This article analyzes the formation of the idea of national self-consciousness in nineteenth-century Azerbaijani Enlightenment within the context of ideological sources and historical transformation. The main objective of the study is to systematically examine the impact of the political, administrative, and social changes of that period on the formation of national identity, as well as to determine the role of Enlightenment ideology in constructing national identity. Particular attention is given to the influence of the new administrative model and social environment that emerged after the Treaty of Gulistan and the Treaty of Turkmenchay on the development of national consciousness. The research employs historical-analytical and comparative-historical methods, comparing the period of the khanates with the stage of imperial administration in terms of national identity. In addition, a structuralfunctional approach is used to analyze the role of the education system, the press, and newly emerging social strata in the process of national self-consciousness. Through the method of source analysis, official documents of the period, statistical data, and the works of Enlightenment intellectuals were examined. The findings of the study demonstrate that nineteenth-century Azerbaijani Enlightenment played a crucial role in reconstructing national identity on the basis of language, culture, and secular values, moving beyond a purely religious framework. The publication of Akinchi newspaper and the activities of Enlightenment figures such as Mirza Fatali Akhundzadeh and Hasan bey Zardabi contributed significantly to the formation of the ideological foundations of national consciousness. Thus, nineteenth-century Enlightenment can be regarded as a decisive stage of historical transformation in the transition of Azerbaijani national identity to its modern phase.
Shabnam Babazade (Mon,) studied this question.