1st Edition

Religion, Nation and Democracy in the South Caucasus

296 Pages 20 Color & 5 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

296 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

296 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This book explores developments in the three major societies of the South Caucasus – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia – focusing especially on religion, historical traditions, national consciousness, and political culture, and on how these factors interact. It outlines how, despite close geographical interlacement, common historical memories and inherited structures, the three countries have... Read more

Introduction Alexander Agadjanian, Ansgar Jödicke and Evert van der Zweerde  Part 1: Conceptual Frames  1. General Trends in the Interaction of Religion and Politics as Applied to the South Caucasus Ansgar Jödicke  2. Ethnicity, Nation and Religion: Current Debates and South Caucasian Reality Alexander Agadjanian  3. Democratic Repertoires – The South Caucasus Case(s) Evert van der Zweerde  Part 2: Religion and Politics  Introduction Ketevan Khutsishvili  4. Secularization and Desecularization in Georgia: State and Church under the Saakashvili Government (2003-2012) Barbare Janelidze  5. Political Power and Church Construction in Armenia Yulia Antonyan  6. Islam in Azerbaijan: Revival and Political Involvement Elnur Ismayilov  Part 3: Religion, Nationalism and Education  Introduction Farda Asadov  7. Building Georgian National Identity: a Comparison of Two Turning Points in History Tatia Kekelia  8. Challenges for Women’s Education in Independent Azerbaijan Nigar Gozalova  9. Constructing Identities through General Education: Religion within the Framework of National Identity in Armenia Satenik Mkrtchyan  Part 4: Cultural Values, Ideology and Democracy  Introduction Tigran Matosyan  10. An Analysis of Counter-Hegemony: Challenges of Political Opposition in Azerbaijan Rashad Shirinov  11. Myths and Politics: "Old" Beliefs and "New" Aspirations in Independent Armenia Sona Hovhannisyan  12. Collectivism/Individualism in the South Caucasus. Implications for Democracy Tigran Matosyan  Part 5: International Context and External Impacts  Introduction Hovhannes Hovhannisyan  13. Shi‘a Politics, "Strategic Culture" and Iran’s Relations with the South Caucasus Tatevik Mkrtchyan  14. Russia’s Soft Power in the South Caucasus: Discourses, Communication, Hegemony Alexander Kornilov and Andrey Makarychev  15. Between Ambition and Realism: Turkey’s Engagement in the South Caucasus Bayram Balci

Biography

Alexander Agadjanian is a Professor in the Center for the Study of Religion at the Russian State University for the Humanities

Ansgar Jödicke is Lecturer and Researcher in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland

Evert van der Zweerde is Professor in Political Philosophy at Radbout University of Nijmegen, Netherlands