International School for Caucasus Studies At Ilia State University, Tbilisi

Organization Ilia State University

Country: Georgia

URL http://iscs.iliauni.edu.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=11

Participants David Aprasidze , David Darchiashvili , Giorgi Anchabadze , Charles Fairbenks , Giorgi Gvalia ,

Summary

The Caucasus region has been drawing increasing attention from politicians, businesspeople, journalists and scholars. The region is strategically located at the crossroads between Europe, Russia, and the Middle East making it an important corridor for access to reserves of oil and gas. While the region's conflicts have caused global controversy and the complex socio-political processes taking place in the region have attracted the interest of researchers worldwide, the diverse range of ancient cultures present in the Caucasus fascinate linguists, anthropologists, philologists, historians and tourists alike.

In order to meet this growing interest, at the Ilia State University (formerly, the Ilia Chavchavadze State University) the International School for Caucasus Studies (ISCS) has been established.  ISCS is an interdisciplinary centre for Caucasus regional studies that  offers graduate and advanced research programmes. ISCS aims  to attract young people and scholars from the region and beyond.

At ISCS, achieving academic excellence is the primary objective. We aspire to create a forum for professional cooperation and dialogue between scholars and young people in a region still afflicted by unresolved conflicts. As an apolitical organization, ISCS hopes to contribute to peace, stability and democratic development in this fascinating part of the world.