Georgian History Research Articles

Myths about Stalin in Georgian Politics and Georgian History School Textbooks

Abstract The theoretical framework of the paper is established through the concept of political myths. The research delves into the diverse viewpoints presented in the scientific literature concerning this matter, and depending on the chosen topic, great attention is paid to the phenomenon of historical myths. The paper employs the method of content analysis to examine history textbooks. The research discusses two textbooks from the Soviet period and 14 textbooks covering Georgian and world history that were published after the Soviet era. Considering that history is currently taught in schools using textbooks published in 2012 and onward, the paper includes a table that specifically shows the facts related to Stalin in these textbooks.

Архивная деятельность Михаила Александровича Полиевктова в Грузии в 1920-1930 гг.

The study, based on archival materials introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time, shows the archival efforts of the eminent Russian historian-caucasus expert M.A. Polievktov (1872-1942) during the "tiflis period" of scientific invention (1920-1942). It is stated in the scien-tific literature that the scientist's archiving activity has not yet become a research subject. The au-thor intends to disclose similar characteristics of this behavior in the 1920s and 1940s. The article demonstrates that the name of M.A. Polievktov, a representative of the St.Petersburg historian school, is significantly linked with the construction of historial archives of the Caucasus in Geor-gia (from 1924 s.), training of specialists in archiving, setting up a course on archiving M.A. Po-lievktov developed the problems of Caucasian archeography, uncovered a number of archaeologi-cal materials on Georgian history and Russian-Geogian ties, and introduced them into scholarly circulation. Documents relating to the origins of diplomatic ties between Georgia and Russia were discovered in the Central Archives of the USSR as a result of scientific visits arranged by the Cen-tral Archives of the SSR of Georgia. M.A. Polievktov's archiving activities occurred during a crit-ical juncture in the development of Soviet archival research, as the internal political struggle worsened and historical science became more ideologically oriented. All of this was reflected in the fate of the scientist and architect. During the fifth, he was subjected to discrimination against dissidents («kondrativism») and was temporarily barred from working at the SSR of Georgia's Central Archive.

Reflection of one episode of Georgian history in the 14th century Syrian chronicle – „History of Mar Yahbalaha and Bar Sauma“

The Catholic Western world exhibited a heightened interest in establishing contact with unfamiliar populations following theemergence of the Mongols on the global stage. The Papal authority entertained aspirations of effecting the conversion of the Tatars to Catholic Christianity through the deployment of missionary endeavors. The Catholic Church embarked on a vigorous proselytization campaign within the Mongolian uluses. In pursuit of this objective, Georgia, distinguished by its amenable disposition toward Franciscan and Dominican missionaries, emerged as a strategically valuable foothold for this mission. Conversely, the Mongols made efforts to persuade the Papal authority of their earnestness, with the intention of forming an anti-Egyptian coalition. Following this goal, they dispatched envoys to Western regions, often including Christians, to engage in negotiations; among these envoys were the Nestorians, who had established themselves within the Tatar domain long before andpropagated the heretical beliefs censured in Western Europe. Rabban Sauma, a notable itinerant clergyman, was among those who embarked on a journey to the Western world in the years 1287-88. He attained such a distinguished accolade not solely due to his proficient mastery of the Latin language, but also by virtue of his sanctified actions. These included a life of asceticism, enduring numerous trials, and an ardent yearning to undertake a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Together with Rabban Sauma, his disciple, the future patriarch Yahbalaha III, also embarked on the most difficult path with the desire of repentance in about 1275-77. It was within the course of this expedition that the monks arrived in Georgia, where they were informed that, notwithstanding the benevolence of the Ilkhan Khan-Abaqa, they would encounter impediments preventing them from advancing further on their journey. A chronicle attributed to an anonymous author from the first half of the 14th century documents that the monks’ travel to Jerusalem was thwarted due to the presence of marauders and malefactors within the territory of Georgia. The apostasy of Samtskhe from the the Ilkhan rulers must have been a contributing factor in the situation. The resistance of Georgians must have been caused by the earthquake that happened on April 10, 1275. The latter, along with the rest of Georgia, especially affected Samtskhe. The substantial loss of life, widespread damage to infrastructure and edifices, coupled with the imposition of Mongol levies and military obligations, likely contributed analogous transformations within Georgia.This information brought into the scientific area and its analysis is of paramount importance, because the chronicler, in his accounts,primarily addresses the political ramifications of the earthquake and notes the departure of father and son-Sargis and Beka, from allegiance to the Ilkhan rulers. The excerpt from Syrian anonymous author’s chronicle, as sited in the article, serves to complement the chronicler’s narrative by shedding light on the pertinent social aspects of the earthquake consequences.

Ritual as a Sign and Means of Identity

The paper aims to show how it is possible to associate the conceptof identity with “ancestral customs” and “cultural memory”. Withthat purpose the author tries to outline a particular version of collectiveremembering grounded in the use of ritual resources. Withthat end in view, the special literature together with the field ethnographicdata collected by the author during the years 1976-89throughout Georgia had been used in the paper. Purposely, the ritualprocess associated with the early-Christian tradition had beendescribed not as a stereotyped activity, but as related events locatedwithin Georgian history. It has also been shown that the mentionedcustom bore the function of the ethnic and culturalidentification, as foreigners and aliens infiltrated from other countrieswho performed the custom, in that way were adopted and integratedinto the Georgian Christian culture. An emphasize hasbeen made on the importance of the performance of the ritualwhich became so inseparable and immanent among the inhabitantsof Georgia, that in spite of the confessional turbulences of thelater periods, it persisted in the environment of a new faith. Themain task of the paper was organized around the question:whether it is possible to experience the feeling of identity andwholeness within the Georgian culture throughout the centuriesby means of performing an established ancestral ritual. The analysisof the ethnographic data provided the author with clues to theidentity, culture and self-understanding of an age-old Georgian society.

THE FINAL STAGE OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR AND THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN GEORGIA IN 1917

Nugzar Zosidze
 Email:n.zosidze@bsu.edu
 Associate Professor, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University 
 Batumi, Georgia
 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2613-3365
 Abstract. 1914-1921 is one of the most difficult periods in the history of Georgia. During this most difficult period, the country endured the stormy days of the Russian February Revolution of 1917 and the October revolutions. But with self-sacrificing battles and courageous actions of national forces, independence was restored. These years were even more painful from the point of view that certain regions of the country experienced the occupation of foreign countries several times.
 The topic of the history of the research period has become especially relevant since the beginning of the 90’s of the twentieth century. However, many details and features of these relationships have not yet been fully investigated, fully studied and scientifically substantiated.
 After the heavy political battles that developed in the Russian Empire in 1917, the social democrats became the vanguard of the national liberation struggle in Georgia, but at first they did not raise the issue of restoring national sovereignty. This could be due to the fact that at that time the political parties operating in Georgia had difficulty making independent decisions. It is true that the revolution forced Russia to give up active foreign policy, but it tried to interfere in the affairs of Transcaucasia.
 This is what led to the fact that social democrats and social federalists did not fight for national independence, but were satisfied only with broad autonomy, the legalization and practical implementation of which should be decided by the constituent assembly of the Russian Provisional Government. We share with the famous researcher of Georgian history historian Z. Avalishvili's opinion that at that stage, "no one thought of severing the state connection with Russia; Just as they didn't think about it in Estonia, Latvia and other parts of Russia. In this regard, it can be said that Georgia was on par with others’’.
 The small group of Georgian intellectuals, which was formed into the National Democratic Party in 1917, represented an important force in the national liberation struggle. They directly continued the program of the previous national liberation movement called „Tergdaleulebi“ and considered the 1783 treaty as the basis of the relationship. (G. Dekanozishvili, T. Sakhokia, P. Surguladze, L. Kereselidze, G. Machabeli and others).
 In connection with the mentioned issue, Professor Sh. Vadachkoria thinks that it is the correct political orientation of the social democrats that led to the restoration of Georgia's state independence. "Georgia's independence, renewal and perfection of its statehood and Georgian social democracy are inseparable from each other". We partially agree with the above-mentioned opinion and consider that it is wrong to ignore the contribution of the Social Democratic Party in this case.
 On October 25, 1917, the Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional Government in the capital of the empire. On October 26, members of the Provisional Government, including Kerensky, were arrested in the Winter Palace. A Soviet government was established in Russia. After this coup d'état, the Transcaucasian de facto government, "Ozakom", lost its purpose. The missions of the Entente states wanted to create a government independent from Bolshevik Russia in Transcaucasia.
 We think that the creation of the Transcaucasian Commissariat was a politically correct step, since Transcaucasia was officially separated from Soviet Russia by the creation of a new regional body, but only until the restoration of the legal authority of Russia, which was an indication that Transcaucasia would not be declared an independent state. It was not favorable for Transcaucasia to remove the Caucasus Front, because otherwise it might lead to the strengthening of aggression from Turkey, and the forced occupation of Transcaucasia countries.

A scientific forum dedicated to the famous Georgian Abkhazologist

The information tells us that on October 16, 2021, an international scientific conference Cultural Values of Abkhazia: Language, Literature, History, Cultural Monuments  was held at the initiative of the Sukhumi State University and the Ministry of Education and Culture of Abkhazia. The conference was dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Professor Teimuraz Gvantseladze, the famous linguist, specialist in Abkhazology and Caucasus studies. Georgian and Caucasian scientists from the universities of Georgia, the North Caucasus and Turkey participated in the work of the conference. Participating research and scientific institutions: Georgian Academy of Sciences, Arnold Chikobava Linguistics Institute of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Supreme Council of Abkhazia, Karachay-Cherkessia State University, Samtskhe-Javakheti State University, Recep Tayip Erdogan University (Turkey), Sukhumi State University, Duzce University (Turkey), University of Kars (Turkey), Akaki Tsereteli State University, Kutaisi Ilia Chavchavadze Public Library, Ilia State University, Abkhazia Institute of Tbilisi State University named after Ivane Javakhishvili, Ivane Javakhishvili Institute of History and Ethnology, Batumi University of Arts, Association of Georgian History Teachers, St, Andrews Georgian University, Peace Education Center of SSU.

Akaki Tsereteli State University Niko Nikoladze and newspaper „The Obsor“ about the 1878-1878 „Russian-Osmalian“ war and the reunion of south-west Georg

   XIX century is one of the difficult and interesting periods in Georgian History. This is the very century characterised by  contradictory events such as losing governmental state, reviving nationality, reuniting historical territories and population with native land, unifying Georgians as one nation within the Russian empire. Under the Tsarism  helm,  Georgian people managed not only to survive and consolidate, but also to get back the patches and population lost centuries ago. Goergian patriotic intellctual society was actively involoved in the process that used Russin power to get back territories conquered by Osmalia. The above mentioned are exacltly the issues that the article elaborates on. It demonstrates the publistic letters of Great Georgian activist and publisher Niko Nikoladze  published in Russian Newspapers.

The contaminated analyst and transgenerational trauma in Abkhazia après‐coup

The Covid‐19 pandemic lockdown and restrictions imposed on freedom of movement in Georgia and the economic collapse as a result, evoked psychotic anxieties in society and revived a traumatic not‐too‐distant past that has not actually been worked through. Fear of an unknown virus and danger has turned into a feeling of war, which was so familiar and constant in the immediate past of Georgian history: the Soviet‐Union, the 1991–1993 Civil War, the contant threat of Russia which occupied two regions of Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In this paper, I try to explain how the current traumatic situation in Georgia related to Covid‐19 gave après‐coup a new meaning to the transgenerational trauma. I presented the material of two of my patients, whose childhood was affected by the war in Abkhazia (1992–1993), the conflict that followed the declaration of independence of Georgia and led to the Russian occupation of its territories. Because of my contamination with Covid‐19 in transference–countertransference, the Covid turned into an inner conflict. The need and inevitability of informing patients about my infection caused a counter‐transference acting out with paranoid‐schizoïd splitting, projective identifications, unbearable pain and guilt, fear of starvation, and reparation.

Georgien zwischen Eigenstaatlichkeit und russischer Okkupation. Die Wurzeln des Konflikts vom 18. Jh. bis 1924 by Ammon Philipp (review)

REVIEWS 775 Ammon, Philipp. Georgien zwischen Eigenstaatlichkeit und russischer Okkupation. Die Wurzeln des Konflikts vom 18. Jh. bis 1924. Rote Reihe. Vittorio Klostermann, Frankfurt am Main, 2020. 238 pp. Illustration. Notes. Bibliography. €29.80 (paperback). Philipp Ammon’s book provides a detailed analysis of the political, historical, religious and cultural roots of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Georgia which began more than 200 years ago in what is now a strategically important area of the world — the South Caucasus. That region, which includes Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, serves as a natural corridor, through which Western countries can gain access to the vital hydrocarbon resources of Central Asia, bypassing Russia. Following the disintegration of the USSR, the South Caucasus has become one of many notorious ‘hot zones’ where polar ideologies and the economic interests of major powers collide. Nevertheless, the region has been neglected by Western politics and media. As a result, Georgia and other small nations of the Caucasus are often left at the mercy of their powerful and ambitious neighbour — Russia. This has led to disappointment and disillusionment among pro-Western Georgians and increasingly weakened Western positions in the whole of the Eastern Mediterranean, including the South Caucasus. Meanwhile, recent Russian aggression in Georgia, and Russian-sponsored ethnic cleansings in the occupied Georgian provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, serve as a grim reminder of how important it is to understand the volcanic forces that can explode in the region, with dire consequences for the whole world. In investigating the dramatic events of Georgian history and the origins of Georgia’s conflict with Russia, Ammon adheres to an original culturalhistorical hermeneutic method of analysis that sets his study apart from the work of most of his peers, many of whom prefer sociological and structural methods. Ammon’s methodology allows him to sharpen his view of a number of significant historical and cultural phenomena and, in particular, to cast doubt on the concept of ‘invented nation’, which many contemporary researchers of recent Georgian history and Russo-Georgian conflict tend to subscribe to. Ammon’s book is rich in scope and offers a clear and concise (but not simplistic) outline of Georgian history from 1112 BC to 1924 AD, with the focus on the major events of the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries connected with the expansion of Russia in the Caucasus in general, and in Georgia in particular. These events, described in chapters 2–7, include but are not limited to the secret agreement between King Vakhtang VI of the East GeorgianKingdomofKartliandPetertheGreatofRussia(1720),theconclusion of the Treaty of Georgievsk (1783), the annexation of Georgian kingdoms and principalities by the Russian empire in breach of the above-mentioned treaty SEER, 98, 4, OCTOBER 2020 776 (1801–67), the national awakening of Georgians in the nineteenth century, the abolition and restoration of the autocephalous status of the Georgian Church (1811 and 1917, respectively), Georgia’s role in the Russian revolution of 1905 and World War One, the restoration of Georgian independence (1918), the SovietGeorgian war and Sovietization of Georgia (1921) and the revolt of 1924. Although Ammon’s research is impressively detailed and meticulous, he does seem to have overlooked the fact that upon incorporation into the Russian Empire, Georgia never constituted an integral administrative unit. Historical Georgian lands were split into two separate provinces (gubernii) — the province of Tiflis and the province of Kutais. When a few more historical Georgian territories were incorporated into the empire following the RussoTurkish war of 1877–78, they were organized into the separate districts of Batum, Ardahan and Olty, thus further fragmenting the Georgian cultural and linguistic realm. Ammon also uses the phrase ‘Samachablo and Kartli’ (my emphasis) which is rather questionable keeping in mind that throughout history, the feudal fief of Samachablo comprised a part of the province of Shida Kartli and did not fully correspond with the borders of the South Ossetian Autonomous Province created within the Georgian SSR in 1922. While covering the fall of the First Republic in chapter eight, Ammon also seems to overestimate the role of Georgian Bolsheviks in the Sovietization of Georgia in 1921. Despite the fact that well-known Russian Bolsheviks of Georgian descent were...

Kirmse , Stefan B. The Lawful Empire: Legal Change and Cultural Diversity in Late Tsarist Russia (review)

REVIEWS 777 Despite this, Ammon’s account of the historical facts and events of Georgian history is generally accurate, and is supported by rich and diverse bibliographic material. The multiple sources in four different languages Ammon has drawn upon in his research include more than 200 books and magazine articles, as well as dozens of dictionaries, encyclopaedias, websites and other reference works in a wide range of areas directly or indirectly connected with the subject of his book. One of the main advantages of Philipp Ammon’s book is that it not only describes the important historical events but also examines the significant processes that have fuelled the political, cultural and military clashes between Russia and Georgia. This makes it an asset for a wide-ranging readership, from students of Georgian history to diplomats and politicians who seek a balanced perspective and objective information on the background to the long-lasting conflict in one of the most sensitive regions of the world. The significance of Ammon’s book is further magnified by the fact that the history of Georgia still remains an under-studied and under-researched field, as there is still not enough scholarly literature on this subject available in the West in general and even less so in German-speaking countries. University of Calgary Andrew Andersen Kirmse, Stefan B. The Lawful Empire: Legal Change and Cultural Diversity in Late Tsarist Russia. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York, 2019. xiii + 341 pp. Maps. Illustrations. Notes. Bibliography. Index.£75.00. Drawing on exhaustive research, Stefan B. Kirmse develops case studies on late-tsarist judicial reform’s implementation in Kazan´ and the Crimea. His focus is ‘the ways in which ethnic and religious minorities interacted with the courts and related institutions’ and how they related to their Russian neighbours (p. 31). Chapter one provides context. Jurists in the new courts were sticklers for procedure. Individual legal responsibility and the presumption of innocence were paramount concepts. Legal authorities encouraged jurors to judge based on conscience. Thus, even confessed criminals could be seen as ‘not guilty’. This approach won popular support but also led to high acquittal rates — higher in urban than rural areas. Social, economic and cultural background on the Crimea and Kazan´ is given in chapter two. Infrastructure and cultural institutions were much less developed in the Crimea (though things started to change after the imperial family bought a palace outside Yalta in 1860). In chapter three, Kirmse argues that the judicial reform created a tension between zealous, procedurally meticulous jurists and administrative officials SEER, 98, 4, OCTOBER 2020 778 who persisted in the belief that their word should be law. This attitude was well captured in the bewildered ejaculation of the governor of Kazan´ province, Nikolai Skariatin: ‘I should work for Mr. Prosecutor? What sort of head of the province can I be after this?’ (p. 128). Yet even vehement administrative resistance could not undermine the reform’s success, though fiscal constraints were another matter. Despite claims of earlier scholars, only a minority of jurors were peasants and peasant jurors tended toward greater harshness than did urban dwellers. The following chapter focuses on the pageantry of the court. Unlike in the pre-reform era, the government spared little expense on court houses, so as to inspire reverence. Portraits of the emperor and religious symbols were held crucial. Religious authorities — mostly Russian Orthodox, even in majority Muslim areas — heightened the sanctity of the proceedings. Nevertheless, many Muslims participated as informal legal practitioners, jurors, defendants and plaintiffs. Moreover, ordinary people gained status, as even nobles had to rise when jurors entered the courtroom. The remainder of the book deals with interactions of Muslims in the Crimea and Kazan´ with the new court system. Although they ‘did not necessarily hold the imperial state and its local representatives in high esteem’ (p. 210), they made extensive use of the court system, primarily when informal and local means of adjudication seemed unlikely to yield desired results. As the state grew more concerned with registering and controlling persons and property, people’s interactions with the state grew more frequent. Kirmse concludes that negotiation and persuasion were the main approaches the authorities took. ‘Violence did occur...

The voices of silence: The case of Georgian history textbooks

ABSTRACT Multiple studies in the Social Sciences and Humanities emphasize the importance of textbooks in shaping collective memory as well as the process of transmission to a new generation. The state is considered the main agent in the formation of dominant narratives transmitted through textbooks. This article attempts to demonstrate that public opinion and judgment are as such important vectors of the official rhetoric or policy meant to influence the prevailing discourse. In post-conflict societies, the wider scholarship suggests that silencing, a type of forgetting, is an effective tool when telling stories of traumatization. Silencing is not only a form of forgetting, but rather a self-sufficient, independent category, and a deliberately selected technique of remembering. It is an intentional strategy of voiceless speaking. Using a qualitative research method, I build my arguments on a textual analysis of the six most common Georgian school history textbooks from 1993 to 2018, focusing on chapters relating to the 1992–93 war in Abkhazia. I propose three types of silencing: traumatic, personalized and victimized. This study contributes to the vibrant discussion about memory agents, as well as correlations between individual, collective and official memory. It explores the impact of such memories on the national curricula.

Retrospective mapping of the XVI century Samtskhe-Javakheti viticulture and fruit farming

Abstract The presented work deals with the spread of viticulture and fruit farming in the Middle Ages in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region in Georgia. The current state of the farming sectors mentioned and those pivotal moments in Georgian history that had an influence on agriculture are also considered in the article. The changes that determined the viticulture geography from the second part of the 16th century up to the present day are also discussed. The study is mainly based on the census document created in 1574. The article represents the geographic distribution patterns of vineyards and orchards, as well as wine production capacity and the fruit harvest. Retrospective mapping made it possible to restore the distribution of farms and gardens of the mentioned period and to analyse the importance of viticulture and fruit farming in the 16th century. The maps represented show spatial patterns of vineyards, gardens, and main terroirs.

Zwizualizowany imperializm i narodowa identyfikacja. Kilka przykładów kościelnego malarstwa w Gruzji od 1801 do 1918 roku

W różnych okresach chrześcijańskie malarstwo naścienne wizualizowało różnoraki stosunek do programów, obrazów, ikonografii i było blisko połączone z religijną identyfikacją społeczeństwa. Pod wpływem rozwoju nacjonalizmu w Gruzji w połowie XIX w. malarstwo naścienne również zaczęło odpowiadać potrzebom identyfikacji narodowej. Ramy czasowe artykułu zakreślają najważniejsze wydarzenia z historii tego kraju, takie jak podbój Wschodniej Gruzji przez Imperium Rosyjskie w 1801 r. i proklamowanie niepodległości przez Demokratyczną Republikę Gruzji w 1918 r. Pomiędzy tymi dwoma wydarzeniami w Gruzji powstało wiele malowideł sakralnych. Niektóre z nich miały na celu promowanie poczucia przynależności do Rosji i służyły konsolidacji władzy imperium nad podbitym krajem. Inne odzwierciedlały idee i aspiracje gruzińskiego nacjonalizmu. Różniły się one od średniowiecznych realizacji, ukazując wzrastające zainteresowanie narodowymi świętymi i wydarzeniami z historii gruzińskiego chrześcijaństwa. W artykule omówiono najbardziej znaczące ich przykłady.

Medieval Georgian Projection of Religious Historiography of Late Antiquity

Abstract The article analyses the historical concepts of the medieval Georgian history by Leonti Mroveli, as the projection of religious historiography in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Introductions to two redactions of The Georgian Chronicles have been considered. It has been shown that both versions have the same aim: to reconstruct the ethnic origin of the Georgians (our kin) from the onset of the world history and to legitimate our kin as an immediate partaker in the initial (Biblical) history. For this purpose, Leonti Mroveli uses diamerisms, a scheme of universal history (Διαμερισμὸς τῆς γῆς) employed in religious historiography from the 1st century AD. Fragments of diamerisms found in medieval Georgian historical narratives reveal that Georgian historiographers were familiar with them via Greek, Syriac, Ethiopian and Armenian versions and successfully used them to highlight the unity between the universal and their national (local) histories – the life of our kin.

INFORMATION ON DAGESTANIS IN PAPUN ORBELIANI’S CHRONICLE “INFORMATION ON KARTLI”

The article overviews a Georgian historical work of the 18th c. – “Information on Kartli”. This work by Papuan Orbeliani, despite its large volume, covers only a 20-year period of the Georgian history (1739-1758). The author does not provide any written sources in his chronicle. Apparently, the description of events was based on his personal memories, as well as on witness accounts. The author describes the events he himself was a part of or the information he obtained firsthand, however a vague description of events by report is mentioned throughout the text. This fact gives more credibility to this work. In 18th – first half of the 19th century his text was used in their works by other historians (Oman Kherkeulidze and Niko Dadiani).In the chronicle we focused on the information about Dagestan and its peoples, which is covered in this paper. The information mainly referred to military campaigns and raids on Georgia by Dagestan troops. At the same time, the source contains much information about political relations between Dagestan and Georgia, as well as the influence of Iran and Turkey on the situation in the region. This data allows to reconstruct some episodes of military and political history of Dagestan in the 18th c. They are also of great interest for the study of the relationship between Dagestan and Georgia in the same century. Extensive historical and philological commentaries on the translations have been provided in the paper.

Formation of Post-conflict Georgian identities Case: Abkhazian War and August War

Modern Georgian history knows two devastating conflicts which happened in recent years bringing much confusion and disorientation to local Georgian Community. Given article tries to explore the identity crisis which took place after the two wars. As a result of military actions great number of people was obliged to leave their homes and move in temporary shelters. It took only several days to become IDP’s (Internally Displaced Persons) from regular citizens. This naturally led to questioning the role of self in community. Such major events as mass trauma generally change the perception of reality and Georgia was no exception. In an attempt to overcome painful experiences individuals create different responses to traumatic experiences but we have the opportunity to compare two narratives depicting the emotions of IDPs from two different conflicts. Major aim of the article is to see whether there are any similarities between the perceptions of two different historical events: How IDPs explain the events and their own emotions.

The Georgian historical narrative: From pre-Soviet to post-Soviet nationalism

The Georgian historical master-narrative was formed at the end of the nineteenth century, in the era of the birth of Georgian nationalism. In confrontation with Russian imperial policy, Georgian history was transformed into the reconstruction and revival of Georgian ethnic identity. After imposition of Soviet rule in 1921, the Georgian master-narrative was readjusted according to the Marxist methodological framework, although it successfully confronted the official Soviet narrative. In the period of “perestroika” a general process of the revival of national identity was accompanied by growing interest in national history, and the Georgian master-narrative became more ethnocentric. The situation was aggravated by the conflicts of the early 1990s in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It took some time to realize the importance of forming the feeling of national belonging regardless of ethnic, cultural or religious identity. At the end of the 1990s, reconfiguration of historical narratives and collective memories began in the history textbooks for secondary educational institutions. Nevertheless, the trajectory of historical narratives is not simple and the problem of inclusion of ethnic minorities in the history of Georgia still remains a significant issue.

Marjory Scott Wardrop and Early Twentieth-century Georgian History

In her article Scott Wardrop and Early Twentieth-century Georgian History Shorena Stoyer presents documents and translations of Marjory Scott Wardrop (1869-1909), of hitherto unpublished manuscripts archived in the Wardrop Collection of the Oxford Bodleian Library. The manuscripts attest to Wardrop's role as an outside observer of matters Russian and Georgian in the early twentieth century and show her commitment to support the aspirations towards freedom by the Georgian people against tzarist invasion. Wardrop's manuscripts reveal valuable information about Russian and Georgian history, as well as Wardrop's views from a British angle. Thus, the Wardrop manuscripts are important for the study of Georgian and Russian politics and history including social and church history. Shorena Stoyer, Scott Wardrop and Early Twentieth-century Georgian History page 2 of 7 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 13.1 (2011):

Dimitry Uznadze (1886–1950)

Dmitry Nikolaevich Uznadze was a classic Georgian psychologist of the Soviet times, one of the most outstanding figures in Georgian cultural history during the first half of the twentieth century. His name is linked with the establishment of the renowned Georgian school of psychology. The original theory developed by him over half a century ago, the psychology of set (Einstellung in German; attitude in French) is an important achievement of modern psychological science. In the words of the psychologist N. O’Connor, “Soviet psychology is represented in the universal treasury of science by the names of Pavlov and Vygotsky and by the Georgian school of psychology that grew out of the work of Dmitry Uznadze.” This paper is an attempt at a systematic overview of Uznadze’s key concepts in their disciplinary contexts – pedagogic theory, aesthetics, psychology.

Georgia and Iran: Three Millennia of Cultural Relations An Overview

AbstractWhen Georgia was incorporated into the Russian Empire, the rich background of interaction with Persian culture, the result of centuries of contact, was lost to the scholar whose interest in Georgian history came to depend on Russian historiography with its focus on the period under Russian rule and its misreading of anything prior to that. Western scholarship, often oblivious of the far reach of Persian culture, devoted too little attention to the subject or gave it short shrift. Owing largely to the recent work of Georgian scholars, a century of neglect is now being reversed, but an overall picture of the breadth and depth of Georgian-Iranian interaction is still lacking. This paper proposes to offer a general overview from the third millennium BCE to the Russian conquest of Georgia, when Persian influence began its decline.