Inventing the Self: Popular History in Georgian-Abkhazian Conflict

Right after the disintegration of the Soviet Union,
previously autonomous regions of Georgia Abkhazia
and South-Ossetia demanded their independence.
Political confrontation continues even today. In
parallel with the political events, the story of
national consistence is born outside the political
scene, namely in academic and educational
institutions.
I have approached this conflict from the perspective
of national identity constructed in the historical
dialogue. Georgia and Abkhazia offer different
interpretations of the same history. If Georgia
considers this region as its historical belonging,
Abkhazia highlights its unique identity and
independence. Newly created historical myths define
perception of the self and the other similar to the
political situation. Only by stepping out from the
informational vacuum of one s own country and
grasping the peculiarities of identity-building will
it be possible to deal with the conflict either on
political or on cultural level.

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I have been working on Georgian and Abkhazian popular history for
the past two years. Although my research covers the milestones of
the subject, the theme is still considerably understudied. I want
to continue working on this aspect of the conflict in order to
highlight the significance of history-writing in the process of
nation building.