CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2008
| Author | Goshadze, Mariam |
|---|---|
| Title | Inventing the Self: Instrumentalization of History in Abkhazian-Georgian Conflict |
| Summary | The thesis analyses the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict from the ethno-symbolic perspective. My aim is to scrutinize the fluidity of the perception of ethnic identity generated through myths and symbols. ‘Nation’ in the conflict will not be defined as preexistent and organic, as an unchangeable reality which could not be accommodated due to the intrinsic dissimilarity in the essence of the Abkhazians and Georgians. Instead, I will argue that nationalism of the two regions is a phenomenon, which can be viewed only in its societal and institutional context in which ‘different groups compete to control [the] symbol and its meanings’ . In other words, rather than fighting for the self-evident reality, the two groups dispute over the ‘recreation’ of the self and the other —the very identification of Abkhazians as separate or the same as Georgians exists partially due to the virtue of reproducing the identity in the social, political and cultural life. Although the arguments from both sides are substantiated by the ‘proofs’ from the past, the past is revived in a way as to fit the specific perception of what one is supposed to be, sometimes altering the ‘history’ to unrecognizable state. My broader objective is to demonstrate how much the confrontation between the ‘imagined nations’ can shape and orient the minds of the people into hating the ‘other’. |
| Supervisor | Maria Kovacs, Alexei Miller |
| Department | Nationalism Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2008/goshadze_mariam.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2021, Central European University