Georgia at the Crossroads of Empires: Politics, Society, Time, Narratives of Integration, International Black Sea University, September 12–14, 2024

The International Black Sea University Center for Multidisciplinary Research, Department of the Humanities and Social Sciences, International Black Sea University (Republic of Georgia) is pleased to announce its conference “Georgia at the Crossroads of Empires: Politics, Society, Time, Narratives of Integration”. 

We are inviting abstract paper submissions from International and Georgian scholars.

The conference is the first attempt to comprehend Georgia’s role in the history of research of empires. The thematic actuality of this retrospective idea is determined not only by the role of a periphery perceived from an imperial metropolis, but also by the imperialist relations comprehended from the periphery – a look from regions towards the center. 

The conference focuses on Georgia's relations with ancient, medieval, modern global states and combines diachronically distant historical epochs together. The conference focuses on the clashes and changes of the balance of power of the different empires.

Fundamental issues about the functioning of global states have long drawn the attention of researchers, although little has been learned about the reaction of peripheries to the challenges posed by the empires. The precise policies of global states are often determined by the “openness” of the subordinate countries, their willingness to cooperate with imperial forces (in scope of the commonwealth arrangements). By analyzing the “imperial messages” and the “level of local acceptance” the degree of Georgia's integration could be judged, which will be manifested in the course of local politics, social structures, military alliances, economic and trade networks, urban culture, religious orientation, as well as material monuments and artifacts.

This conference correspondingly illuminates the unexplored realm of imperialist relations, modeling the cooperation between empires and peripheries, reveals Imperial culture-conditioned local political and social agents, predominantly local elites. 

Culturally sublimated society (primarily the peripheral elites), idealizes imperial models and patterns of societal forms. Creative sublimation is about redefining themselves and own traditions in order to culturally survive between Empires. When unacceptable impulses appear in political mode, Empires pass or cause passing directly from the solid foundation of power to politically acceptable actions and behavior, thus possibly resulting in a long-term conversion of the initial impulse.

Mirroring the multifaceted research of the problems conference, we encourage a comparative perspective in geographical and chronological terms, the conference will draw attention to emerging research topics and innovative methodological approaches from within the humanities and political sciences.

The working language of the conference is English.

Sponsored by Shota Rustaveli National Scientific Foundation of Georgia