Georgian Politics 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.

Public Opinion and Nature of Anti-Russian Movements in Georgia in the First Third of the 19th Century

Historical processes taking place in 19th century Georgia, which are still not appropriately known to the world community, were of great importance for Transcaucasia. The paper presents the nature of the social-political and anti-Russian movements in Georgia in the first third of the 19th century. The article discusses the main historical and political processes that reflect the public opinion on the given issue and its content. A conclusion is drawn based on the presented facts. The XIX century had a difficult start for Georgia. In the previous century, the country, extremely weakened by the wars with Persia and the Ottoman Empire, was trying to find an ally. The rulers of Georgian politics considered the strengthened Russian empire in the Caucasus as a political ally and tried to reinforce diplomatic relations with it and establish alliance. Using this situation, Russia, on the other hand, tirelessly tried to capture Transcaucasia with the least possible losses and well-calculated, smart diplomatic moves. The annexation of Georgia was followed by a chain of contradictory movements, based on which the analysis of public opinion and the nature of the liberation movement is presented.

Clientelism in Georgia (Review of the three previous elections)

This paper aims to examine clientelism in Georgian politics. It is one of the most severe cases of corruption since it substantially assists in establishing an anti-democratic regime in the state. Clientelism has been seen as a corollary of democracy, especially in the early phases of democratization. After 30 years of attempting to bring Georgia closer to European principles and complete integration with the West, Georgian politics has been dominated by informal ties that cause significant damage to state institutions. This study investigates politically motivated corruption-related activities using various sources and documentary materials. Additional factors that influence the creation of clientelism are also taken into account.

Post-Soviet School Education Policy in Georgia

Aim. The purpose of the work is to find, study, thematically, chronologically present, and analyse the place of education and especially school education in Georgian politics in the post-Soviet period in Georgia, as well as to determine the attitude to the issue, highlight the ongoing activities, and show the existing results and future perspective. Methods. The work is presented based on several researched-studied official government documents, empirical materials, analysis of scientific research papers, and the use of the comparative method in the Georgian reality of the post-Soviet period. Results. The paper identifies the current situation at the level of public education in Georgia following the goals of modern-sustainable development since the 1990s, which is known as the most difficult period of Georgia's history; it highlights the existing legal framework in the school education system and the implementation of the set plans; it shows effective steps of the state to develop and implement education policy. Conclusion. By studying a number of materials, it is confirmed that the political course of Georgia for the promotion of school education in Georgian reality, despite the existing difficult political situation, was characterised by great support when all political teams were in power because the mentioned issue is a part of the domestic policy in the country, which is always important and relevant.

John Higgs, <i>William Blake Now</i>; John Higgs, <i>William Blake vs. the World</i>

John Higgs is a versatile British essayist, television producer, journalist, and novelist (and more) who has written an odd but excellent general introduction to Blake. A few years ago he began working on a big but amorphous (from the sound of it) Blake project; shaken by the Brexit vote and stirred by the size and diversity of the audience at the ceremony dedicating the Blake memorial in Bunhill Fields, Higgs published a short collection of essays considering causes and implications of the huge change in Blake’s reputation in his home country since his death. In 2021 Higgs presented a 400-page biographical Blake-buster, part study guide, part self-help book, part manifesto—​here and there encompassing pop culture, counterculture, high culture, literary criticism, seventeenth-century theology and poetry, psychology, current and Georgian politics, neuroscience, quantum mechanics, comparative theology, mysticism, and much else.

Historyczne uwarunkowania wyborów politycznych dokonywanych przez Gruzinów od początku państwowości do końca XIX w.

The paper presents the influence of cultural and social factors shaped in the past on Georgian politics. The impact of eastern and western cultural patterns and political models on Georgia from the beginning of statehood to World War I was analyzed. The importance of replacing Persian and Turkish influences with Russian ones in the 19th century was pointed out. From then on, rapprochement with the Christian state, which politically and culturally belonged to the West, was an opportunity for Georgians to rebuild contacts with the Western world.

"CAUCASIAN" NARRATIMS OF MODERN "POLITICS OF MEMORY" IN GEORGIA

The purpose of this study is to analyze the Caucasian dimension in the modern Georgian historical politics of memory. The author analyzes the main vectors and trajectories of the development of Caucasian narratives in the modern memorial canon of Georgia. The novelty of the study lies in the analysis of the practices and strategies used by Georgian intellectuals within the framework of the functioning of Caucasian narratives in the modern memorial canon of Georgia as an element of the politics of memory. The article analyzes 1) the role of political elites and the media in the formation of Caucasian narratives in the politics of memory, 2) features of the performative turn in historical politics, 3) Abkhazian and Ossetian narratives as components of the Caucasian politics of memory in modern Georgia. The article shows both the consolidating and conflict potential of the Caucasian dimension in Georgian historical politics. It is assumed that the Caucasian narratives in the modern memorial canon are predominantly symbolic for solving internal political problems, since the real influence of Georgia in the region is minimized by external factors. The results of the study suggest that the Caucasian narratives in the Georgian politics of memory have become an element of the ideological legitimation of the elites and the promotion of the concept of Georgia's special role in the Caucasus.

«Черкесские» нарративы в современной политике памяти Грузии (2011–2021)

This study analyzes the Circassian dimension in the modern Georgian politics of memory. The author analyzes the main vectors and trajectories of the development of Circassian narratives in the modern memorial canon of Georgia. The novelty of the study lies in the analysis of the prac-tices and strategies used by Georgian intellectuals within the framework of the functioning of Cir-cassian narratives in the modern memorial canon of Georgia as an element of the politics of memory. The article analyzes 1) the role of political elites and the media in the formation of Cir-cassian narratives in the politics of memory, 2) the features of the performative turn in the histori-cal policy of promoting Circassian images, 3) the role of Circassian narratives in the “wars of memory”. This article shows both the merging and conflict potential of the Circassian dimension in Georgian historical politics. The author analyzes the roles of state authorities and the media as the key participants in the policy of memory and formatters of the memorial canon. It is assumed that the Circassian narratives in the modern memorial canon are predominantly symbolic for solv-ing internal political problems, since external factors minimized the real influence of Georgia in the region. The results of the study show that the Circassian narratives in the Georgian politics of memory became an element of the ideological legitimization of the elites and the promotion of the concept of Georgia’s special role in the Caucasus, as well as the formation of alternative ver-sions of memory to the perception of Circassian images in the Russian historical imagination.

Bribery as the Greatest Manifestation of Corruption in World and Georgian Politics

  Corruption is one of the most pressing and problematic issues in world politics. Such a topical categories includes the consideration of different terminological interpretations. The are many definitions of political corruption, but there is no consensus on which actions are corrupt and which are not.We encounter polotical corruption in government, commercial structures, public organizations etc. Corruption is always associated with power, and if a civilization, a state, a population was developing, it was happening with the development of corruption.Political corruprion shouls be considered bribery embezzlement, theft, extortion, abuse of discretion, favoritism and nepotism, use or creation of conflicts of interest,unlawful political donations and so on.

SOME ASPECTS OF EXCELLENCE OF CUSTOMS POLICY OF GEORGIA

SOME ASPECTS OF EXCELLENCE OF CUSTOMS POLICY OF GEORGIA

Mainstreaming the right-wing radicalism and extremism: basic approaches and perceptions from Georgian academia

Abstract Unlike some European countries, the involvement of radical right-wing forces in Georgian politics and the support of a certain part of the society for them is a relatively new phenomenon in Georgia’s politics. This has resulted in a growing interest in the study of the topic among Georgian academic circles. However, the defining and applying the concepts of radicalism and extremism regarding Georgian right-wing forces are different. By comparing the major approaches to the concepts of right-wing radicalism and extremism this paper aims to critically review and analyze perceptions from Georgian academia.

Georgian experience in the field of education and cultural policy: the example of the first democratic republic of Georgia in the years 1918 -1921

Aim. The paper aims to study and present the issue of Georgian education, analyze it chronologically and thematically based on past experience. The paper deals with the period of the First Republic of Georgia, 1918-1921, and highlights the place of education and culture in Georgian politics. Moreover, the paper is focused on the connections of modern Georgian politics and the centuries-old traditional heritage and its transformation into the present reality.
 Method. The paper is presented based on a number of researched documents, empirical material, scientific research papers, monographs, analysis of government documents, historical-comparative method.
 Result. The paper presents the reality of the first democratic republic in Georgia in 1918-1921, the effective steps of the state for the development of proper education and cultural policy, and its introduction and development in practice.
 Conclusion. Several empirical materials prove that during the period of the First Republic of Georgia (1918-1921), despite the difficult political situation in Georgia, education in Georgia, with the support of the government and due to the active and creative work of representatives of such field as education, literature, theater, music, cinema, and science. were well developed. This issue is part of the country's internal policy, which is important and relevant today.

Revisiting the Polite and Commercial People: Essays in Georgian Politics, Society, and Culture in Honour of Professor Paul Langford, ed. Elaine Chalus and Perry Gauci

Revisiting the Polite and Commercial People: Essays in Georgian Politics, Society, and Culture in Honour of Professor Paul Langford, ed. Elaine Chalus and Perry Gauci

THE ISSUE OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND TOLERANCE IN MODERN GEORGIAN POLITICS

Aim. Georgia has traditionally been a country of cultural diversity. Due to the proper political approach, Georgian authorities of all times have managed to successfully govern the peaceful coexistence of people of different nationalities and religions. It is true that in the post-Soviet period, there was some disagreement between the cultures inspired by external forces; however, generally, all the authorities made every effort to legally strengthen the inherited tolerant habit. The paper does not deal with the conflicts of ethnopolitical nature, staged by Russia. The mentioned issue is a part of the country’s domestic policy, which is important and still is relevant nowadays, therefore the paper aims to study the role of cultural diversity and tolerance in modern Georgian politics, the attitude to it, and how the country managed to preserve the centuries-old heritage.
 Methods. Based on several empirical materials, various researched-studied documents, scientific papers, analysis of government documents, the use of the method of historicism is presented in the paper.
 Results. The paper presents the current existing reality in Georgia in the field of cultural diversity and the effective steps of the state for the proper development of cultural diversity.
 Conclusion. Modern Georgian politics is motivated to involve ethnic and religious minorities in the process of monitoring and implementing the Culture Policy Action Plan, based on the recent history and new current worldwide tendency, which will guarantee the establishment of a tolerant society and democracy in Georgia.

Why Georgia? A Curious and Unappreciated Pioneer on the Road to Early Youth Enfranchisement in the United States

AbstractIn 1943, Georgia’s constitution was amended to lower the voting age to eighteen, making it the first—and for twelve years, the only—state in the Union to establish a voting-age requirement below twenty-one. Despite being widely considered at the time by several national and state political actors, Georgia’s reform represents an important and unappreciated historical puzzle. First, few would regard mid-twentieth-century Georgia as being even modestly progressive, especially regarding voting rights. Second, there is no evidence that an organized group lobbied for the reform. Further, there is no reason why lowering the voting age was inherently unique to Georgia qua Georgia. Instead, this study offers a detailed historical analysis highlighting the dedication of its young governor, and argues that Ellis Arnall’s political entrepreneurialism coupled with growing intraparty factionalism in Georgian politics and strategic timing facilitated this rare instance of electoral progressivism in the Deep South.

Revisiting the Polite and Commercial People: Essays in Georgian Politics, Society, and Culture in Honour of Paul Langford. Edited by Elaine Chalus and Perry Gauci. Oxford University Press. 2019. xvii + 270pp. £60.00.

Revisiting the Polite and Commercial People: Essays in Georgian Politics, Society, and Culture in Honour of Paul Langford. Edited by Elaine Chalus and Perry Gauci. Oxford University Press. 2019. xvii + 270pp. £60.00.

Elaine Chalus and Perry Gauci, eds. Revisiting the Polite and Commercial People: Essays in Georgian Politics, Society, and Culture in Honour of Professor Paul Langford. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. Pp. 288. $90.00 (cloth).

Elaine Chalus and Perry Gauci, eds. Revisiting the Polite and Commercial People: Essays in Georgian Politics, Society, and Culture in Honour of Professor Paul Langford. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. Pp. 288. $90.00 (cloth). - Volume 59 Issue 1

Elaine Chalus and Perry Gauci (editors), Revisiting the polite and commercial people: essays in Georgian politics, society and culture in honour of Professor Paul Langford (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019). Pages xvii + 270, including illustrations 11 + tables 2. £60 hardback and ebook.

Elaine Chalus and Perry Gauci (editors), Revisiting the polite and commercial people: essays in Georgian politics, society and culture in honour of Professor Paul Langford (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019). Pages xvii + 270, including illustrations 11 + tables 2. £60 hardback and ebook.

Projecting the Foreign propaganda on the Georgian Politics

From 2016, the powerful and permanent ideological impact of the Russian messages on the global community is perceived as one of the most important challenges for the western civilization at the beginning of the 21st century. It is without a doubt that the challenge is more acute for the so-called “young democracies”. Georgia is considered to be one of such states. Thus, we have decided to use Georgia as the example to discuss the general essence of propaganda, the mechanisms of its use, the level of resistance by the local societies towards it and the influence that this phenomenon can have on a small country. There is no doubt that the success of the propagandist attacks on the sovereignty of a state directly depends on the level of trust of the wide layers of the society towards the governmental structures of the target state. The higher the level of mistrust, the more successful is the propagandist campaign conducted against a state, and vice versa: the higher the level of adequacy between the government and society, stronger the society is in withstanding the propagandist attacks. In case of Georgia, the ideological frame of the Georgian society is saturated by the mix of the right-conservative ideas with the left-socialist directions, where all the narratives of outside political actors definitely find their support. Based on this, we can suppose that their rhetoric places the society at the risk of negative radicalization

Introduction

Introduction Olga Bogdanova and Andrey Makarychev (bio) This collection of articles is a result of an international networked project that during three years supported professional mobility and connectivity between the University of Tartu and its partners in the South Caucasus in general and Georgia in particular. During the project implementation, colleagues from different institutions met in conferences, workshops, and seminars to discuss issues related to developing new approaches to Georgian politics. Georgia remained a central regional actor that could be discussed from multilayered perspectives, combining historical, cultural and political viewpoints. Grounded in multidisciplinary approaches, the Georgian case shapes horizons for understanding political and cultural dynamics and ensures a holistic approach to various politically themed issues at a regional level. In this cluster, we discuss Georgia from a variety of perspectives that elucidate a plethora of nuanced dimensions to politics and culture that otherwise might remain unnoticed or underconceptualized. We look at Georgia not from the viewpoint of political elites, governments and state institutions, but rather from the vantage point of the multiplicity of competing identities-in-the-making and specific practices and policies unfolding beyond—but, of course, still very much affected by—formal / official hierarchies of power. That is why the authors of this cluster of articles focus on "soft" dimensions of borders and security, and conceptualize them in ideational terms, as discourses, narratives, and imageries that shape policy practices affecting people's lives. This includes the idea of spaces of cultural belonging, particularly meaningful when it comes to fragmented and dispersed identities clashing with each other. In some contexts, religious components may be central for analysis, while in other cases different techniques of governance come to the fore. It is this combination of different perspectives that allow elucidating multiple forms, types, and models of power relations in Georgia, as well as multiple relations of inclusion/ exclusion, bordering/debordering, securitizing/desecuritizing. [End Page 1] Andrey Makarychev Andrey Makarychev is Visiting Professor at Johan Skytte Institute of Political Science, University of Tartu. He is also guest Professor at the Center for Global Politics, Free University in Berlin and Senior Associate with the think tank CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs). His previous institutional affiliations included George Mason University (USA), Center for Security Studies and Conflict Research (ETH Zurich), and the Danish Institute of International Studies. He teaches courses on "Globalization," "Regime Change in Post-Soviet Eurasia," "EU-Russia Relations," "Regionalism and Integration in the Post-Soviet Area," and "Media in Russia." In recent years he has coauthored two monographs—Celebrating Borderlands in a Wider Europe: Nations and Identities in Ukraine, Georgia and Estonia (2016), and Lotman's Cultural Semiotics and the Political (2017). He has coedited (all with Alexandra Yatsyk) a number of academic volumes—Mega Events in Post-Soviet Eurasia: Shifting Borderlands of Inclusion and Exclusion (2016), Vocabularies of International Relations after the Crisis in Ukraine (2017), and Borders in the Baltic Sea Region: Suturing the Ruptures (2017). Copyright © 2018 Institute of Russian Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies