Scientific publications on Caucasology at the Circassian Culture Center

Abstract

To promote scientific and cultural dialogue, to strengthen and develop Circassian-Georgian relations, the Tbilisi Circassian Culture Center (CCC) has published a number of original monographs by prominent caucasologists and partners both in Georgia and abroad. These scientific publications discuss issues related to lexicology, mythology, folklore, ethnology, ethno-linguistics, culture, political science, history, ethnogenesis, sociolinguistics, and other related branches of the humanities. Implementing the task of promoting dialogue in the Caucasus region, as well as protecting, studying and preserving the cultural and linguistic heritage of the peoples of the Caucasus, the authors of the monographs raise the etymological study of the common roots of the Iberian-Caucasian language family, semantic features of the Circassian dialects, the Ubykh language, Circassian-Georgian language parallels. These publications also deal with issues of ethnicity, political history and culture of the Circassians, issues of historical mutual relations of the Georgian and Circassian peoples, problems of genetic research, the study of the Caucasian region with respect to its genetic profile, Circassian-Georgian bibliography, issues of generalized transmission and the complex study of myth-creation, faith, ritual practice historically formed among the peoples living in the North and South Caucasus. The monograph History of mutual relations of the Georgian and Circassian peoples (2014, in Russian) by the Georgian scholar Nikoloz Javakhishvili is a history of two kindred peoples – Georgians and Circassians, relating centuries-old history. This monograph presents essays of the history of relations and cooperation of the peoples who are kindred from a linguistic and anthropological standpoint. It is indicated that cooperation in the military-political, economic and cultural spheres was rather intensive. In this respect, it is extremely important that N. Javakhishvili uses and introduces into the discussion new documents on the history of the Circassians stored in the Georgian archives. These documents highlight the centuries-old friendship and cooperation of the Circassians and Georgians. The author describes the history of dynastic marriages between the representatives of the Georgian and Circassian royal courts and principalities (16 th –18 th centuries), the extraordinary history of the Cherkezishvili family, which gave Georgia many outstanding figures, the history of military commonwealth of Circassians and Georgians, the history of Georgian-Circassian scholarship and cultural relations, and Circassian themes in Georgian folklore and literature.