Azerbaijan's Policy of Forced Cultural Appropriation after the Second Artsakh War: The Case of Dadivank Monastery
Documents the methods by which Azerbaijani officials have pursued the forced appropriation of Armenian cultural monuments in Artsakh since the 2020 war. The article traces the 'Albanisation' thesis in Azerbaijani SSR historiography from the 1950s onward, showing how it was constructed to make all peoples of the South Caucasus appear equally indigenous. Dadivank, in the Karvachar area, serves as the case study: after passing under Azerbaijani control in November 2020 it was recast internationally as Caucasian Albanian heritage. The author sets out the 'scientific bases' advanced by Soviet and post-Soviet historians and the concrete channels through which the rebranding is promoted to international audiences.