Bridging Academic and Public Scholarship: Promoting Historical Dialogue in Conflict-Torn Societies (the Case of the Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict)

• In Event: Unsettling Prejudices and Overcoming Divisions: Forms of Dialogue in the Context of Unresolved Ethnopolitical Conflicts in Georgia

Abstract

The instrumentalization and contested interpretation of the past by political elites to claim ownership of territories play a significant role in fueling armed conflicts. However, the conceptualization of history can occur not only in a contested manner but also as a dialogue that might facilitate conflict resolution processes in divided societies. By incorporating perspectives from critical historical studies, memory studies, and oral history, this paper aims to scrutinize the conceptual repertoire of challenging and unsettling reductive, divisive, and conflicting narratives in the context of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict. It seeks to examine multiperspective, inclusive, and balanced approaches to the past and diverging memories. Additionally, it explores possible methods of bridging academic knowledge and public scholarship to raise awareness of historical dialogues among broad audiences and segments of societies.

Author

• Malkhaz Toria, Ilia State U (Georgia)