Creeping Authoritarianism in Higher Education and Research in Georgia: What a Difference a War Makes?

• In Event: Crossroads of Resistance: Exploring the Dynamics of Liberation and Authoritarianism through the Lens of Migration and Education

Abstract

This article provides the relevant historical background and context for current events as they relate to the academic sphere in Georgia. I argue that the creeping authoritarianism manifest today in the political, civic, media-information and arts-cultural spheres under Georgian Dream is also taking place in the areas of higher education and archival openness, albeit ‘under the radar’. The article then suggests that this subtle shift is part of a general regression – which intensified after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late-February 2022 – back towards the dysfunctional patterns inherited from the Soviet Union.

Author

• Sarah Elizabeth Slye, Independent Scholar