CRRC , American Councils and ARISC are proud to present the 1st talk of the Works-in-Progress Series for the Fall 2012 Season!
Frederik Coene, PhD Student at Ghent University (Belgium)
“The Role of Euro-Atlantic Discourse and Symbolism in Georgia”
Monday, 3 September 2012 at 6:15pm
ISET/CRRC Georgia, Zandukeli St. 16, Tbilisi, GEORGIA
The Georgian authorities have made their Euro-Atlantic orientation the guiding principle for their domestic reforms and foreign policy. Legislation and construction works are all modeled according to the ‘European standards’ and often even exceed them, European flags are flown on all government buildings next to the Georgian one, opposition is portrayed as pro-Russian and not in line with the European aspirations, etc. This research focuses on three different aspects: First of all, it looks at the link between ‘Europe’ and the Georgian national identity. Secondly, it analyses how this discourse and symbolism are instrumentalised in the legitimacy management strategies of both ruling elite and opposition. Finally, arguments are made of how this discourse fits in creating an entitlement for Western patronage.
A PhD student at Ghent University, Frederik Coene has more than a decade of experience with the Caucasus. He lived and worked in different parts of the region, and his book The Caucasus – An Introduction was published by Routledge in 2009. He is currently also employed in the Central Asia division of the European External Action Service.
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W-i-P is an ongoing academic discussion series based in Tbilisi, Georgia, that takes place at the International School of Economics (ISET) building (16 Zandukeli Street). It is co-organized by the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC), the American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS, and the American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC). All of the talks are free and open to the public.The purpose of the W-i-P series is to provide support and productive criticism to those researching and developing academic projects pertaining the Caucasus region.Would you like to present at one of the W-i-P sessions? Send an e-mail to wip@crrccenters.org.
