The University of Georgia
PhD in History
Tbilisi/ Georgia
dodochumburidze@yahoo.com/ d.chumburidze@ug.edu.ge
Abstract
The prominent Georgian public figure Dimitri Kipiani was a multifaceted, highly complex, and distinguished thinker. Among the many dimensions of his activity, particular attention should be given to his contribution to the study of Georgia’s historical past.
Dimitri Kipiani’s writings address a broad range of issues, including the history and historical geography of Georgia, the ethnogenesis of the Georgian people, socio-economic structures, the emergence of the state and the formation of social estates, as well as the Georgian language and writing system.
Kipiani’s research methodology is clearly reflected in his historical writings. Above all, he adopted a critical attitude towards historical sources, which constitutes a sound methodological approach. However, when taken to an excessive degree, such criticism could hinder the establishment of an appropriate direction for research.
Dimitri Kipiani’s worldview was complex and heterogeneous. As a participant in the 1832 conspiracy, he appears as a political romantic. From the 1860s onward, however, when he aligned himself with the younger generation of the Tergdaleulebi, he increasingly inclined towards realism, not only intellectually but also in his practical outlook on life. Nevertheless, his worldview ultimately remained conservative. All three tendencies—Romanticism, Realism, and Conservatism—can be identified in his historical thought. Dimitri Kipiani was simultaneously a loyal servant of the Russian monarchy and imperial administration and a rebellious figure whenever the defence of national values was at stake.
Georgian scholarship has advanced the view that the cultural project implemented in the 1840s and 1850s as a “programme of national salvation” belonged to Dimitri Kipiani and later nourished the ideological programme of the Tergdaleulebi. Despite its national aspirations and its commitment to the country’s progress, however, the social, cultural, and educational programme of the 1840s and 1850s, together with the measures introduced during this period, differed fundamentally from the project of Ilia Chavchavadze and his associates. The latter was directed against the colonial policy of Tsarism in Georgia and aimed at liberating the Georgian nation from political and social oppression, as well as consolidating it around the national idea.
The transformations of the 1840s and 1850s and the reforms implemented by Vorontsov undoubtedly facilitated the realisation of the programme of the generation of the 1860s. Nevertheless, in terms of both substance and national objectives, the two programmes were diametrically opposed.
Keywords: Dimitri Kipiani; historical thought; Romanticism; Realism; Conservatism.