User:Light5555/Giorgi Zhuzhunashvili

Giorgi (Gogita) Zhuzhunashvili (Georgian: გიორგი ჟუჟუნაშვილი /Giorgi ʒuʒunashvili/ December 20, 1966 - September 26, 2015)) — was a Georgian historian, Caucasiologist, Kartvelologist and the former head of the Resource Management Service at the faculty of Humanities at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University.

Early life
Giorgi Zhuzhunashvili was born on December 20, 1966. He studied at the faculty of History at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University in 1984-1991. During his post-graduate studies (aspirantura) in 1994-1997, he majored in Georgian History Source Studies and Historiography. Upon completing the programme, he defended the Candidate of Sciences dissertation “Archival Materials of XV-XVII cc. Russia as the Sources of Georgian History”. Zhuzhunashvili’s work covered the themes of the history of the Caucasus, Georgia, and Russia.

Scientific work
Giorgi Zhuzhunashvili started his scientific and pedagogical work in 1995 at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University as a senior teacher of the Russian Studies Department and then continued his work as a docent. In 1999-2003 he worked at the Ivane Javakhisvili Tbilisi State University Akhaltsikhe branch, which he established himself. In 2006 Zhuzhunashvili becomes an assistant professor and later, an associate professor at the faculty of Humanities at Tbilisi State University. At the same time, he holds the position of the head of the Resource Management Service at the same faculty.

Giorgi Zhuzhunashvili left more than 60 works, including monographs, as his contribution to the Georgian Historical Science. His research area was quite large. A majority of Zhuzhunashvili’s works, mostly the monographs, concern the colonial politics of the Russian empire in the Caucasus. In 2012, Zhuzhunashvili’s book “Historical Etudes” was printed, bringing together the essays issued by different scientific publications. In 2006 and 2009 a monography about the Georgian-Russian relations was published; Zhuzhunashvili also co-authored the chrestomathy of Russian history issued in 2005. In 2015 Giorgi Zhuzhunashvili published the “Problematics of the Caucasian Race and Culture” by Mikhako Tsereteli, translated from the German language to Georgian by his wife, Nana Beridze. The same year Giorgi worked on the publication “About the Secret Letter of Ilia Tchavchavadze” together with Dimitri Shvelidze. Due to Zhuzhunashvili death, translated version of the original German book concerning the Russian-Georgian Relations by Mikhako Tsereteli was left unpublished. Apart from political history, Zhuzhunashvili’s sphere of research included the diplomatic etiquette of the Georgian state during the Mongol era, the history of the church, the rules for the ambassadors’ reception in medieval Georgia. His works are published in Georgian, Russian, and Polish languages. Amongst his publications are the manuscripts of his teacher, professor Valerian Macharadze. Zhuzhunashvili participated in scientific conferences held in Moscow, Qazan, Kars, Chisinau, Saint Petersburg, Tumen, and Poznan. Giorgi Zhuzhunashvili, together with his colleagues, started working on the handbook “History of the People of the Caucasus”. During the last years of his life, Zhuzhunashvili worked on the artificially induced conflicts in the South Caucasus. He used his thorough knowledge of Russian History for the explanation of the problematics of the History of Georgia and Caucasus and Russian-Georgian relations.

Zhuzhunashvili taught courses at the bachelor and master programmes at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. The courses designed by him are as follows: “Russia’s Eastern Policy XV-XX cc.”, “Russia, Georgia and the Khanates of the Caucasus XVI-XX cc.”, “History and Culture of the People of the Caucasus”. Giorgi was working on a handbook “History of People of the Caucasus” with his colleagues; however, the project was halted due to his death.

Giorgi Zhuzhunashvili died on September 26, 2015.

Call for Caucasiologists
According to the statement made by Tsira Baramidze, the call for the position of full professor-Caucasiologist teaching-scholar was conducted twice in 2012. Joni Kvitsiani, full professor, and Giorgi Zhuzhunashvili, an associate professor entered as the participants. According to Baramidze, the latter was selected as the winner, causing the professors’ protest at the Institute of Caucasiology. The professors appealed to the rector against the decision and consequently, the results were annulled. The call for Caucasiologists was re-announced in December and Giorgi Zhuzhunashvili won again. Tsira Baramidze states that Zhuzhunashvili is not a full professor, and his specialty does not fit the required profile as he is a professor of Russian History..

Zhuzhunashvili commented on the fact, saying: “I am an author of 114 works, and 70 of them is about the subject of the Caucasus. Any expert can confirm it. Although, I do not believe the experts are even needed as the commission formed by historians confirmed twice that the theme of my work suits the theme of the history of the Caucasus. The second commission also confirmed it. Since 1993 the theme of the Caucasus is prominent in the courses. They can take this matter to the court; I am not against it”..

Literature

 * Historical-educational Journal Istoriani N 11, (59), 11. 2015

Resources on the internet

 * Giorgi Zhuzhunashvili Tbilisi state university website
 * Giorgi Zhuzhunashvili National Parliamentary Library of Georgia