Iakob Gogebashvili Telavi State University
Associate Professor
International Relations, Geopolitics
PhD in History
Telavi, Georgia
kebadze_madona@yahoo.com
Abstract
Historically, the Caucasus has represented not merely a geographical space, but also a zone of intersection among diverse political, cultural, and civilizational interests. The region’s ethnically and religiously diverse composition, together with its geopolitical location, has for centuries shaped its distinctive historical role as a borderland, where forms of power and narratives of identity have been subject to continuous transformation.
The aim of this study is to analyze, from a historical perspective, the interrelationship among political influence, cultural memory, and regional self-identification within the Caucasian space. Particular attention is devoted to the historical processes of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when the Caucasus simultaneously became an arena of imperial interests, national movements, and the formation of new political identities.
The study employs a comparative-historical methodology and draws on both Georgian and foreign historiographical sources. Special emphasis is placed on the ways in which shifts in political domination were reflected in collective memory and historical narratives.
The research demonstrates that, throughout the historical development of the Caucasus, changes in power were not merely a matter of political control. They also exerted a significant influence on cultural self-perception, the formation of historical memory, and the definition of regional identity. In different historical periods, the empires operating in the region frequently sought to legitimize and reinforce their political interests through historical narratives, thereby contributing to transformations in the identities of local societies. At the same time, the peoples of the Caucasus sought to preserve their cultural distinctiveness and political subjectivity through appeals to historical memory.
The originality of the study lies in its interpretation of Caucasian history not only as a history of geopolitical confrontation, but also as a multilayered historical construction of memory and identity. The research contributes to a deeper understanding of contemporary processes in the Caucasus and demonstrates that historical experience continues to exert a significant influence on the political and cultural discourses currently unfolding in the region.