Магистратура
2026/2027
Политика, экономика и общество в странах Южного Кавказа
Статус:
Курс по выбору (Политика и глобальное управление в Евразии)
Где читается:
Санкт-Петербургская школа социальных наук
Когда читается:
1-й курс, 2 модуль
Охват аудитории:
для своего кампуса
Преподаватели:
Юзбекова Карина Шамильевна
Язык:
английский
Кредиты:
3
Контактные часы:
20
Course Syllabus
Abstract
This course will focus on the recent history and politics of the South Caucasus. The region is also known through Russian sources as Transcaucasia and includes three UN member states (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia) as well as three unrecognized or partially recognized states (Abkhazia, Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), and South OssetiaThrough a series of lectures and seminars, the course delves into the political and societal dynamics of the South Caucasus, offering students a nuanced understanding of transformations in the region. Key themes include conceptualizations of the region, state building, Russian/Soviet legacies, ethnicity, nationhood, (ethnic) conflict, gender, family, religion, and governance. Additionally, it delves into democracy promotion, regional integration projects, and factors influencing integration formats. The course fosters knowledge acquisition on the nature of state, politics, and society in the South Caucasus, encouraging critical thinking on the drivers of political, economic, social, and cultural changes. As we journey through the recent history and politics of the region, we will consider its location with Russia, Turkey, and Iran. The course covers the impact of Ottoman (Turkish), Russian (including Soviet), and Iranian empires on the region. We will then zoom into the 20th and 21st centuries, exploring what happened after these empires, looking at state formation, conflicts, and how they influenced local elites, popular movements, and various aspects like religion, culture, and economics.
Learning Objectives
- • To provide students with understanding of key issues in political and societal transformations in South Caucasus countries
- • To help students develop critical thinking on the politics and society in South Caucasus, and acquire knowledge of driving forces and political, economic, social and cultural factors in present and future development of the region
Expected Learning Outcomes
- develops knowledge of ethnic conflicts and conflict resolution in the South Caucasus
- has an overview of historic and political background of all the three countries
- is able to critically analyse current political and societal situation in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia
- understands the role of different global actors in the region
- understands the role of tradition and informality institutions, culture, religion in South Caucasian countries
Course Contents
- Russian Empire and Soviet Period
- Newly independent States and National Identity
- Ethnic Conflicts
- The Role of Religion, Tradition and Informality
- Migration and Integration projects in the region
Assessment Elements
- In-class participationAssessment will be based on attendance, preparation of readings, participation in class discussion with the focus on qualitative contribution to the discussion, ability to answer questions based on the readings, come up with own interpretations and react to comments made by other students
- TestThe test will take place at the last seminar or before session and will cover the material of the whole course (lectures, seminar readings). Students will have 30-40 minutes to complete the test. The test may feature different types of questions (multiple-choice, matching, fill-in-the-gaps questions).
- Homework paperThe homework assignment is a short (800-1000 words) written report. It should focus on a recent political, economic, or social process or event in one or more states of the South Caucasus (2025-2026). Examples of such processes or events include elections, ethnic conflicts, escalations of tensions between states or, conversely, the signing of agreements, political/economic/social crises, image strategies of political leaders, etc. The report must briefly describe the context of the event or process itself, reactions to it from various involved groups or the international community, and provide a brief analysis of its potential causes. In-text citations are required within the report. A full list of sources must be provided at the end. Students may choose any citation style (e.g., Chicago, GOST, APA). The use of AI for generating the text of the paper is prohibited. If signs of AI use are detected, the paper will receive a grade of 0.
Interim Assessment
- 2026/2027 2nd module0.35 * Homework paper + 0.25 * In-class participation + 0.4 * Test
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Charles King. (2008). The Ghost of Freedom : A History of the Caucasus. Oxford University Press.
- De Waal, T. (2012). A Broken Region: The Persistent Failure of Integration Projects in the South Caucasus. Europe-Asia Studies, 64(9), 1709–1723. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668136.2012.718416
- Dermendzhieva, Z. (2011). Emigration from the South Caucasus: who goes abroad and what are the economic implications? Post-Communist Economies, 23(3), 377–398. https://doi.org/10.1080/14631377.2011.595135
- ERGUN, A. (2010). Post-Soviet Political Transformation in Azerbaijan: Political Elite, Civil Society and The Trials of Democratization. International Relations / Uluslararasi Iliskiler, 7(26), 67–85.
- Hille, C. M. L. (2010). State Building and Conflict Resolution in the Caucasus. Brill.
- Metreveli, T. (2016). An undisclosed story of roses: church, state, and nation in contemporary Georgia. Nationalities Papers, 44(5), 694–712. https://doi.org/10.1080/00905992.2016.1200021
- Mkhoyan, A. (2017). South Caucasus from 1918 to 1921: history and historical parallels with the contemporary era. Nationalities Papers, 45(5), 910–927. https://doi.org/10.1080/00905992.2017.1297782
- SLEZKINE, Y. (1994). The USSR as a communal apartment, or how a socialist state promoted ethnic particularism. Slavic Review, (2), 414. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsfra&AN=edsfra.3717682
- Sushentsov, A., & Neklyudov, N. (2020). The Caucasus in Russian foreign policy strategy. Caucasus Survey, 8(2), 127–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/23761199.2020.1759888
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Aliyev, H. (2014). Civil society in the South Caucasus: kinship networks as obstacles to civil participation. Journal of Southeast European & Black Sea Studies, 14(2), 263–282. https://doi.org/10.1080/14683857.2014.904545
- Mkhoyan, A. (2017). Soft power, Russia and the former Soviet states: a case study of Russian language and education in Armenia. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 23(6), 690–704. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2016.1251426
- Tokluoglu, C. (2005). Definitions of national identity, nationalism and ethnicity in post-Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1990s. Ethnic & Racial Studies, 28(4), 722–758. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870500092951