Author: imkava

Tbilisi online & campus seminar Nov 1-3

  By , ,

On November 1-3 students from Malmö University, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and Flinders University (Adelaide, Australia) conducted an online and campus seminar, broadcasted from Tbilisi State University. This was a collaborative event for students from Caucasus Studies and Communication for development (Malmö University), Development studies (Flinders University) together with MA students from the Faculty of Social and Political Studies at Tbilisi State University. Ten Malmö students participated in the seminar in Tbilisi together with Georgian students and other students participated online, including all Australian students. From the Swedish side several members of staff came to Tbilisi for the seminar: Oscar Hemer, Karina Vamling, Hugo Boothby, Tobias Denskus, Katrine Gotfredsen, Mikael Rundberg, Anders Høg Hansen. The group was accompanied by Dean of the Faculty of Culture and Society, Rebecka Lettevall (Malmö University), and visual storyteller Conor Ashleigh.

The thematic focus of the three day seminar was Georgia’s separatist conflicts, and in particular the South Ossetian/Tskhinvali conflict, and the challenges the internally displaced persons (IDPs) are facing. The seminar included academic lectures and presentations from representatives of NGOs and other organisations, such as European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) and Civil Forum. In addition to the seminar students and staff visited an IDP settlement outside Gori close to the conflict zone.

 

Visit to Batumi University

  By ,

On October 26 Malmö University researchers Karina Vamling, Jean Hudson and Revaz Tchantouria visited Batumi Shota Rustaveli University (https://bsu.edu.ge/). During the contact visit they met with colleagues Lali Tavadze at the Dept. of European Studies,  Rector’s advisor Revaz Diasamidze at the Dept. of Public Affairs and Political Studies and Nino Dolidze, Head of Press Service of Batumi University.

 

 

Lecture by visiting professor Kazim Azimzade

  By , ,

Professor Kazim Azimzade (Azimov) is visiting professor at the Section for Caucasus Studies (Malmö University). On Tuesday October 17, 15.00-16.00, he will give a presentation on multiculturalism in Azerbaijan. All are welcome to the lecture in room 0826, Niagara building. The title of the presentation is The Azerbaijani multiculturalism model. 

Professor Azimzade’s home institution is Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Psychology, Baku State University, Azerbaijan. He will visit Malmö University for three months.

 

Creating a documentary film about the last speaker of Ubykh

  By , ,

Tevfik Esenç, the last fluent speaker of Ubykh, and prof. Hans Vogt of Oslo University, could hardly have imagined during their fieldwork in Norway in 1959 that their grandson and son would meet in Oslo almost 60 years later to talk about their fieldwork on Ubykh….

 

Burcu and Burak Esenç, Tevfik Esenç’s granddaughter and grandson, are following in their grandfather’s footsteps, gathering materials and memories related to Ubykh and its last speaker. This is part of creating a documentary film. The Turkish film team has already visited Paris, focusing on Georges Dumezil’s work on Ubykh.

The team recently visited Oslo, which included a meeting and interview with Karina Vamling, professor of Caucasus Studies at Malmö University (photo below: Burak and Burcu to the left, Karina to the right).

The North-West Caucasian language Ubykh, well-known to linguists for its uniquely high number of consonants, became extinct in Turkey in 1992 with the death of its last speaker, Tevfik Esenç. He had learned the language from his grandparents, who were among the Ubykhs who were forced into exile in the mid 1860s when their lands on the Caucasian Black Sea coast had been conquered by the Russian Empire after fierce resistance.

Project presentations

  By ,

A group of students following the course “Caucasus Field and Case Studies” this spring have presented their project reports.
The title of Shane’s project was “Tbilisi Flood Disaster 2015. How social media is influencing disaster response and recovery in Georgia“, based on his field work. Jeanne was interested in the development of relations between Georgians and Abkhazians after the 2008 war. Jacques’s research project work centered around gender studies and the position of women in the South Caucasus. Björn conducted fieldwork in Batumi and presented his interview study “Muslims in Ajara. Identity, belonging and marginalization”. Clayton went to Ingushetia in North Caucasus for his field study: “Promotion of Tourism in Ingushetia Rebranding the Branded”.

Many thanks to Mikale Rundberg who helped us with the technical side of the semianr and presenations.

The Budukhs – photo exhibition and documentary film

  By , ,

Welcome to the opening of a photo exhibition and the screening of a short documentary film about the homeland of the Budukhs, a North Caucasian minority group in the mountains of northern Azerbaijan.
When: May 23, 1 pm
Where: Niagara building 8th floor (0826)

The film project “Homeland” about the Budukhs was created by Orkhan Hajiyev.
The photo exhibition is based on photos by three photographers: Zaur Mirzayev, Taleh Valehov, Elnur Aliyev

Organiser of the event: Exchange PhD Candidate Elnur Aliyev (contact: elnur.vugarli@gmail.com).

Prominent political analyst and journalist Vibeke Sperling dies in Copenhagen

  By

The mournful news has reached us that Vibeke Sperling, a prominent Danish journalist, political analyst and writer has passed away in Copenhagen on 13 May.  As a foreign correspondent to Moscow for leading Danish newspapers and later the Danish Radio she reported on the final years of the Soviet Empire and post-Soviet developments in the newly independent states. She travelled extensively to the Caucasus and wrote numerous articles and a book based on personal observations and experiences about the complexities of the Russia-Chechnya conflict. 

We have lost an excellent specialist on post-Soviet Russia and an irreplaceable source of knowledge about developments in post- Soviet North Caucasus. We have also lost a dear and highly esteemed colleague and a friend of Caucasus Studies at Malmö University. 

Märta-Lisa Magnusson         

 

Photo: Märta-Lisa Magnusson

Planning visit to Tbilisi University

  By