Conferencia “Paradise Turned Hell: Forced displacement to and from Georgia and the Caucasus”

Fecha: Martes, 15 de marzo de 2016
Lugar: Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, ed. de Musicología. Sala de Reuniones
Horario: 11:00 horas
Descripción: Conferencia a cargo de A cargo de George Tarkhan-Mouravi. Co-Director dei Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Tbilisi, Georgia
Organiza: Doctorado en Estudios Migratorios
Más información: In Soviet times Georgia, and much of the Caucasus, were considered as a sort of paradise on Earth where handsome and happy people lived, surrounded by romantic landscapes, beautiful Black Sea shores and the snow-covered mountains of the Greater Caucasus. Tourists and vacationers from the cold Russian planes flocked in the summer to the Caucasian resorts, intending to enjoy excellent food, lots of sun, and short-term romantic relationships.
However, already in late 1980s, and especially in early 1990s this beautiful myth was replaced by much gloomier reality, as almost all conflicts that emerged with the disintegration of the USSR took place in the Caucasus, with two – in Abkhazia and South Ossetia – taking place in Georgia, which was probably hit the worst – by conflicts, civil war and economic collapse that totally devastated the country and impoverished its people. Similar processes took place among its Caucasian neighbours as well, displacing hundreds of thousands of inhabitants and causing unprecedented waves of human suffering. Two decades later, the majority of these refugees and IDPs are still unsettled and in misery, with the new waves of forced migration following the second war in Chechnya and the August 2008 Russian-Georgian war. Now, there are also new refugees coming from other and more distant unhappy lands, whether from Egypt, Syria or Lebanon, in search of either historical homeland or a new place to find peace. There are also victims of tragic ethnic deportations from Stalin’s times, probably best epitomized by the sad story of so called Muslim Meskhetians, or Ahyska Turks, from Southern Georgia, since their deportation in 1944 striving to return to Meskhetia, with modest success to date.
The lecture will cover issues of forced migration in the Caucasus against the background of ongoing political and social-economic processes in the region, discussing current challenges and threats, and the prospects of resolving at least some of the multitude of existing problems.
George Tarkhan-Mouravi, is co-director of the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) in Tbilisi. He is also chairman of the board of the Georgian Political Science Association (GPSA). Was involved in developing civic sector in Georgia and Eastern Europe, having had initiated and/or headed a number of NGOs, including Prague-based international association of think tanks PASOS. Authored and co-authored a number of publications in the areas of ethnic studies, regional security, political analysis, policy research, and conflict.
nkresova@ugr.es

Conferencia “Paradise Turned Hell: Forced displacement to and from Georgia and the Caucasus”

15 marzo 2016 | 10:00 - 11:00 h

Actividades culturales y de divulgación
Conferencias, seminarios, divulgación científica

Fechas y horarios

Conferencia “Paradise Turned Hell: Forced displacement to and from Georgia and the Caucasus”

15 marzo 2016 | 10:00 - 11:00 h

Actividades culturales y de divulgaciónConferencias, seminarios, divulgación científica

Fechas y horarios

Actividades culturales y de divulgación
Conferencias, seminarios, divulgación científica