CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2015
| Author | Bardin, Lucile Adele Eugenie |
|---|---|
| Title | Security and identity in the South Caucasus: A case study of the Armenian minority of Samtskhe-Javakheti |
| Summary | This thesis analyzes the relation between security and identity in the case of the Armenian populated region of Samtskhe-Javakheti in Georgia. It looks at the characteristics and conditions for the development of the discourses depicting the Armenian minority of Samtskhe-Javakheti as a threat to Georgia, as well as the consequences of this phenomenon for inter-ethnic relations in Georgia. At the intersection of Nationalism studies and International Relations, the study draws on securitization theories of both the Copenhagen School and Thierry Balzacq. This research car-ries out a discourse/content analysis of a sample of sources relating events and discourses surrounding Javakheti Armenians, as well as expert/informant interviews with local journalists, activists and experts. As a result, this study shows that the phenomenon of securitization of Javakheti Armenians is the symptom of a divided society in the process of nation-building and in the context of intense regional geopolitical competition. Indeed, securitizing speech acts surrounding Javakheti Armenians use secessionist threat as a compelling point within another argument, a rhetorical exercise enabled by the isolation of the region, political manipulation and identity-related fears. These securitizing discourses are therefore institutionalized, for they do not lead to emergency measures and violence, but enact the ethnic division of the society, thereby potentially contributing in a degradation of inter-ethnic relations in Georgia. |
| Supervisor | András László Pap |
| Department | Nationalism Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2015/bardin_lucile.pdf |
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