Oxford University launches Georgian Studies Program

A Georgian Studies Programme was launched at a conference on Georgia's history and contemporary developments in Oxford, the United Kingdom on Tuesday.

Titled Georgian Studies Conference 2017, the event was organised by the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies (SIAS) at the St. Antony’s College of the University of Oxford.

Hosted by SIAS in association with the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia, the conference was held at the Nissan Lecture Theatre of the college.

Georgia's Ambassador to the UK Tamar Beruchashvili stressed bilateral relations between the two countries in her address. Photo: Embassy of Georgia to the UK.

Those invited included Ambassador of Georgia to the United Kingdom Tamar Beruchashvili, Professor Margaret MacMillan of the St. Antony’s College and Rector of the Tbilisi-based Ilia State University, Doctor Giga Zedania.

The conference is one of the first events celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of British-Georgian relations.

Convened by Director of Russian and East European Studies Professor Dan Healey, the conference focused on Georgian studies at Oxford, presentations on the history of Georgia and a roundtable talk on contemporary politics and social matters of the country.

Ambassador Beruchashvili addressed those in attendance and spoke about the Georgia-UK partnership in various fields and an upcoming book, Georgia and the Wardrops, by Oxford research fellow doctor Nikoloz Aleksidze.

Planned for release next year at the Bodleian Library of Oxford, the launch will also mark the 100th anniversary of the First Georgian Republic of 1918.

The University of Oxford is known for carrying out historical research on Georgia, with its Bodleian Library possessing the largest collection of works on or belonging to Georgia’s cultural heritage outside the country.

The collection includes literary exhibits and manuscripts including a sample of the 12th century poem, The Knight in the Panther’s Skin by Georgia’s national poet Shota Rustaveli. The iconic work was granted the status of UNESCO’s UK Memory of the World Register in 2013.