Lectures in Gori: the “Unknown” Soviet Past (2016)

A non-governmental organization Cooperation for Peace and Progress (CPP) in partnership with the South Caucasus Regional Office of the Heinrich Boell Foundation implements a project Lectures in Gori: the “Unknown” Soviet Past since 2015. The main goals of the above-mentioned project are as follows: to raise awareness on the issue of Soviet past among young people; to establish a sound platform for discussing the issues related to the Soviet Union among youth; to promote critical thinking and understanding of origins of totalitarian ideas and symbols.

Besides the traditional lecture-seminars in 2016 the project will include various new activities, including film screenings and discussions, SOVLAB Tour on Terror Topography in Tbilisi. During two weeks, project will be focused on women issues; particularly, women’s role and attitudes towards women in Soviet Union will be discussed. Participants will also visit Occupation Museum within Tbilisi Tour.

Lectures in Gori: the “Unknown” Soviet Past will engage 30 young people from various schools and educational institutions in Gori and there are 7 lectures envisaged in frames of the project:

  1. How Soviet totalitarianism was established, and what defines its “attractiveness”? (by Sopho Zviadadze, professor at the Ilia State University)
  2. Basics of Soviet Ideology and how it worked? (by Giorgi Maisuradze, professor at the Ilia State University)
  3. Urban and Rural Soviet Life – Introduction of “project” of city Gori (by Vladimer Vardosanidze, professor at the Technical University of Georgia)
  4. Soviet Woman – Historical retrospective of Soviet gender politics (by Lela Gaprindashvili, professor at the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University)
  5. Stalin’s Cult of Personality and its Circumstances (by Lasha Bakradze, director of the Museum of Literature)
  6. Stalin in Georgian literature (by Teona Bekishvili, philologist)
  7. Privileged Intelligentsia - "Priviligentsia" (by Nino Chikovani, professor at the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University)

The project is continuation of the activities started in 2015 and nowadays is based on memorandum of cooperation between the Cooperation for Peace and Progress (CPP) and the Gori State Teaching University. Based on this agreement the course elaborated in frames of the project will be permanently introduced in the curriculum of the Gori University.