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Religion, Democracy, and Nation in the Southern Caucasus - A Comparative Analysis of Key Concepts in Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan

Project Leaders


•    Ansgar Joedicke, Fribourg  (main coordinator)
•    Evert van der Zweerde, Nijmegen
•    Alexander Agadjanian, Moscow (research teams coordinator)

Financial Support


•    State Secretariat of Education and Research, Bern/Switzerland
•    Academic Swiss Caucasus Net (ASCN), University of Fribourg/Switzerland

Duration


July 2011 - June 2014

Abstract


The research project examines the cultural construction and discursive constellation of central social categories - religion, nation and democracy - in the three South Caucasus nations: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. These key concepts form a complex system of values determined by internal factors (political, religious and cultural traditions, Soviet legacy, etc.) as well as external factors (international relations, globalization effects). The interaction of these factors and their importance in terms of political stability in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are analyzed comparatively within an interdisciplinary framework of approaches, coming from political sciences, sociology, anthropology and history.

The project consists of four local research teams each including a team leader and three PhD. students. In the end, in 2014, a joint comparative study will be presented. In addition, the project supports nine PhDs, some of them leading to double degrees. In April 2012 and in April 2013 two conferences are planned, tentatively in Yerevan and Baku, for the discussion of interim results.

Research Teams


1) Religion and Politics
Team leader: Ketevan Khutsishvili (Tbilisi)
Collaborators:
Elnur Ismayilov (Baku)
Barbare Janelidze (Tbilisi)
Yulia Antonyan (Yerevan)

2) Education and Nation
Team leader: Farda Asadov (Baku)
Collaborators:
Nigar Gozalova (Baku)
Tatia Kekelia (Tbilisi)
Satenik Mkrtchyan (Yerevan)

3) Culture and Democracy
Team leader: Tigran Matosyan (Yerevan)
Collaborators:
Rashad Shirinov (Baku)
Levan Gambashidze (Tbilisi)
Sona Hovhannisyan (Yerevan)

4) International Dimension (Iran, Turkey, Russia, EU)
Team leader: Hovhannes Hovhannisyan (Yerevan)
Collaborators:
Tatevik Mkrtchyan (Yerevan)
Valer Lomuashvili (Tbilisi)

Experts


David Hovhannisyan, Yerevan, Armenia
Nona Shakhnazaryan, Krasnodar, Russia
Ayca Ergun, Ankara, Turkey
Katharina Hoffmann, Birmingham, UK / St. Gallen, Switzerland
Ulrich Schmid, St. Gallen, Switzerland


Timetable

  • 2-4 April 2011 Search Conference in Tbilisi
  • 1 July 2011 Start of the project and stipends
  • 13-15 September 2011 Interim Workshop of the research team “International Dimension” in Yerevan
  • 25-26 September 2011 Interim Workshop of the research team “Culture and Democracy” in Tbilisi
  • 29 Nov - 1 Dec 2011 Interim Workshop of the research team “Education and Nation” in Tbilisi
  • 3-4 December 2011 Interim Workshop of the research team “Religion and Politics” in Tbilisi
  • 2-6 May 2012 Conference (Ankara)
  • 15-19 October 2012 Workshop (Nijmegen)
  • April 2013 Conference
  • 31 May 2014 Final texts of chapters prepared by team leaders; Start working with publisher(s)
  • 30 June 2014 End of project

Further Information


Ansgar Joedicke, main coordinator

ansgar.nonexisting@fake.comjoedicke@unifr.nonexisting@fake.comch