THE ORIGINS OF MULTICULTURALISM IN THE JOURNALISTIC WORKS OF AZERBAIJANI INTELLECTUALS PUBLISHED IN THE PERIODICAL PRESS OF THE SOUTH CAUCASUS (THE LATE 19th – EARLY 20th CENTURIES)

Vershinina Maria Valentinovna

Historical interactions and coexistence of various ethnic and religious groups of the South Caucasus laid the foundation for multiculturalism in this territory, which was formulated by representatives of the Azerbaijani intelligentsia of the late XIX – early XX centuries on the pages of Turkic-language periodicals and had a direct impact on the development of this phenomenon in modern Azerbaijan. These publications (for example, the newspaper "Ekinci", 1875-1877) are not only important historical sources that vividly reflect the political and cultural life of the region, but also represent examples of the intellectual heritage of the Azerbaijani intelligentsia of that period, where a friendly attitude towards representatives of other ethnoconfessional groups was cultivated through the press, the formation of appropriate values was stimulated, a multicultural atmosphere was created cooperation, intercultural communication was developing. All this has played a significant role in the formation of modern Azerbaijani multiculturalism.

Keywords:multiculturalism, Azerbaijanism, intellectual, intelligentsia, periodicals, newspaper