DOCSLIB.ORG

87MC Phd THESIS.Pdf

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Kent Academic Repository Full text document (pdf) Citation for published version Costello, Michael (2015) Law as Adjunct to Custom? Abkhaz custom and law in today's state-building and 'modernisation' - (Studied through dispute resolution). Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) thesis, University of Kent,. DOI Link to record in KAR https://kar.kent.ac.uk/47916/ Document Version UNSPECIFIED Copyright & reuse Content in the Kent Academic Repository is made available for research purposes. Unless otherwise stated all content is protected by copyright and in the absence of an open licence (eg Creative Commons), permissions for further reuse of content should be sought from the publisher, author or other copyright holder. Versions of research The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record. Enquiries For any further enquiries regarding the licence status of this document, please contact: [email protected] If you believe this document infringes copyright then please contact the KAR admin team with the take-down information provided at http://kar.kent.ac.uk/contact.html LAW AS ADJUNCT TO CUSTOM? Abkhaz custom and law in today’s state-building and ‘modernisation’ - (Studied through dispute resolution) DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND CONSERVATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENT FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY 12 FEBRUARY 2015 By Michael Costello Examiners: Professor Michael Fischer Associate Professor Jacob Rigi Supervisor: Lecturer Glenn Bowman 1 LAW AS ADJUNCT TO CUSTOM? The relationship between Abkhaz custom and law in today’s state-building and ‘modernisation’ - (Studied through dispute resolution) Abstract The setting for research is Abkhazia a small country south of the Caucasus Mountains and bordering Europe and the Near East. The Abkhaz hold onto custom – apswara – to make of state law an adjunct to custom as the state strives to strengthen its powers to ‘modernise’ along capitalist lines. This institution of a parallel-cum-interwoven and oppositional existence of practices and the laws questions the relationship of the two in a novel way. The bases of apswara are its concepts of communality and fairness. Profound transformations have followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the breakaway from and subsequent war with Georgia, none of which have brought the bright prospects that were hoped-for with independence. The element of hope in post-Soviet nostalgia provides pointers to what the Abkhaz seek to enact for their future, to decide the course of change that entertains the possibility of a non-capitalist modernisation route and a customary state. Apswara is founded on the direct participatory democracy of non-state regulation. It draws members of all ethnicities into the generation of nationalist self-awareness that transcends ethnicity and religions, and forms around sacred shrines and decisions taken by popular assemblies. It has topical significance for other societies where custom and law co-habit through contestation, and questions some widely accepted theories about the relationship of the two, as well as problematising anthropological concepts of ‘legal pluralism’ and post-Sovietics. The study suggests new topics for research. 2 I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own fieldwork and reflection under the supervision of Dr. Glenn Bowman, Lecturer in Social Anthropology at the School of Anthropology and Conservation of the University of Kent. ________________________________ Michael Costello 15 February, 2015 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements Chapter 1 Introduction ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 9 1.1 Field delimitations – apsuara and apsua tsas ÉÉÉÉ.. 14 1.1.1 Journey in, through and out ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 18 1.1.2 The policeman ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 22 1.1.3 Driven to court – no alternatives ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 24 1.1.4 Both Custom and Law ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 26 1.2 Abkhazia, the Abkhaz and Abkhazians ÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 27 1.2.1 Abkhazia ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 33 1.2.2 Legacies of the past ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 37 1.2.3 Demographic changes ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 42 Chapter 2 Literature review ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 48 2.1 Custom, law and the state ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 49 2.2 Definitions........................................................................... 52 Bohannan, Gluckman, Diamond ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 62 2.4 Legal pluralism ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 73 2.4.1 Restorative justice ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ 81 2.5 The ethnography of Abkhazia ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 83 2.5.1 Writing in “the ethnographic past tense”ÉÉÉÉ. 86 2.6 Post- Soviet ethnography and ‘transitologyÕÉÉÉÉÉ 88 Chapter 3 Methodology ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ... 97 3.1 Setting out ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 100 3.2 Theory ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 100 3.3 Methods ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 103 3.3.1 Observation ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 103 3.3.2 Interviewing ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 104 3.3.3 Analysis of texts ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 104 3.4 Objectives ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ... 104 3.5 Some General Points on Methods ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 104 3.6 Questions ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 108 3.7 Advocacy and participant Observation ÉÉÉÉÉÉ... 109 Chapter 4 Evidential cases ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 112 4.1 What law? Adoption outside the law ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. .114 4.2 The law as instrument of custom – a village idyll, harmony and feud? ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ118 4.2.1 Feud, reconciliation ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 119 4 4.3 Filicide – breaking the law? ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 126 4.4 Mediation – extra-legal settlement - legal agencies connive ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 128 4.4.1 Judge turns to custom after knifing ÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 128 4.4.2 Honour ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 130 4.4.3 Honour and dignity – the watchman and the thief... 131 4.5 Custom evolving ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ 133 4.5.1 Shaming – woman takes son to local assembly – obshchina, skhod ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ 133 4.5.2 Son tames father ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 139 4.5.3 Changing customs ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 140 4.6 Resort to the law and to custom? ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ 143 4.6.1 Child run over – qualified use of law as an adjunct ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ 143 4.6.2 Attempts on president’s life - shame, suicide – law versus kinship ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 145 4.7 Defying the law in marriage ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ 152 4.7.1 Abductions and arranged marriage ÉÉÉÉÉÉ 153 4.7.2 Inheriting a house ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 157 4.8 Neither custom nor law ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ... 160 4.8.1 Kin outweighs the judge – the axe woman ÉÉÉ 160 4.8.2 Cultural defence – grey area ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 162 4.9 Resume of elements of customary practices ÉÉÉÉ. 167 Chapter 5 Distortions, contradictions, changing times ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ174 5.1 What custom cannot tackle today ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ...174 5.1.1 Corruption ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ...175 5.1.2 Witchcraft ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 177 5.1.3 Powerless to tackle changes ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 180 5.1.4 Debts and insults ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.181 5.1.5 Lineage pressures – drunken driver gets off Scott free ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ182 5.1.6 Big men? Gangsters? - a society of tensions ÉÉ182 5.1.7 Practical challenges to values of apswara ÉÉÉ..184 5.2 Outside of custom and law -Zuleika’s case ÉÉÉÉÉ185 5.2.1 An internal “Other”? ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 190 5.2.2 Distance ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ..191 Chapter 6 Nationalist modernisation ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ192 6.1 Abkhaz nationalist thought, origins ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ...196 6.1.1 The Soviet ethnographic setting ÉÉÉ... .205 6.1.2 Abkhaz nationalism and ethnos theory ÉÉÉÉ.. 207 5 6.2 Ethnicity or citizenship- Abkhaz or Abkhazian? ÉÉ..212 6.2.1 Ethnic transition and slippage ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 218 Chapter 7 Shrine-sharing a single belief system for different religions ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 221 7.1 Unanimity principle – shrines ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ... 231 7.2 More on unanimityÉ ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 238 7.2.1 ContradictionsÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ244 Chapter 8 What now – where to start? ÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 246 8.1 “Failure of the Soviet Union?” and “NostalgiaÓÉÉÉ 246 8.2 Nostalgia - phantom of the past or the present ÉÉÉÉ 247 8.2.1 Nostalgia abstracted ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 248 8.2.2 A political agenda or ideology ÉÉÉÉÉ. 253 8.2.3 Post-Soviet nostalgia for the present ÉÉÉ 255 8.2.4 Present and future ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ 257 8.3 Transition or transformation? ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ..... 258 8.4 Nationalist modernisation – capitalism? ÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 262 Chapter 9 State building ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 266 9.1 What kind of state ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 266 9.1.1 Head of state’s perceptions ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 269 9.2 Moral economy and trust ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. 274 Chapter 10 Alternatives for the future ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 282 10.1 A customary state? ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 286 10.2 Conclusions ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 290 10.2.1 What found new - openings for further research 292 Bibliography 300 Appendix 1 Comrades’ Courts 321 Appendix 2 Constitution and Assemblies 322 Appendix 3 Council of Shrine Keepers 324 6 7 Acknowledgements I express a particular gratitude to Dr Peter Parkes, who put me on the road to research on the Abkhaz from undergraduate days. He was my first supervisor for this dissertation and was followed by Professor Roger Just and then Senior Lecturer Glenn Bowman, with the assistance of Dr Matt Hodges and Dr Melissa Demian of the University of Kent. My induction into Abkhazia owes a lot to the help of Professor George Hewitt of London University and his Abkhaz colleague Dr Vyacheslav Chirikba of the universities of Leiden and Abkhazia, who gave me valuable contacts in the field. Outstanding among these was Professor Vasilii Avidzba, director of the D. Gulia Institute for Research and the Study of Humanities in Sukhum, the members of its departments and the library staff, all of whom were totally approachable. Thanks go to many other academics in Abkhazia, including Dr. Mira Konstantinovna Khotelashvili (Inal-ipa) who was invaluable for details on historian and ethnologist Professor Shalva Inal-ipa (deceased) and for access to his papers. Nothing would have been possible without the help of the Eleanora Kohonia- Anzor Chepia family, their three children, Abas, Des and Kan and other kin and friends, who allowed me to stay in their homes in town and villages. I am similarly indebted, to Dr Fatima and Dr Beslan Kamkiia for stays in their homes and meeting their family and neighbours.
Recommended publications
  • 2018-2019 წლების ანგარიში/Annual Report

    2018-2019 წლების ანგარიში/Annual Report

    რელიგიის საკითხთა STATE AGENCY FOR სახელმწიფო სააგენტო RELIGIOUS ISSUES 2018-2019 წლების ანგარიში/ANNUAL REPORT 2020 თბილისი TBILISI წინამდებარე გამოცემაში წარმოდგენილია რელიგიის საკითხთა სახელმწიფო სააგე- ნტოს მიერ 2018-2019 წლებში გაწეული საქმიანობის ანგარიში, რომელიც მოიცავს ქვეყა- ნაში რელიგიის თავისუფლების კუთხით არსებული ვითარების ანალიზს და იმ ძირითად ღონისძიებებს, რასაც სააგენტო ქვეყანაში რელიგიის თავისუფლების, შემწყნარებლური გარემოს განმტკიცებისთვის ახორციელებს. ანგარიშში განსაკუთრებული ყურადღებაა გამახვილებული საქართველოს ოკუპირებულ ტერიტორიებზე, სადაც ნადგურდება ქართული ეკლესია-მონასტრები და უხეშად ირღვე- ვა მკვიდრი მოსახლეობის უფლებები რელიგიის, გამოხატვისა და გადაადგილების თავი- სუფლების კუთხით. ანგარიშში მოცემულია ინფორმაცია სააგენტოს საქმიანობაზე „ადამიანის უფლებების დაცვის სამთავრობო სამოქმედო გეგმის“ ფარგლებში, ასევე ასახულია სახელმწიფოს მხრი- დან რელიგიური ორგანიზაციებისათვის გაწეული ფინანსური თუ სხვა სახის დახმარება და განხორციელებული პროექტები. This edition presents a report on the activities carried out by the State Agency for Religious Is- sues in 2018-2019, including analysis of the situation in the country regarding freedom of religion and those main events that the Agency is conducting to promote freedom of religion and a tolerant environment. In the report, particular attention is payed to the occupied territories of Georgia, where Georgian churches and monasteries are destroyed and the rights of indigenous peoples are severely violated in terms of freedom of religion, expression and movement. The report provides information on the Agency's activities within the framework of the “Action Plan of the Government of Georgia on the Protection of Human Rights”, as well as financial or other assistance provided by the state to religious organizations and projects implemented. რელიგიის საკითხთა სახელმწიფო სააგენტო 2018-2019 წლების ანგარიში სარჩევი 1. რელიგიისა და რწმენის თავისუფლება ოკუპირებულ ტერიტორიებზე ........................ 6 1.1.
  • Georgia: What Now?

    Georgia: What Now?

    GEORGIA: WHAT NOW? 3 December 2003 Europe Report N°151 Tbilisi/Brussels TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................. i I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 II. BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................. 2 A. HISTORY ...............................................................................................................................2 B. GEOPOLITICS ........................................................................................................................3 1. External Players .........................................................................................................4 2. Why Georgia Matters.................................................................................................5 III. WHAT LED TO THE REVOLUTION........................................................................ 6 A. ELECTIONS – FREE AND FAIR? ..............................................................................................8 B. ELECTION DAY AND AFTER ..................................................................................................9 IV. ENSURING STATE CONTINUITY .......................................................................... 12 A. STABILITY IN THE TRANSITION PERIOD ...............................................................................12 B. THE PRO-SHEVARDNADZE
  • Representing the Algerian Civil War: Literature, History, and the State

    Representing the Algerian Civil War: Literature, History, and the State

    Representing the Algerian Civil War: Literature, History, and the State By Neil Grant Landers A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in French in the GRADUATE DIVISION of the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Committee in charge: Professor Debarati Sanyal, Co-Chair Professor Soraya Tlatli, Co-Chair Professor Karl Britto Professor Stefania Pandolfo Fall 2013 1 Abstract of the Dissertation Representing the Algerian Civil War: Literature, History, and the State by Neil Grant Landers Doctor of Philosophy in French Literature University of California, Berkeley Professor Debarati Sanyal, Co-Chair Professor Soraya Tlatli, Co-Chair Representing the Algerian Civil War: Literature, History, and the State addresses the way the Algerian civil war has been portrayed in 1990s novelistic literature. In the words of one literary critic, "The Algerian war has been, in a sense, one big murder mystery."1 This may be true, but literary accounts portray the "mystery" of the civil war—and propose to solve it—in sharply divergent ways. The primary aim of this study is to examine how three of the most celebrated 1990s novels depict—organize, analyze, interpret, and "solve"—the civil war. I analyze and interpret these novels—by Assia Djebar, Yasmina Khadra, and Boualem Sansal—through a deep contextualization, both in terms of Algerian history and in the novels' contemporary setting. This is particularly important in this case, since the civil war is so contested, and is poorly understood. Using the novels' thematic content as a cue for deeper understanding, I engage through them and with them a number of elements crucial to understanding the civil war: Algeria's troubled nationalist legacy; its stagnant one-party regime; a fear, distrust, and poor understanding of the Islamist movement and the insurgency that erupted in 1992; and the unending, horrifically bloody violence that piled on throughout the 1990s.
  • Status and Protection of Globally Threatened Species in the Caucasus

    Status and Protection of Globally Threatened Species in the Caucasus

    STATUS AND PROTECTION OF GLOBALLY THREATENED SPECIES IN THE CAUCASUS CEPF Biodiversity Investments in the Caucasus Hotspot 2004-2009 Edited by Nugzar Zazanashvili and David Mallon Tbilisi 2009 The contents of this book do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of CEPF, WWF, or their sponsoring organizations. Neither the CEPF, WWF nor any other entities thereof, assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product or process disclosed in this book. Citation: Zazanashvili, N. and Mallon, D. (Editors) 2009. Status and Protection of Globally Threatened Species in the Caucasus. Tbilisi: CEPF, WWF. Contour Ltd., 232 pp. ISBN 978-9941-0-2203-6 Design and printing Contour Ltd. 8, Kargareteli st., 0164 Tbilisi, Georgia December 2009 The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank. This book shows the effort of the Caucasus NGOs, experts, scientific institutions and governmental agencies for conserving globally threatened species in the Caucasus: CEPF investments in the region made it possible for the first time to carry out simultaneous assessments of species’ populations at national and regional scales, setting up strategies and developing action plans for their survival, as well as implementation of some urgent conservation measures. Contents Foreword 7 Acknowledgments 8 Introduction CEPF Investment in the Caucasus Hotspot A. W. Tordoff, N. Zazanashvili, M. Bitsadze, K. Manvelyan, E. Askerov, V. Krever, S. Kalem, B. Avcioglu, S. Galstyan and R. Mnatsekanov 9 The Caucasus Hotspot N.
  • Georgia/Abkhazia

    Georgia/Abkhazia

    HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH ARMS PROJECT HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH/HELSINKI March 1995 Vol. 7, No. 7 GEORGIA/ABKHAZIA: VIOLATIONS OF THE LAWS OF WAR AND RUSSIA'S ROLE IN THE CONFLICT CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATIONS............................................................................................................5 EVOLUTION OF THE WAR.......................................................................................................................................6 The Role of the Russian Federation in the Conflict.........................................................................................7 RECOMMENDATIONS...............................................................................................................................................8 To the Government of the Republic of Georgia ..............................................................................................8 To the Commanders of the Abkhaz Forces .....................................................................................................8 To the Government of the Russian Federation................................................................................................8 To the Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus...........................................................................9 To the United Nations .....................................................................................................................................9 To the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe..........................................................................9
  • Russia, Georgia and the Eu in Abkhazia and South Ossetia

    Russia, Georgia and the Eu in Abkhazia and South Ossetia

    PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION: RUSSIA, GEORGIA AND THE EU IN ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA Iskra Kirova August 2012 Figueroa Press Los Angeles The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author and cannot be interpreted to reflect the positions of organizations that the author is affiliated with. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION: RUSSIA, GEORGIA AND THE EU IN ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA Iskra Kirova Published by FIGUEROA PRESS 840 Childs Way, 3rd Floor Los Angeles, CA 90089 Phone: (213) 743-4800 Fax: (213) 743-4804 www.figueroapress.com Figueroa Press is a division of the USC Bookstore Copyright © 2012 all rights reserved Notice of Rights All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmit- ted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author, care of Figueroa Press. Notice of Liability The information in this book is distributed on an “As is” basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, neither the author nor Figueroa nor the USC Bookstore shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by any text contained in this book. Figueroa Press and the USC Bookstore are trademarks of the University of Southern California ISBN 13: 978-0-18-214016-9 ISBN 10: 0-18-214016-4 For general inquiries or to request additional copies of this paper please contact: USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School University of Southern California 3502 Watt Way, G4 Los Angeles, CA 90089-0281 Tel: (213) 821-2078; Fax: (213) 821-0774 [email protected] www.uscpublicdiplomacy.org CPD Perspectives on Public Diplomacy CPD Perspectives is a periodic publication by the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, and highlights scholarship intended to stimulate critical thinking about the study and practice of public diplomacy.
  • BLACK SEA SUBMARINE VALLEYS – PATTERNS, SYSTEMS, NETWORKS Dan C

    BLACK SEA SUBMARINE VALLEYS – PATTERNS, SYSTEMS, NETWORKS Dan C

    BLACK SEA SUBMARINE VALLEYS – PATTERNS, SYSTEMS, NETWORKS DAN C. JIPA1, NICOLAE PANIN1, CORNEL OLARIU2, CORNEL POP1 1National Institute of Marine Geology and Geo-Ecology (GeoEcoMar), 23-25 Dimitrie Onciul St., 024053 Bucharest, Romania 2Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 2305 Speedway Stop, C1160, Austin, TX 78712-1692 Abstract. The article presents a detailed analysis of the underwater morphology of the entire Black Sea basin beyond the shelf break. The focus is on submarine valley systems on continental slope and rise zones, and partially in the abyssal plain area. The present research is among the very few studies that have undertaken a morphological analysis on a regional scale, for an entire marine basin. This achievement was possible by using the publicly available EMODnet bathymetric map of the Black Sea. The Black Sea submarine valleys networks are presented in a map-sketch. It includes 25 valley systems, 5 groups of simple first order channels, and other number of simple, not associated channels. The 25 valley systems are adding up more than 110 main channels and tributaries. Morphological description and analysis of each of the mapped systems is given – shape and plan view morphology, dimensions (length and surface) and slope gradient. Some considerations about the amount of sediments supplied by the valleys from the shelf to the basin floor, forming the deep-sea fans, are presented. For a more detailed and precise image of the Black Sea network of submarine valleys additional work would be necessary to cover the entire basin with a minimum standard network of modern bathymetric mapping and of high resolution seismic survey lines.
  • I Am Falling Behind the Happenings

    I Am Falling Behind the Happenings

    The Diary of Anatoly S. Chernyaev 1985 Donated by A.S. Chernyaev to The National Security Archive Translated by Anna Melyakova Edited by Svetlana Savranskaya http://www.nsarchive.org Translation © The National Security Archive, 2006 The Diary of Anatoly S. Chernyaev, 1985 http://www.nsarchive.org January 4th, 1985. I am falling behind the events. And they are bustling. Before the New Year’s I was distressed for Ponomarev:1 Kosolapov asked for permission to print in Communist the conclusion we wrote for B.N. [Ponomarev] for the eight-volume International Labor Movement. In response, he received instructions from Zimyanin2 to remove the footnote that it was the conclusion—let it, he says, be just an article... This is how Zimyanin now gives orders to B.N., being lower in rank than him! But something else is the most important—he reflects the “opinion” that it is not necessary to establish the connection (for many decades into the future) between Ponomarev and this fundamental publication in an official Party organ... That is, they are preparing our B.N. for the hearse. I think he will not survive the XXYII Congress; in any case not as CC [Central Committee] Secretary. At work, almost every day brings evidence of his helplessness. His main concern right now is to vindicate at least something of his self-imagined “halo” of the creator of the third (1961) Party Program. In no way can he reconcile himself to the fact that life has torn “his creation” to pieces. He blames everything on the intrigues of either Gorbachev3 or Chernenko4; but mainly on “the curly one” (this is how he calls Chernenko’s assistant Pechenev); and also in part on Aleksandrov5 and Zagladin.6 He complains to me, seeking in me somebody to talk to, a sympathizer.
  • Gorbachev and the Dynamics of Change *

    Gorbachev and the Dynamics of Change *

    GORBACHEV AND THE DYNAMICS OF CHANGE * K.S. Karol By six in the morning, queues are already beginning to form in front of the news-stands in Moscow and Leningrad. People may be queuing to buy Ogonek, a popular illustrated weekly which had no great readership until very recently, or a literary review which is publishing a work that has been held up by the censors for decades, or a long-awaited critical novel. They may even be queuing to make sure of getting hold of their usual daily, or sometimes even Pravda, if it contains an article or an interview that is out of the ordinary: they are afraid that it will be sold out within a few hours. Live television programmes are also becoming more common and the public, who are often invited to take part in them, follow them with an attention that was unknown in the past. Although they have a world-wide reputation for being indigestible, the Soviet press and mass media are suddenly enjoying immense public popularity, thanks to the policy of glasnost (openness) introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev. Is this phenomenon really only the tip of an iceberg? Are profound changes really at work in Soviet society? How far can the perestroika (reconstruct- ion) inspired and led by the new General Secretary actually go? For the first time since the Revolution of October 1917-and on the eve of its seventieth anniversary-censorship has been virtually abolished in the Soviet Union. Editors of various publications, who are assumed to know just how far they can go, have sole responsibility for what they publish.
  • Aw As Adjunct to Custom?

    Aw As Adjunct to Custom?

    LAW AS ADJUNCT TO CUSTOM? Abkhaz custom and law in today’s state-building and ‘modernisation’ - (Studied through dispute resolution) DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND CONSERVATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENT FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY 12 FEBRUARY 2015 By Michael Costello Examiners: Professor Michael Fischer Associate Professor Jacob Rigi Supervisor: Lecturer Glenn Bowman 1 LAW AS ADJUNCT TO CUSTOM? The relationship between Abkhaz custom and law in today’s state-building and ‘modernisation’ - (Studied through dispute resolution) Abstract The setting for research is Abkhazia a small country south of the Caucasus Mountains and bordering Europe and the Near East. The Abkhaz hold onto custom – apswara – to make of state law an adjunct to custom as the state strives to strengthen its powers to ‘modernise’ along capitalist lines. This institution of a parallel-cum-interwoven and oppositional existence of practices and the laws questions the relationship of the two in a novel way. The bases of apswara are its concepts of communality and fairness. Profound transformations have followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the breakaway from and subsequent war with Georgia, none of which have brought the bright prospects that were hoped-for with independence. The element of hope in post-Soviet nostalgia provides pointers to what the Abkhaz seek to enact for their future, to decide the course of change that entertains the possibility of a non-capitalist modernisation route and a customary state. Apswara is founded on the direct participatory democracy of non-state regulation. It draws members of all ethnicities into the generation of nationalist self-awareness that transcends ethnicity and religions, and forms around sacred shrines and decisions taken by popular assemblies.
  • 1 1 the Curse of Displacement

    1 1 the Curse of Displacement

    1 2 The curse of displacement: Local narratives of forced expulsion and 3 the appropriation of abandoned property in Abkhazia 4 5 Andrea Peinhopf, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London 6 7 8 Abstract. Since the end of the Georgian-Abkhaz war, the often-precarious status of the Georgians 9 displaced from Abkhazia has received significant academic attention. In contrast, the 10 consequences of displacement from the reverse perspective – how it has affected the people who 11 stayed behind – remains underanalysed. Drawing on narratives collected during several months 12 of ethnographic fieldwork, this paper argues that although ethnic Abkhazians see themselves as 13 victims of ethnic violence rather than perpetrators, the re-distribution of Georgian property 14 nevertheless caused significant distress. Many condemned the practice of appropriation, 15 suggesting that taking what is not one’s own is not only a violation of the property of the original 16 owner, but also of the Abkhaz moral code and therefore shameful. To them, the trophy houses 17 were a curse, both literally – as spaces haunted by former occupants – and metaphorically, as a 18 source and reminder of a certain “moral corruption” within Abkhazian society. However, while 19 the stories around the trophy houses reflect substantial intra-communal divisions, I suggest that 20 they are also an expression of a shared post-war experience. Like the horror stories of Georgian 21 violence, and those of Abkhaz heroism, they have become part of an intimate
  • Abkhazia: Deepening Dependence

    Abkhazia: Deepening Dependence

    ABKHAZIA: DEEPENING DEPENDENCE Europe Report N°202 – 26 February 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................. i I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 II. RECOGNITION’S TANGIBLE EFFECTS ................................................................... 2 A. RUSSIA’S POST-2008 WAR MILITARY BUILD-UP IN ABKHAZIA ...................................................3 B. ECONOMIC ASPECTS ....................................................................................................................5 1. Dependence on Russian financial aid and investment .................................................................5 2. Tourism potential.........................................................................................................................6 3. The 2014 Sochi Olympics............................................................................................................7 III. LIFE IN ABKHAZIA........................................................................................................ 8 A. POPULATION AND CITIZENS .........................................................................................................8 B. THE 2009 PRESIDENTIAL POLL ..................................................................................................10 C. EXTERNAL RELATIONS ..............................................................................................................11