CaucasTalk

The tables are flipped this week: We want YOU to do the talking. It’s Feedback Week here at CaucasTalk and we want to hear from you. Help us direct the future of the podcast. This year has thrown so much into flux and we’ve all had to make changes. CaucasTalk is no exception. We are exploring new trajectories for our project and want to tap our incredible base of loyal listeners for fresh insights and ideas. Please give this short episode a listen, then CLICK BELOW to take our first-ever listener survey. (We think this is super exciting.) Plus, you will have an opportunity to sign up for our new newsletter, which will help us keep in closer touch with you our listeners and provide the content most meaningful to you.

TAKE OUR SURVEY! https://us16.list-manage.com/survey?u=7d07307e03c05f6acf7a33ea8&id=64c3a2aa4e

While religion may be a tender subject to bring up in mixed company in some parts of the world, in the North Caucasus, it’s unavoidable. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t talk religion with one friend or another. To understand the Caucasus, then, is to talk—and listen, and hear, and think—about religion. Over the next three episodes we will air an extended conversation between the two of us about the many colorful facets of religion in this region. As always, much is based on our experience with our many friends from many backgrounds. We want to acknowledge up front that even though we are not endorsing one thing or another, some listeners will likely feel misrepresented. Please know that is not our purpose at all. If you know us, you know that we are open to learning more! So let this serve as an invitation for more discovery about this rich, deep, and pervasive part of life in the North Caucasus. Enjoy the conversation!

Today’s conversation dwells on the multiplicity of religious influences that entered Dagestan through the ancient city of Derbent, as well as through the Western Caucasus. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all had established presences here at various times and much architecture remains to show it.

While religion may be a tender subject to bring up in mixed company in some parts of the world, in the North Caucasus, it’s unavoidable. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t talk religion with one friend or another. To understand the Caucasus, then, is to talk—and listen, and hear, and think—about religion. Over the next three episodes we will air an extended conversation between the two of us about the many colorful facets of religion in this region. As always, much is based on our experience with our many friends from many backgrounds. We want to acknowledge up front that even though we are not endorsing one thing or another, some listeners will likely feel misrepresented. Please know that is not our purpose at all. If you know us, you know that we are open to learning more! So let this serve as an invitation for more discovery about this rich, deep, and pervasive part of life in the North Caucasus. Enjoy the conversation!

While religion may be a tender subject to bring up in mixed company in some parts of the world, in the North Caucasus it’s unavoidable. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t talk religion with one friend or another. To understand the Caucasus, then, is to talk—and listen, and hear, and think—about religion. Over the next three episodes we will air an extended conversation between the two of us about the many colorful facets of religion in this region. As always, much is based on our experience with our many friends from many backgrounds. We want to acknowledge up front that even though we are not endorsing one thing or another, some listeners will likely feel misrepresented. Please know that is not our purpose at all. If you know us, you know that we are open to learning more! So let this serve as an invitation for more discovery about this rich, deep, and pervasive part of life in the North Caucasus.

Today we discuss the wide diversity of religions represented in the North Caucasus and take a dive into Islam in its many forms. Enjoy the conversation!

Got a rumbling in the tummy?  Eyes aching?  Liver flagging?  Lungs languishing?  The North Caucasus region has a solution for you: stinky water.  That’s right, good old fashioned olfactory mineral water bubbling up from the depths just may have what you need to wash your ailments away.  Not only that, a whole cluster of cities is devoted to this very thing. This famous destination, known as the Caucasus Mineral Waters region, has welcomed into its salubrious embrace health-seekers for generations.  Doctors have prescribed everything from sipping waters from a curated list of sources, to precisely scheduled walks in the woods, to strict diets, to bizarre treatments (such as you’ll hear about in today’s episode!).  To guide us into this veritable aquifer of wonders we hear from local teacher and mineral water enthusiast Roman who with broad knowledge and a good dose of charm may just win you over to the Caucasus mineral waters for your next spa vacation.

Let’s be honest: some of us like to buy books, but others of us like to actually read them. Today we hear from a true bibliophile and, what shall we say, Kavkazophile—a lover of books and the Caucasus. Ian Tuttle, once an exchange student between Hastings College in Nebraska and Pyatigorsk State University, shares with us his Top 10 books on the North Caucasus, all the way from casual cookbooks up to PhD-tier tomes. But don’t be intimidated, he has some surprises along the way and offerings for listeners of all interest levels. Not to be outdone, Andrew and I chime in with our own selections (take heart, Eli’s includes a children’s book), so come along, take a look, it’s in a book, a Kavkaz rainbow!

LINKS FOR EPISODE 79

IAN’S TOP 10 BOOKS!SECTION I: North Caucasus History

SECTION II: Circassian Culture & Cuisine

Kabardian Cuisine, by Fatimat Kardanova

SECTION III: Literature of the North Caucasus

SECTION IV: Niche

ELI’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS!

ANDREW’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS!

Let’s be honest: some of us like to buy books, but others of us like to actually read them. Today we hear from a true bibliophile and, what shall we say, Kavkazophile—a lover of books and the Caucasus. Ian Tuttle, once an exchange student between Hastings College in Nebraska and Pyatigorsk State University, shares with us his Top 10 books on the North Caucasus, all the way from casual cookbooks up to PhD-tier tomes. But don’t be intimidated, he has some surprises along the way and offerings for listeners of all interest levels. Not to be outdone, Andrew and I chime in with our own selections (take heart, Eli’s includes a children’s book), so come along, take a look, it’s in a book, a Kavkaz rainbow!

LINKS FOR EPISODE 79

IAN’S TOP 10 BOOKS!SECTION I: North Caucasus History

SECTION II: Circassian Culture & Cuisine

Kabardian Cuisine, by Fatimat Kardanova

SECTION III: Literature of the North Caucasus

SECTION IV: Niche

ELI’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS!

ANDREW’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS!

Emre Basok is a Turkish-born Circassian pursuing his PhD in Ohio.  He studies how language supports identity and heritage and has recently turned his interests to his roots. He comes in as the third of our Circassian guest this summer and brings even more depth to the textured and colorful history of the Circassian diaspora.  Emre’s passion for his own heritage but also his genuine concern for linguistic vitality for all peoples comes across loud and clear.

Emre’s Article on Linguistic Genocide

Circassian Benevolent AssociationAustralian Fake Russian Choir

David Shawgen is the founder of Circassologia, an information portal devoted to the culture, history, and future of the Circassian people. He also works at a Circassian History Museum.  What you might not expect is that this museum is located in Israel!  David shares how his people came to exist in Israel—along with Syria, Jordan, and many other places around the globe—and the fascinating dynamics of how he and his family live and coexist with their Arab and Israeli neighbors, as well as how they maintain their own culture, language, and way of life.

Links for Episode 77

https://www.facebook.com/Circassiologia

Circassian Museum

https://www.facebook.com/circassianmuseum

Do you love driving? Do you love breathtaking vistas? How about a little adventure, a few bumps, and a lot of fun? And would you like all of that on a tour of Dagestan? Then meet Off-Road Camper, Dagestan’s only luxury off-road tour company. They put you behind the wheel of a classic Soviet-style “bukhanka,” but fresh off the assembly line and updated for safety, and send you out the door with your GPS pre-programmed to lead you on a curated route of some of the most beautiful sites in Dagestan. Along the way you’ll meet hosts in mountain villages with translators waiting for you. It’s an amazing operation and one you will not want to miss!

Links for Episode 76

Offroad Camper: www.offroad-camper.ruSPECIAL MUSIC CREDIT:In viaggio con Ermannohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DFMHaBmAuk