Ethno-political Conflicts in the Caucasus (JMM 130)

Associate Professor Adrian Brisku, PhD

Doctoral Student, Lamiya Panahova

Department of Russian & East European Studies, Charles University

https://cuni.academia.edu/adrianBrisku

adrian.brisku@fsv.cuni.cz

lamiya.panahova@fsv.cuni.cz

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Ethno-political conflicts are not a phenomenon peculiar to the region of the Caucasus. But they became part of the region’s post-Soviet history following the collapse of the Soviet Union. In this context, this one-semester course sheds light on key aspects of ethno-political conflict in the region by combining an understanding of major concepts and theories of ethno-political conflict initiation and separatism with an analysis of the case studies of Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The course will also draw attention to latent hotspots of ethno-political tensions across the region.

A. COURSE DESIGN

1. Introduction to the course (Brisku)

2. Historical Context of the Region (Panahova)

3. Understanding the main concepts: identity, ethnicity, nationalism (Brisku)

4. Defining ethno-political conflict (Brisku)

5. Theorizing the causes of ethno-political conflict and separatism (Brisku)

6. Escalation of ethno-political conflict (Panahova)

7. Reconciliation in ethnic conflict (Brisku)

8. Case study I – the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: causes & escalation (Panahova)

9. Case study II – the South-Ossetia conflict: the causes & escalation (Panahova)

10. Case study III – the Abkhazia conflict: the causes & escalation (Panahova)

11. Cases of latent ethnic conflict in the region (Panahova)

12. Workshop (Brisku)

Updated,

4.09.2023