone is best understood through the structural dynamics of interimperial competition and shifting sovereignty rather than through ethnic or nationalist explanations alone. Drawing on Russian, Ottoman and British archival sources, the study shows that Kurdish communities exercised situational agency by negotiating loyalties and exploiting imperial rivalries to pursue security, autonomy and material advantage. The article also problematizes the retrospective projection of fixed Kurdish identity onto the Caucasus, emphasizing the multiform and contingent nature of Kurdish identification prior to the emergence of modern nationalism. Finally, it situates Kurdish–Armenian relations and wartime violence within the broader framework of imperial policies, frontier militarization and imperial collapse, highlighting the decisive role of state strategies in shaping intercommunal relations.