Democracy | Heinrich Böll Stiftung | Tbilisi

Democracy

From Tambovka to Akhali Khulgumo: Heritage, Dwelling Practices, and Social Change on the shores of Paravani Lake, Highland Rural Georgia

This article explores the relationship between identity, heritage, and place in the villages of Akhali Khulgumo and Tambovka near Paravani Lake. It highlights the social change these villages have experienced since 1991. It examines how the interplay between memory of the past and the changing dwelling practices of the Dukhobor houses in Tambovka is constitutive of broader socio-cultural transformations, positioning the two villages also within current (geo)political dynamics and new identity negotiations.

Laura Mafizzoli , Nino (Giovannino) Gabadze

Ein roter und silberner Zug, der über Bahngleise fährt.

Georgia and Russia: “On the Same Train” With the Occupant

Analyse

The Kremlin denies sovereignty and territorial integrity not only to Ukraine but also to Georgia. But unlike Ukraine, the ruling Georgian Dream party follows the Russian playbook and uses the Russian threat to maintain authoritarian power.

Dr. Sonja Schiffers

A Girl with a EU Flag, Tbilisi Protest 2024

The 2024 Elections in Georgia: descent into hegemonic authoritarianism

Georgia’s 2024 parliamentary elections signal the country’s descent into hegemonic authoritarianism. The ruling Georgian Dream party won by engaging in election manipulation, adopting the classical illiberal-authoritarian playbook, spreading disinformation about simultaneously remaining on the EU enlargement track and instrumentalizing Russia’s threat to the country.

Dr. Sonja Schiffers

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Books and E-Papers

Georgia’s Imitation Game

This study examines why and to what extent Georgia has been mimicking the Hungarian model under the leadership of the ruling Georgian Dream party and the broader implications of this phenomenon. It is also concerned with understanding the modalities of influence projection by Budapest and the main drivers behind it.

Natalie Sabanadze

Georgian-Russian relations

This publication can be useful for students, academics and researchers working on the interconnection between Georgia’s internal and foreign politics, as well as Georgia-Russia relations. It aims to conduct a sober analysis of Georgia-Russia relations and the non-ideological perceptions the two have of each other.

Dr. Stefan Meister, Otar Kobakhidze, Andrey Makarychev, Alexandra Yatsyk

From shrinking space to post-revolutionary space: reimagining the role and relations of civil society in Armenia

The research demonstrates how progressive civil society groups became the avant-garde of the Armenian revolution by acting as an inspiration and role model for larger social groups by popularizing various mechanisms and techniques of resistance.

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