Ossetians - Wikiwand Ossetians

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Ossetians - Wikiwand Ossetians 05/07/2018 Ossetians - Wikiwand Ossetians Connected to: Ossetian language Caucasus Mountains Scytho-Sarmatian From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ossetians (Irættæ) Total population c. 750,000[a] Regions with significant populations http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ossetians 1/8 05/07/2018 Ossetians - Wikiwand Russia 558,515[1] (in North Ossetia) 480,310[2] South Ossetia 51,000[3][4] Georgia 14,385[5] (excluding South Oss etia) Diaspora Turkey 50,000[6][7][8] Tajikistan 7,861[9] Uzbekistan 5,823[10] Ukraine 4,830[11] Kazakhstan 4,308[12] Turkmenistan 2,066[13] Azerbaijan 1,170[14] Kyrgyzstan 758[15] Syria 700[16] Belarus 554[17] Moldova 403[18] Armenia 331[19] Latvia 285[20] Lithuania 119[21] Estonia 116[22] Languages Ossetian, Russian, Georgian Religion Predominantly † Eastern Orthodox Christianity with a sizeable minority professing Uatsdin, Zoroastrianism and Islam Related ethnic groups Scythians, Sarmatians, Alans Other Iranian peoples, the Jassic people o f Hungary, neighbouring peoples of the Caucasus. a. ^ The total figure is merely an estimation; sum of all the referenced populations. The Ossetians or Ossetes (/ɒˈsɛtiənz/; Ossetian: ир, ирæттæ, ir, irættæ; дигорæ, дигорæнттæ, digoræ, digorænttæ) are an Iranianethnic group of the Caucasus Mountains, indigenous to the region known as Ossetia.[23][24] [25] They speak Ossetic, an Eastern Iranian(Alanic) language of the Indo-European languages family, with most also fluent in Russian as a second language. The Ossetian language is neither closely related to nor mutually intelligible with any other language of the family today.[26] Ossetic, a remnant of the Scytho-Sarmatian dialect group which was once spoken across the Steppe, is the only Iranian language native to Europe.[27] The Ossetians are mostly Eastern Orthodox Christian, with a sizeable minority professing Uatsdin and Islam. The Ossetians mostly populate Ossetia, which is politically divided between North Ossetia–Alania in Russia, and South Ossetia-Alania, which since the 2008 South Ossetia war has been de factoindependent from Georgia. Their closest relatives, the Jász, live in the Jászság region within the north-western part of the Jász-Nagykun- Szolnok County in Hungary. Etymology The Ossetians and Ossetia received their name from the Russians, who adopted the Georgian designations Osi (ოსი) (sing., pl.: Osebi(ოსები)) and Oseti ("the land of Osi" (ოსეთი)), used since the Middle Ages for the single Iranian-speaking population of the Central Caucasus and probably based on the old Alan self-designation "As". As the Ossetians lacked any single inclusive name for themselves in their native http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ossetians 2/8 05/07/2018 Ossetians - Wikiwand language, these terms were accepted by the Ossetians themselves already before their integration into the Russian Empire.[28] This practice was put into question by the new Ossetian nationalism in the early 1990s, when the dispute between the Ossetian subgroups of Digoron and Iron over the status of the Digoron dialect made the Ossetian intellectuals search for a new inclusive ethnic name. This, combined with the effects of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, led to the popularization of "Alania", the name of the medieval Sarmatian confederation, to which the Ossetians traced their origin, and inclusion of this name into the official republican title of North Ossetia in 1994.[28] Subgroups Iron in the east and south form a larger group of Ossetians. Irons are divided into several subgroups: Alagirs, Kurtats, Tagaurs, Kudar, Tual, Urstual, Chsan. Kudar, the southern group of Ossetians. Tual in the central part of Ossetia (see also Dvals). Chsan in the east of South Ossetia. Digoron in the west. Digors live in Digora district, Iraf districtand in some settlements in Kabardino- Balkaria and Mozdok district. Digors in Digora district are Christian, while those living in Iraf district are Muslim.[citation needed] They speak Digor dialect. Culture Mythology Main article: Ossetian mythology The folk beliefs of the Ossetian people are rooted in their Sarmatian origin and Christian religion, with the pagan gods transcending into Christian saints. The Nart saga serves the basic pagan mythology of the region.[31] Music Main article: Ossetian music History Prehistory (Early Alans) Main article: Alans The Ossetians descend from the Alans,[32] a Sarmatian tribe (Scythian subgroup of the Iranian ethnolinguistic group).[33] About AD 200, the Alans were the only branch of the Sarmatians to keep their culture in the face of a Gothic invasion, and the Alans remaining built up a great kingdom between the Don and the Volga, according to Coon, The Races of Europe. Between AD. 350 and 374, the Huns destroyed the Alan kingdom, and a few survive to this day in the Caucasus as the Ossetes.[citation needed] Middle Ages Main article: Alania In the 8th century a consolidated Alan kingdom, referred to in sources of the period as Alania, emerged in the northern Caucasus Mountains, roughly in the location of the latter-day Circassia and the modern North Ossetia– http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ossetians 3/8 05/07/2018 Ossetians - Wikiwand Alania. At its height, Alania was a centralized monarchy with a strong military force and had a strong economy which benefited from the Silk Road. However, after the Mongol invasions of the 1200s the Alans were forced out of their medieval homeland south of the River Don in present-day Russia. Due to this, the Alans migrated towards the Caucasus mountains, where they would form three ethnographical groups; the Iron, Digoron, and Kudar. The Jassic people were a fourth group that migrated in the 13th century to Hungary. Modern history In recent history, the Ossetians participated in Ossetian–Ingush conflict (1991–1992) and Georgian– Ossetian conflicts (1918–1920, early 1990s) and in the 2008 South Ossetia war between Georgia and Russia. Key events: 1774 — North Ossetia becomes part of the Russian Empire.[34] 1801 — Following the Treaty of Georgievsk, the modern-day South Ossetia territory becomes part of the Russian Empire, along with Georgia.[35] 1922 — Ossetia is divided[36] [37] into two parts: North Ossetiaremains a part of Russian SFSR, South Ossetia remains a part of Georgian SSR. 20 September 1990 – independent Republic of South Ossetia. The republic remained unrecognized, yet it detached itself from Georgia de facto. In the last years of the Soviet Union, ethnic tensions between Ossetians and Georgians in Georgia's former Autonomous Oblast of Ossetian tribes (according to B. A. Kaloev).[29][30] South Ossetia (abolished in 1990) and between Ossetians and the Ingush in North Ossetia Part of a series on the evolved into violent clashes that left several hundreds dead Culture of South Ossetia and wounded and created a large tide of refugees on both sides of the border.[38][39] History Language People http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ossetians 4/8 05/07/2018 Ossetians - Wikiwand Main article: Ossetian language Languages Mythology and folklore The Ossetian language belongs to the Eastern Iranian (Alanic) Cuisine branch of the Indo-European language family.[32] Religion Ossetian is divided into two main dialect groups: Ironian[32] (os. – Literature Ирон) in North and South Ossetia and Digorian[32] (os. – Music and performing arts Дыгурон) of western North Ossetia. There are some subdialects in those two: like Tualian, Alagirian, Ksanian, etc. The Ironian Symbols dialect is the most widely spoken. Ossetian is among the remnants of the Scytho-Sarmatian dialect group which was once spoken across the Steppe. The Ossetian language is not mutually intelligible with any other Iranian language.[26] Religion Today, the majority of Ossetians, both from North and South Ossetia, follow Eastern Orthodoxy.[32] In addition to Christianity, Ossetian ethnic religion is also widespread among Ossetians, with ritual traditions like sacrificing animals, holy shrines, non-Christian saints, etc. There are temples, known as kuvandon in most of the villages.[42] According to the research service Sreda, North Ossetia is the primary location where Charnel vaults at a necropolis near the village of Dargavs, North Ossetia Ossetian Paganism is practiced, and 29% of the population reported practicing pagan faiths in the 2012 Russian Census.[43] Ætsæg Din is the Ossetian ethnic religion, rising in popularity since the 1980s.[44] History Prior to the 10th century, Ossetians were a strictly Pagan group. However, they were partially Christianized by Byzantinemissionaries in the beginning of the 10th century,[45] By the 13th century, most of the Ossetians were Eastern OrthodoxChristians[32] as a result of Georgian influence and missionary work.[46][47] Islam was introduced during the 18th century by the recently converted members of the Circassian Kabarday Tribe (to whom the religion was introduced by Tatars at the time) after taking over territory in western Ossetia occupied by the Digor, although it did not spread to rest of the Ossetian people successfully.[48] Ossetia became part of the Russian Empire in 1774, which strengthened Orthodox Christianity considerably by sending missionaries there from the Russian Orthodox church. However, most of the missionaries chosen were churchmen from Eastern Orthodox communities living in Georgia (including Armenians and Caucasus Greeks as well as ethnic Georgians) rather than from Russia, so as to avoid being seen by the Ossetians as too intrusive. Livelihood The northern Ossetians export lumber and cultivate various crops, mainly corn. The southern Ossetians are chiefly
Recommended publications
  • Musefication of the Architectural Legacy of Medieval Alania
    MATEC Web of Conferences 106, 01008 (2017) DOI: 10.1051/ matecconf/201710601008 SPbWOSCE-2016 Musefication of the architectural legacy of Medieval Alania Julia Treyman1,* 1Don State Technical University, pl. Gagarina, 1, Rostov-on-Don, 344010, Russia Abstract. The article is devoted to the particularities of the process of musefication of the historic and cultural legacy of Medieval Alania, an integral part of natural landscapes of the North Caucasus. It turned up that the natural and spacial carcass of the North Depression pot hole was the particular scenario for the development of territorial and spacial organization of settlements. The carcass is also the basis for the development of the museum exposition. Museum and touristic routes can be created following ancient trade routes, along which the alans created their settlements. The alans animated the nature and created a network of sacred objects. It can be represented in the form of a carcass structure consisting of sacral objects (such as sacred mountains, trees, groves, springs, lakes, separate stones, caves etc.). The sacred objects and the routes to them formed sacred topography of Alania. They can be used as the centerpieces of the museum and tourist routes. The alani settlements situated along the roads can be the main elements of expositions. Revealing and preserving spacial structure and historic connections between the objects of the main exposition should be the basis of our conception of musefication of the historic and cultural landscape of Medieval Alania. This decision will let us demonstrate the unique objects of region’s cultural legacy including the historic landscape in the best possible way.
    [Show full text]
  • ON the EFFECTIVE USE of PROXY WARFARE by Andrew Lewis Peek Baltimore, Maryland May 2021 © 2021 Andrew Peek All Rights Reserved
    ON THE EFFECTIVE USE OF PROXY WARFARE by Andrew Lewis Peek A dissertation submitted to Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Baltimore, Maryland May 2021 2021 Andrew Peek All rights reserved Abstract This dissertation asks a simple question: how are states most effectively conducting proxy warfare in the modern international system? It answers this question by conducting a comparative study of the sponsorship of proxy forces. It uses process tracing to examine five cases of proxy warfare and predicts that the differentiation in support for each proxy impacts their utility. In particular, it proposes that increasing the principal-agent distance between sponsors and proxies might correlate with strategic effectiveness. That is, the less directly a proxy is supported and controlled by a sponsor, the more effective the proxy becomes. Strategic effectiveness here is conceptualized as consisting of two key parts: a proxy’s operational capability and a sponsor’s plausible deniability. These should be in inverse relation to each other: the greater and more overt a sponsor’s support is to a proxy, the more capable – better armed, better trained – its proxies should be on the battlefield. However, this close support to such proxies should also make the sponsor’s influence less deniable, and thus incur strategic costs against both it and the proxy. These costs primarily consist of external balancing by rival states, the same way such states would balance against conventional aggression. Conversely, the more deniable such support is – the more indirect and less overt – the less balancing occurs.
    [Show full text]
  • North Caucasus Image Inside Russia in the Context of Tourism Cluster Development
    GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites Year XII, vol. 28, no. 1, 2020, p.275-288 ISSN 2065-1198, E-ISSN 2065-0817 DOI 10.30892/gtg.28122-469 NORTH CAUCASUS IMAGE INSIDE RUSSIA IN THE CONTEXT OF TOURISM CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT Tatiana LITVINOVA* Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Department of Regional Governance and National Politics, 143000, 3, Odintsovo, Novo-Sportivnaya st., Russia, Moscow region, e-mail: [email protected] Citation: Litvinova T.N. (2020). NORTH CAUCASUS IMAGE INSIDE RUSSIA IN THE CONTEXT OF TOURISM CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 28(1), 275–288. https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.28122-469 Abstract: The article is devoted to the North Caucasus image assessment inside Russia as the important factor of tourists’ attraction to this territory. The growth of tourist cluster in the North Caucasus is one of the main tasks written in Strategy of socio-economic development of the North Caucasus Federal District untill 2025. But in the public opinion of Russians the North Caucasus was for many years perceived as a territory of socio-political instability. The research is based on the Internet survey conducted by author (n=1012). The results of survey are matched with mass media news about tourist objects development and also compared with statistic of visits of the North Caucasus by Russian and foreign citizens. The conclusion says about the growth of positive assessments of the North Caucasus image among Russians, but some stereotypes still remain. The ski resorts in Dombay and Elbrus region, which are in demand among lovers of skiing, need modernization and expansion of infrastructure.
    [Show full text]
  • Georgia and the European Charter for Regional And
    www.ssoar.info Georgia and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages Wheatley, Jonathan Arbeitspapier / working paper Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Wheatley, J. (2009). Georgia and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. (ECMI Working Paper, 42). Flensburg: European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI). https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-106961 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer Deposit-Lizenz (Keine This document is made available under Deposit Licence (No Weiterverbreitung - keine Bearbeitung) zur Verfügung gestellt. Redistribution - no modifications). We grant a non-exclusive, non- Gewährt wird ein nicht exklusives, nicht übertragbares, transferable, individual and limited right to using this document. persönliches und beschränktes Recht auf Nutzung dieses This document is solely intended for your personal, non- Dokuments. Dieses Dokument ist ausschließlich für commercial use. All of the copies of this documents must retain den persönlichen, nicht-kommerziellen Gebrauch bestimmt. all copyright information and other information regarding legal Auf sämtlichen Kopien dieses Dokuments müssen alle protection. You are not allowed to alter this document in any Urheberrechtshinweise und sonstigen Hinweise auf gesetzlichen way, to copy it for public or commercial purposes, to exhibit the Schutz beibehalten werden. Sie dürfen dieses Dokument document in public, to perform, distribute or otherwise use the nicht in irgendeiner Weise abändern, noch dürfen Sie document
    [Show full text]
  • Tales of the Narts: Ancient Myths and Legends of the Ossetians
    IntRODUctION THE OSSETIAN EpIC “TALES OF THE NARTS” VASILY IvANOVICH ABAEV 1 w CYCLES, SubjECTS, HEROES In literary studies it is established that the epic poem passes through sev- eral stages in its formation. To begin we have an incomplete collection of stories with no connections between them, arising in various centers, at various times, for various reasons. That is the first stage in the formation of the epic. We cannot as yet name it such. But material is in the process of preparation that, given favorable conditions, begins to take on the out- lines of an epic poem. From the mass of heroes and subjects a few favorite names, events, and motifs stand out, and stories begin to crystallize around them, as centers of gravity. A few epic centers or cycles are formed. The epic enters the second stage of cycle formation. In a few instances, not all by any means, it may then attain a third stage. Cycles up to now unconnected may be, more or less artificially, united in one thematic thread, and are brought together in one consistent story, forming one epic poem. A hyper- cyclic formation, if one can use such a term, takes place. It may appear as the result of not only uniting several cycles, but as the expansion of one favorite cycle, at the expense of others less popular. This is the concluding epic phase. The transformation to this phase is frequently the result of individual creative efforts. For instance, the creation of the Iliad and the Odyssey Opposite page: A beehive tomb from the highlands of North Ossetia.
    [Show full text]
  • Article 110 7059 Pdf 100.Pdf
    The European Proceedings of Social & Behavioural Sciences EpSBS ISSN: 2357-1330 https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2019.12.04.56 SCTCMG 2019 International Scientific Conference «Social and Cultural Transformations in the Context of Modern Globalism» SOCIAL-PHILOSOPHIC CONTENT IN WORKS OF OSSETIAN ENLIGHTENER KOSTA LEVANOVICH KHETAGUROV Emma Bestaeva (a)* *Corresponding author (a) North Ossetian State University, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation (Vladikavkaz Affiliation), Russia, [email protected], tel. +79188261120 Abstract The article discusses social and philosophical issues posed by great Ossetian poet, humanist, philosopher K.L. Khetagurov, who influenced the formation, evolution and development of the Ossetian national culture. Socio-political, religious, ethical, aesthetic, legal and philosophical ideas were stated in his works. The great-value issues are devoted to moral, patriotic, ethical, ethnographic points, enlightenment, and spiritual culture of the Ossetians, aimed at solving relevant challenges that the society of that time faced. A big role Kosta Khetagurov was assigned to education. The Kosta’s philosophical worldview was associated with the challenges, typical of that epoch. In the traditional religious-mythological worldview the Ossetian people of that time had the predominant customs described by the poet. Socio-philosophical ideas of Kosta contributed to gradual transfer of the Ossetians from the old stereotypes to a more progressive stage. The paper describes ‘a new chapter’ in poet’s career – religious-philosophical themes. Religious and philosophical ideological ideas are reflected in his poetic works. A characteristic feature of his poetry is appealing to divinity or existence of God and the authors’ willingness to reveal the highest Christian values.
    [Show full text]
  • Stages of Ethnical Development of the Georgian Nation from Ancient Times to the Phase of Nation Formation
    First was published in the journal: “Identity Studies”, #1.2009. P. 51-65. Editor: Giga Zedania. Ilia Chavchavadze State University Principal Stages of Ethnical Development of the Georgian Nation from Ancient Times to the Phase of Nation Formation George Anchabadze Prominent Georgian historian, Academician N. Berdzenishvili wrote in his time: “Our historians (moreover, non-historians) believe that “Georgia”, in fact, has always been situated on the place where the Georgian race has lived. There is no necessity of discussing that this is a wrong opinion. There have existed several different productive-cultural organizations, i.e. several different “peoples” on the placement territory of the Georgian nation. A country is exactly each of these organizations and not the territory and the people dwelling on it. Territory and race (ethnic) may remain unchanged for a long time, while the country may be experiencing repeated changes: a pre-class country, a slavery country, a feudal country, etc.” These words of the scientist are absolutely adequate to the ethnic development of the Georgian people. “Different „peoples‟”, as mentioned by N. Berdzenishvili, means Georgian ethnos in different historic epochs, since every phase of social-economic development corresponds to an ethnic type characteristic to it. Usually there are three types of historically formed ethnos: 1. tribe (for pre-class and early-class society /family and territorial tribes/); 2. nationality (for early-class, slavery and feudal societies); 3. nation (for capitalist society). All three types of ethnos are based on social-economic basis of a definite formation and are distinguished from the previous one by higher forms of consolidation and stability.
    [Show full text]
  • Russia's Kosovo: a Critical Geopolitics of the August 2008 War Over South
    Toal.fm Page 670 Monday, December 22, 2008 10:20 AM Russia’s Kosovo: A Critical Geopolitics of the August 2008 War over South Ossetia Gearóid Ó Tuathail (Gerard Toal)1 Abstract: A noted political geographer presents an analysis of the August 2008 South Ossetian war. He analyzes the conflict from a critical geopolitical perspective sensitive to the importance of localized context and agency in world affairs and to the limitations of state- centric logics in capturing the connectivities, flows, and attachments that transcend state bor- ders and characterize specific locations. The paper traces the historical antecedents to the August 2008 conflict and identifies major factors that led to it, including legacies of past vio- lence, the Georgian president’s aggressive style of leadership, and renewed Russian “great power” aspirations under Putin. The Kosovo case created normative precedents available for opportunistic localization. The author then focuses on the events of August 2008 and the competing storylines promoted by the Georgian and Russian governments. Journal of Eco- nomic Literature, Classification Numbers: H10, I31, O18, P30. 7 figures, 2 tables, 137 refer- ences. Key words: South Ossetia, Georgia, Russia, North Ossetia, Abkhazia, genocide, ethnic cleansing, Kosovo, Tskhinvali, Saakashvili, Putin, Medvedev, Vladikavkaz, oil and gas pipe- lines, refugees, internally displaced persons, Kosovo precedent. he brief war between Georgian government forces and those of the Russian Federation Tin the second week of August 2008 was the largest outbreak of fighting in Europe since the Kosovo war in 1999. Hundreds died in the shelling and fighting, which left close to 200,000 people displaced from their homes (UNHCR, 2008b).
    [Show full text]
  • The Case of Akhalgori District
    RESEARCH INTO PROMOTING RECONCILIATION AND WOMEN RIGHTS IN THE POST-CONFLICT AREAS: THE CASE OF AKHALGORI DISTRICT By dr. Gražvydas Jasutis and Renata Skardžiūtė-Kereselidze 2014 1 The research was prepared as a part of the project “Promoting women rights in the post-conflict areas: the case of Akhalgori”. The project is financed by the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Tbilisi. The main goal of the project is to promote and strengthen women rights in the occupied territories of the Republic of Georgia, placing an heavy emphasis on Akhalgori district. The objectives of the project: - to prepare a comprehensive study assessing women rights in Akhalgori district; - to organize a tailored training to strengthen their capacities contributing to the development of the civil society and promoting women rights in Akhalgori district; - to stage a conference focused on the situation of women rights and reconciliation projects in Akhalgori district inviting both Georgian and Ossetian participants. The duration of the project: May 2014-November 2014 Target groups: women from Akhalgori district and Tserovani, Tsilkani and Prezeti IDP camps, Georgian and Ossetian NGOs. More information at: www.trustdevelopment.eu 2 The research is dedicated to those who are interested in the peace and conflict studies and promotion of women rights in the post-conflict areas. The pictures within the research are taken by the authors. The authors greatly appreciate Nana Chkareuli and Izolda Tigiev for great support. Gražvydas Jasutis&Renata Skardžiūtė-Kereselidze The Research Research into Promoting Reconciliation and Women Rights in the Post-conflict Areas: the Case of Akhalgori ISBN 978-609-95522-3-1 © Trust in Development, 2014 3 CONTENT 1.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ossets in Georgia
    ANZOR TOTADZE THE OSSETS IN GEORGIA: MYTH AND REALITY Publishing House “Universal” Tbilisi 2008 The present book highlights the anatomy of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict and on the basis of analysis of Georgian and foreign literary sources and official demographic data it discusses the issues of Ossets migration to Georgia in the XVII-XIX centuries and of the aboriginal population of Tskhinvali. It also displays the absurd consideration of the Ossetian dilettante scholars on “South Ossetia” joining Russia in 1774, the unprecedented facts of distorting the history of Georgia and their efforts to misappropriate the Georgian cultural heritage. By the offcial statistical data living standard of Ossets in Georgia is the highest in the former Soviet Union. editor: Academician Mariam Lordkipanidze review: Professor Anzor Sakhvadze Professor Vazha Gurgenidze © A. Totadze, 2008 Publishing House “UNIVERSAL” 19, I. Chavchavadze Ave., 0179, Tbilisi,Georgia : 22 36 09, 8(99) 17 22 30, E-mail: [email protected] ISBN 99940-61-90-9 2 ANATOMY OF THE CONFLICT “I would like to be unbiased and clear up whether there were some hasty, senseless activities of Ossets, who intensified the contradictions through provocation. I would also like to say such events took place then. I mean declaration of sovereignty, which was fully orientated to Moscow with the prospect of uniting South and North Ossetia in the future. Aspirations of South Ossetians to join their Northern tribesmen can be understood from the human viewpoint. However, from the geopolitical viewpoint it is a mistake. The main Caucasus Ridge is a natural border between Georgia and Ossetia and any efforts of removing this border will cause permanent conflicting situation between Georgians and Ossets.
    [Show full text]
  • Tbilisi As a Center of Crosscultural Interactions (The 19Th– Early 20Thcenturies)
    Khazar Journal Of Humanities and Social Sciences Special Issue, 2018 ©Khazar University Press, 2018 DOI: 10.5782/kjhss.2018.233.252 Tbilisi as a Center of Crosscultural Interactions (The 19th– early 20thCenturies) Nino Chikovani Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia The city of Tbilisi – the capital of Georgia, during its long period of existence, has been an interesting place of meeting and interaction of different cultures. In this context, the present paper deals with one of the most interesting periods in the history of the city. From the beginning of the 19th century, when the establishment of the Russian imperial rule started in the Caucasus, Tbilisi became an official political center of the region; political and economic changes, occurring during the second half of the 19th century, significantly influenced ethnic and religious composition of Tbilisi, its cultural lifetime and mode of life in general. For centuries-long period, Tbilisi, like other big cities (how much big does not matter in this case), was not only the Georgian city in ethnic terms; but also, it represented a blend of different religious and ethnic groups. Not only in a distant past, but just a couple of decades ago, when the phenomenon of the so called ‘city yards’ (which are often called as ‘Italian yards’ and which have almost disappeared from the city landscape) still existed in Tbilisi, their residents spoke several languages fluently. Ethnically and religiously mixed families were not rare. Such type of cities, termed as Cosmo-policies by some researchers, has an ability to transform a visitor, at least temporarily, into a member of “in-group”, in our case – into Tbilisian.
    [Show full text]
  • RUSSIAN ORIENTAL STUDIES This Page Intentionally Left Blank Naumkin-Los.Qxd 10/8/2003 10:33 PM Page Iii
    RUSSIAN ORIENTAL STUDIES This page intentionally left blank naumkin-los.qxd 10/8/2003 10:33 PM Page iii RUSSIAN ORIENTAL STUDIES Current Research on Past & Present Asian and African Societies EDITED BY VITALY NAUMKIN BRILL LEIDEN • BOSTON 2004 naumkin-los.qxd 10/8/2003 10:33 PM Page iv This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Current research on past & present Asian and African societies : Russian Oriental studies / edited by Vitaly Naumkin. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 90-04-13203-1 (hard back) 1. Asia—Civilization. 2. Africa—Civilization. I. Title: Current research on past and present Asian and African societies. II. Naumkin, Vitalii Viacheslavovich. DS12.C88 2003 950—dc22 2003060233 ISBN 90 04 13203 1 © Copyright 2004 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Brill provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910 Danvers MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change printed in the netherland NAUMKIN_f1-v-x 11/18/03 1:27 PM Page v v CONTENTS Preface ........................................................................................ vii PART ONE POLITICS AND POWER Monarchy in the Khmer Political Culture .............................. 3 Nadezhda Bektimirova A Shadow of Kleptocracy over Africa (A Theory of Negative Forms of Power Organization) ...
    [Show full text]