Evolving Trajectories: Actor Transformation and Phases of Political Violence in the South Caucasus

This paper addresses the issue of how violent escalation reshapes armed groups and participants in political violence. Drawing on fieldwork, interviews and participant observation in the South Caucasus I examine the effects that changes in the scale of political violence (from sporadic, low-scale to sustained, high-scale) have had on the ideological evolution, identity shifts and experiences of those participating in violent activities. Concentrating primarily on the case of Nagorno-Karabakh, I explore how and when political violence became a cause for self-identification, dramatically transforming participants' identities. I further highlight the various (identity) narratives participants draw upon to justify their direct involvement, including loyalty to the homeland and communal pressure. Overall, this paper contributes to a better understanding of identity (re)construction during and after specific episodes of political violence, as well as the ways in which differences in the phases and scale of violence can be linked to actor transformation processes.