EURASIA INSIGHT
AZERBAIJAN: BAKU DEBATES DITCHING RUSSIAN-ORIGIN LAST NAMES

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Mina Miradova 3/02/10

A draft law on dropping Russian endings from Azeri last names is
fueling debate in Azerbaijan about how best to define the country’s
national identity.

As elsewhere in the South Caucasus, Russia’s cultural influence has
been receding rapidly since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
In Azerbaijan, that change coincides with the country’s emergence as a
regional energy power.

Many believe that ethnic Azeri last names better suit Azerbaijan’s
status as an independent state with an identity of its own, rather
than names with Russian-origin endings.

Such a changeover, however, would be no small task. A six-month
research study done by a special commission under the National Academy
of Sciences shows that nearly 80 percent of Azerbaijan’s population of
8.3 million has last names with the Russian endings of "-ov/ova" or
"-ev/eva." Among that number is Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev,
whose administration is now reviewing the name-change legislation.

Under the proposal, submitted by parliament’s Culture Committee
chairman, Nizami Jafarov, a member of the governing Yeni Azerbaijan
Party, the name change will be obligatory for all newborns; others
will only be recommended to drop the Russian last name endings of
"-ov/ova" and "-ev/eva." Participants would then choose one of four
Azeri endings for their new last names: "-ly", "-oglu", "-gil" or
"-soy."

Debate still persists about names ending with "-zade," an ending
derived from Persian; Jafarov, though, believes the ending could make
the cut "because people perceive it as a national [ethnic Azeri] one."

The name-change requirement would not apply to Azerbaijani citizens of
non-Azeri ethnic origin, he said. While conceding that some
Azerbaijanis will not be eager to change their names, he put the
number at no more than 10 percent of population, the APA news agency
reported.

One leader of Azerbaijan’s movement for independence from the Soviet
Union characterizes the proposal as a chance to wipe out an
"historical injustice."

"We did not accept the ‘-ov’ and ‘-ev’ endings voluntarily," said poet
Sabir Rustamhanly, a member of parliament. "Without asking anybody’s
wish, these endings were added to everybody’s last name. ? The change
in the endings of our last names was part of the [Russian] policy to
influence our national consciousness and to distort our history."

Tsarist Russia gained control over modern-day Azerbaijan in 1828, as
part of a treaty with Persia that ceded Persian-held territories in
the Caucasus to Russia. Azerbaijan declared its independence in 1918
with the creation of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic, but again
fell under Russian suzerainty in 1920 following the invasion of the
Red Army.

Two years after Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet
Union in 1991, parliament issued a decree on the voluntary change of
last names, but few changes were made. Russian language influence has
since declined sharply, as Azerbaijan has opened up more widely to the
outside world.

Promoting Azeri last names over names with Russian endings will do
little to complete the independence process, believes one journalist.
Elchin Shikhlinsky, editor-in-chief of Baku’s Russian-language daily
Zerkalo (Mirror), argues that forcing people to change their last
names would potentially constitute a human rights violation.

"The commission can only work out proposals and recommend that people
change [their names], but it can’t force them," said Shikhlinsky, who
does not plan to drop his last name’s Russian ending. Newborns given a
last name with an Azeri ending should "be able to make a decision
independently" about their names when they receive their
identification cards, he added.

The prospect of a name change confuses 35-year-old mother Rena
Abilova, now in her sixth month of pregnancy. "So, my baby will have a
last name different from ours," she sighed. "My husband and I tried to
replace our last name’s ending with the suggested ones, but none of
them sound right. I . . . do not know what we will do."

The Academy of Sciences commission has proposed the creation of a
state-run database to keep track of Azeri first and last names.

Greater enthusiasm for taking a new, Azeri-only last name can be found
among Azerbaijanis who are too young to remember the Soviet Union and
want a more Turkic-sounding last name, commented Vafa Jafarova, the
former head of the youth movement Dalga. The support, though, is "not
massive," she added.

Political analyst Zardusht Alizade calls the name-change proposal
"cheap populism."

"These people are playing the worthless role of pseudo-patriots who
allegedly are looking for their own national roots and want to restore
the integrity of their national pride," Alizade contended. "[But] by
changing [our] last names, nothing positive and progressive will
happen in society. To be free from outside influence, we should change
our mindset and implement independent [government] policies."

Zerkalo Editor-in-Chief Shikhlinsky seconds that opinion, calling for
the government and society to "grow out of their short pants."

Other Azerbaijanis say they will make the name change only when senior
government officials take the first step. So far, no such decision has
been announced.

Editor’s Note: Mina Miradova is a freelance reporter based in Baku.

Posted March 2, 2010 © Eurasianet