Amjad Jaimoukha
Encyclopedia
Amjad Jaimoukha (May 1962?) has written a number of books on North Caucasian – specifically Circassian and Chechen
– culture and folklore. According to The Circassian Encyclopaedia (M. Mamser, 2009, in the entry "Amjad Jaimoukha"), "Jaimoukha is perhaps the most important writer on Circassian issues". He is considered one of the most influential Circassian writers and publicists in the last decade. In particular, he has been active in promoting and assisting a new crop of Circassian (and non-Circassian) writers working on raising the profile of Caucasian issues at the global level.
. The principal aim of the Centre is the development and dissemination of Circassian literature, culture and folklore. There is a particular emphasis on boosting the status of Circassian and to promote its teaching and use. The Centre publishes a bilingual journal (in Circassian and English) "The Hearth Tree". The publications of the Centre can be accessed via its website http://iccs.synthasite.com.
Jaimoukha has devised a Latin orthography for Kabardian (Eastern Circassian) http://jaimoukha.synthasite.com/latinized-kabardian-alphabet.php http://demokratikcerkesplatformu.org/hewitt.htm that is characterised by relative simplicity (considering the complexity of the language). An advantage of this system is that it has a one-to-one correspondence with the current Cyrillic orthography used for Kabardian, and already a software has been designed to render one orthography into the other, making it possible to turn works already published in Cyrillic Kabardian into the new orthography, and vice versa, facilitating transition from one system to the other.
Jaimoukha is a proponent of North Caucasian unity and independence (from Daghestan in the east to Abkhazia in the west). He advocated Circassian independence on a number of media outlets. He refers to the historical lands of the Circassians as "Circassia". Despite the linguistic diversity, the peoples of the North Caucasus share similar traditions, beliefs and culture. His work "Thoughts on North Caucasian Federation" maps a plan of unification of the western part of the region (the historical lands of the Circassians (Adiga), Abkhaz-Abaza [Apswa] and the Ubykh). According to this scheme, the Adiga entities (perhaps with the inclusion of the Abaza) would be united into one independent state that might eventually opt to enter into federative arrangements with the already independent Abkhaz and the Karachai-Balkar state. This would remove the artificial tensions that might flare up into open conflict between the Kabardians and Balkar in Kabardino-Balkaria and the Karachai and Cherkess in the Karachai-Cherkess Republic. The Adigeans would become more secure and more resistant to the Russian drive to undo their fragile republic. It would seem that the logical (interim) step of uniting the Kabardians and Cherkess into one autonomous entity on the one hand and the Karachai and Balkar into another, on the other, is considered taboo by the authorities in the two republics.
, the editor of the Caucasus World series published by Routledge and co-owner of the publishing house Bennett and Bloom, JonArno Lawson, the writer of a number of fantastic books, and Michel Malherbe, the prolific writer and editor of the Parlons... series published by the French publishing house L'Harmattan. A work on the Adigean dialect of Circassian is scheduled to be published by L'Harmattan in 2010. Jaimoukha http://www.routledge-ny.com/ref/minorities/contributors.html#j contributed five articles (on the Circassians, Kabardians, Karachai, Dagestanis, and Jordan) in Carl Skutsche's seminal three-volume work Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities http://www.routledge-ny.com/ref/minorities/index.html#details http://www.routledge-ny.com/ref/minorities/reviews.html, published by Routledge http://www.routledge.com/ in 2004 in New York.
There is close co-operation with the well-known Circassian writer Luba Belaghi (Balagova; publications in Circassian and Russian) in the framework of the publications of the International Centre for Circassian Studies.
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
– culture and folklore. According to The Circassian Encyclopaedia (M. Mamser, 2009, in the entry "Amjad Jaimoukha"), "Jaimoukha is perhaps the most important writer on Circassian issues". He is considered one of the most influential Circassian writers and publicists in the last decade. In particular, he has been active in promoting and assisting a new crop of Circassian (and non-Circassian) writers working on raising the profile of Caucasian issues at the global level.
Principal works
Jaimoukha has published with the following Western publishing houses: Routledge [RoutledgeCurzon], Curzon, Bennett and Bloom, Palgrave (Macmillan) [St. Martin's Press], L'Harmattan. He also worked with Sanjalay Press and the International Centre for Circassian Studies.- The Circassians: A Handbook (London and New York: Routledge; New York: Palgrave, 2001): "This is the first modern account of the Circassians... The book...fills a substantial gap in Western readers' knowledge of this Caucasian nation. It encompasses nearly all aspects of Circassian history and life...". It has become the prime reference work on the Circassians. It has been reviewed in more than a dozen international journals.http://jaimoukha.synthasite.com/circassians-handbook.php According to Choice Magazine "This exceptionally comprehensive handbook maintains throughout the highest scholarly rigor...a fundamental reference..." Other testimonials: "Amjad Jaimoukha ... has done his people great service in producing this volume." An updated and much expanded edition is slated for publication in 2011 by Bennett and Bloom, a decade after the publication of the first edition.
- The Chechens: A Handbook (Routledge, 2005) with contributions from the Canadian writer and poet JonArno Lawson. For a limited preview of the book, refer to Google Books.http://books.google.com/books?id=PnjAlei9fe0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Jaimoukha#v=onepage&q=&f=false The book which was simultaneously published by Routledge in the UK, the US and Canada, sheds light on some obscure aspects of Chechen culture and folklore. It also includes an account of the ancient native religion and beliefs of the Nakh peoples (Chechens, Ingush, Kist, and Batsbi [Tsova-Tush]). According to the publishers it is "the only comprehensive treatment of this subject available in English". ["A comprehensive survey of the history, culture and religious traditions of the Chechen people, including an account of the short-lived Chechen film industry, the images of Chechens propagated by Russian and Western media, and a section of Chechen proverbs and sayings."]
- Kabardian-English Dictionary, Sanjalay Press, 1997. (Some 22,000 words, 574 pages. Principally based on: Kardanov (Qarden), B. M. (ed.), КЪЭБЭРДЕЙ-УРЫС СЛОВАРЬ. Kabardinsko-russki slovar’ [Kabardian-Russian Dictionary], Kabardino-Balkarian Science and Research Institute, Moscow: State Press of Foreign and National Dictionaries, 1957. A new and improved edition of the dictionary is in the works).
- Parlons tcherkesse: Dialecte kabarde [Let's Speak Circassian: Kabardian Dialect], (Paris: L'Harmattan, 2009) Co-authored with Michel Malherbe. This book is the only treatment of the Kabardian dialect of Circassian in the French language. It presents an account of Kabardian grammar (including a phonetic description), conversational sentences, and Kabardian-French and French-Kabardian lexicons. There is also sections on culture, folklore, history, and the native Circassian system of beliefs. The book is complemented by an audio CD of the Circassian texts to allow the reader to attempt to reproduce the sounds of Kabardian (some of which are pretty exotic and esoteric!).
- Circassian Culture and Folklore: Hospitality Traditions, Cuisine, Festivals & Music (Kabardian, Cherkess, Adigean, Shapsugh & Diaspora), London: Bennett and Bloom, 2010. ["This is the first book in English to describe in detail the rich culture and traditions of the Circassians"] http://www.bennettandbloom.com/circassians.htm
- Circassian Customs and Traditions, The International Centre for Circassian Studies, 2009. http://iccs.synthasite.com/circassian-etiquette.php
- Circassian Religion, The International Centre for Circassian Studies, 2009. http://jaimoukha.synthasite.com/circassian-religion.php
- Circassian Bibliography, The International Centre for Circassian Studies, 2009. http://iccs.synthasite.com/circassian-bibliography.php
- Circassian Proverbs and Sayings, Sanjalay Press, 2009. http://jaimoukha.synthasite.com/circassian-proverbs-and-sayings.php (Has some 3,000 entries in Kabardian [in Cyrillic and Latin orthographies] with corresponding English expressions)
International Centre for Circassian Studies (ICCS)
Jaimoukha is currently Director of the International Centre for Circassian Studies (ICCS), an institute specialising in the dissemination of Circassian culture and folklore. The Centre is the brainchild of the famous Circassian writer and film producer and director Mohydeen QuandourMohydeen Izzat Quandour
Mohydeen Izzat Quandour was born in 1938, in Amman, Jordan, to a family of 19th century Circassian immigrants. Well known in the Circassian community as the author of the Kavkas trilogy, he is also an accomplished music composer and film director.-Works:...
. The principal aim of the Centre is the development and dissemination of Circassian literature, culture and folklore. There is a particular emphasis on boosting the status of Circassian and to promote its teaching and use. The Centre publishes a bilingual journal (in Circassian and English) "The Hearth Tree". The publications of the Centre can be accessed via its website http://iccs.synthasite.com.
Jaimoukha has devised a Latin orthography for Kabardian (Eastern Circassian) http://jaimoukha.synthasite.com/latinized-kabardian-alphabet.php http://demokratikcerkesplatformu.org/hewitt.htm that is characterised by relative simplicity (considering the complexity of the language). An advantage of this system is that it has a one-to-one correspondence with the current Cyrillic orthography used for Kabardian, and already a software has been designed to render one orthography into the other, making it possible to turn works already published in Cyrillic Kabardian into the new orthography, and vice versa, facilitating transition from one system to the other.
Work at the Royal Scientific Society
Jaimoukha previously held the position of Assistant President of the Royal Scientific Society (RSS) in the period 2003-2007. He published a number of studies and bibliographic tomes during his tenure at RSS, including Scientific Integrity, Intellectual Capital Report, and Bibliography of the Publications of the Royal Scientific Society.Circassian culture and folklore
Jaimoukha is a strong advocate of the revival of all aspects of Circassian culture and folklore, including obsolete and defunct genres of art and culture. He has written a number of books and articles in journals and newspapers championing the raising of the status of the Circassian language in both the Circassian republics in the Northwest Caucasus (where about one million Circassians live) and in the diaspora (principally in Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, US, Germany, France, and the Netherlands), where some 5 million descendants of the 19th-century Circassian forced immigrants reside. The ultimate survival of the Circassian language and culture is intimately associated with the political fate of the Circassians in the Caucasus and the re-establishment of Circassia as a viable state, recognised as a full member of the comity of nations. The unification of the Kabardians, Cherkess, Adigeans, and Shapsugh in the Northwest Caucasus in the political and cultural spheres is a requisite step towards enhanced autonomy. Jaimoukha is considered among the vocal Circassians actively engaged in raising awareness of Circassian issues amongst the Circassians themselves and at a global level. He plans to publish a book on the controversial issue of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, to be held in Circassia.Global awareness of Circassian issues
Nevertheless, awareness of Circassian matters at the global stage is very limited due to a number of factors, including isolation (both self-imposed and externally imposed by the state) of the Circassian scholars and intellectuals in the Northwest Caucasus, nominal divisions (the Circassians and their language are officially referred to by a different designation in each of their republics and regions: Kabardian, Cherkess, Adigean, Shapsugh; the Circassians have a universal self-designation: "Adiga"), lack of appreciation (amongst the Circassians themselves) of the global importance of Circassian culture and folklore, linguistic barriers (publications on Circassian issues in the Northwest Caucasus are overwhelmingly in Circassian and Russian, rarely in Western European languages), and last, but not least, the indefatigable efforts by the Russian state machinery and security services to perpetuate imposed divisions amongst the Circassians and their continual machinations to frustrate the efforts of the Circassians to achieve their legitimate national aspirations. The Russian state is only too aware of the heightened sense of nationhood of the Circassians both in the Caucasus and diaspora and consider this as a potential threat to its hegemony over the Northwest Caucasus. Russian state interest perceives no gainsay in extending official recognition of the independence of the tiny nation of South Ossetia (an autonomous region of a few dozen thousand inhabitants in neighbouring Georgia), and yet denying the much larger Circassian nation (in the Russian Federation) any chance of pursuing its national aspirations towards unity and autonomy.Jaimoukha is a proponent of North Caucasian unity and independence (from Daghestan in the east to Abkhazia in the west). He advocated Circassian independence on a number of media outlets. He refers to the historical lands of the Circassians as "Circassia". Despite the linguistic diversity, the peoples of the North Caucasus share similar traditions, beliefs and culture. His work "Thoughts on North Caucasian Federation" maps a plan of unification of the western part of the region (the historical lands of the Circassians (Adiga), Abkhaz-Abaza [Apswa] and the Ubykh). According to this scheme, the Adiga entities (perhaps with the inclusion of the Abaza) would be united into one independent state that might eventually opt to enter into federative arrangements with the already independent Abkhaz and the Karachai-Balkar state. This would remove the artificial tensions that might flare up into open conflict between the Kabardians and Balkar in Kabardino-Balkaria and the Karachai and Cherkess in the Karachai-Cherkess Republic. The Adigeans would become more secure and more resistant to the Russian drive to undo their fragile republic. It would seem that the logical (interim) step of uniting the Kabardians and Cherkess into one autonomous entity on the one hand and the Karachai and Balkar into another, on the other, is considered taboo by the authorities in the two republics.
Collaborations
Principal literary collaborations include work with Nicholas AwdeNick Awde
Nick Awde Hill , is a British writer, artist, singer-songwriter and critic. The author, editor or illustrator of more than 50 books, he is based in London and Brussels...
, the editor of the Caucasus World series published by Routledge and co-owner of the publishing house Bennett and Bloom, JonArno Lawson, the writer of a number of fantastic books, and Michel Malherbe, the prolific writer and editor of the Parlons... series published by the French publishing house L'Harmattan. A work on the Adigean dialect of Circassian is scheduled to be published by L'Harmattan in 2010. Jaimoukha http://www.routledge-ny.com/ref/minorities/contributors.html#j contributed five articles (on the Circassians, Kabardians, Karachai, Dagestanis, and Jordan) in Carl Skutsche's seminal three-volume work Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities http://www.routledge-ny.com/ref/minorities/index.html#details http://www.routledge-ny.com/ref/minorities/reviews.html, published by Routledge http://www.routledge.com/ in 2004 in New York.
There is close co-operation with the well-known Circassian writer Luba Belaghi (Balagova; publications in Circassian and Russian) in the framework of the publications of the International Centre for Circassian Studies.
Personal life
Amjad Jaimoukha currently works in the private sector and is married to Nadia Biesha and has two children: Sanjalay and Dumasara. His fortune was made in real estate and book publications.External links
- The International Centre for Circassian Studies website
- Personal website
- Circassian Culture and Folklore website (on reocities.com): http://www.reocities.com/jaimoukha. [The quintessential award-winning site on Circassian culture and folklore. It was established in 1998 by Jaimoukha and is the longest running website on Circassian culture]