Mariam Goshadze

Inventing the Self: Popular History in Georgian-abkhazian Conflict: Instrumentalization of History in the Process of Nation Building Mariam Goshadze

Right after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, previously autonomous regions of Georgia ? Abkhazia and South-Ossetia demanded their independence. Political confrontation continues even today. In parallel with the political events, the story of national consistence is born outside the political scene, namely in academic and educational institutions. I have approached this conflict from the perspective of national identity constructed in the historical dialogue. Georgia and Abkhazia offer different interpretations of the same history. If Georgia considers this region as its historical belonging, Abkhazia highlights its unique identity and independence. Newly created historical myths define perception of the self and the other similar to the political situation. Only by stepping out from the informational vacuum of one?s own country and grasping the peculiarities of identity-building will it be possible to deal with the conflict either on political or on cultural level.