Ethno-Political Conflicts in the Caucasus - JTM269
Title: Ethno-Political Conflicts in the Caucasus
Guaranteed by: Department of Russian and East European Studies (23-KRVS)
Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
Actual: from 2025
Semester: winter
E-Credits: 6
Examination process: winter s.:combined
Hours per week, examination: winter s.:1/1, Ex [HT]
Capacity: 28 / unknown (15)
Min. number of students: unlimited
4EU+: no
Virtual mobility / capacity: no
State of the course: taught
Language: English
Teaching methods: full-time
Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan
enabled for web enrollment
priority enrollment if the course is part of the study plan
Guarantor: doc. Adrian Brisku, Ph.D.
Teacher(s): doc. Adrian Brisku, Ph.D.
Class: Courses for incoming students
Incompatibility : JMM130
Examination dates   WS schedule   Noticeboard   
Annotation
Ethno-political conflict is not a phenomenon peculiar to the region of the Caucasus. Yet it became part of the region’s post-Soviet history following the collapse of the Soviet Union. In this context, this one-semester course sheds light on key aspects of ethno-political conflicts (frozen and unfrozen) in the area by combining an understanding of major concepts and theories of ethno-political conflict initiation, separatism, as well as potential for reconciliation, with an analysis of the case studies of Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia. The course will also draw attention to latent hotspots of ethno-political tensions across the region.

Etnopolitický konflikt není fenoménem výlučným pro region Kavkazu. Přesto se stal součástí post-sovětské historie tohoto regionu po rozpadu Sovětského svazu. V tomto kontextu tento jednosemestrální kurz přináší přehled klíčových aspektů etnopolitických konfliktů (zamrzlých i aktivních) v oblasti, a to kombinací porozumění hlavním konceptům a teoriím vzniku etnopolitických konfliktů, separatismu a možností smíření s analýzou případových studií Náhorního Karabachu, Jižní Osetie a Abcházie. Kurz rovněž upozorní na latentní ohniska etnopolitického napětí v celém regionu.
Last update: Lochmanová Sára, Mgr. (15.09.2025)
Aim of the course

The goal of this course is to supply students with the relevant conceptual vocabulary and historical contexts to understand and to analyse the emergence and occassional sparks of ethno-political conflict in the post-Soviet region of the South Caucasus.

Last update: Brisku Adrian, doc., Ph.D. (02.09.2025)
Course completion requirements

REQUIREMENTS

1) Attendance is mandatory as the course is designed as a seminar where substantial student participation is needed.

2) Mid-term exam in week seven with five open-ended questions based on readings from weeks 2 to 6.

3) In week 12, using a ‘workshop’ format, students present & get feedback from the lecturer and course mates on their first draft of their final paper.

4) A final paper of around 2500 words will be uploaded on Moodle with an indicated deadline. 

5) Active class participation –20%, mid-term exam –30% and final paper draft (for the workshop) – 20%; final paper –30%.  

D. EVALUATION

A - "výborně - A" - "excellent - A"
B - "výborně - B" - "excellent - B"
C - "velmi dobře - C" - "very good - C"
D - "velmi dobře - D" - "very good - D"
E - "dobře - E" - "good - E"
F - "neprospěl/a - F" - "fail – F

See Dean´s provision https://www.fsv.cuni.cz/opatreni-dekanky-c-172018aj

Updated, 2 September 2025

 

Last update: Brisku Adrian, doc., Ph.D. (02.09.2025)
Literature

A.    READING ASSIGNMENTS 

1.     Introduction to the course

·       Syllabus

2.     Historical Context of the Region

· Cornell, Small Nations and Great Empires: A study of ethno-political conflict in the Caucasus  <https://is.muni.cz/el/1423/podzim2012/MVZ208/um/35586974/Small_Nations_and_Great_Powers__A_Study_of_Ethnopolitical_Conflict_in_the_Caucasus__.pdf> (Chapters 1 and 2)

 Understanding main concepts: identity, ethnicity, nationalism

·       Howard, ‘Social Psychology of Identities’ in

·       Eriksen, ‘Ethnicity vs Nationalism’ in < http://www.hyllanderiksen.net/Ethnnat.pdf>

4.     Defining ethno-political conflict

·       Gilley, ‘Against the Concept of Ethnic Conflict’, <https://sites.hks.harvard.edu/fs/pnorris/Acrobat/stm103%20articles/Gilley_Concept_ethnic_conflict.pdf>

·       Varshney, ‘Ethnicity and Ethnic Conflict’, < http://ashutoshvarshney.net/wp-content/files_mf/varshneyethnicityandethnicconflict.pdf>

5.     Theorizing the causes of ethno-political conflicts, separatism, and escalation

·       Suleimanov, ‘Understanding ethno-political conflict’ in < https://www.academia.edu/9069750/Souleimanov_Emil_A._Understanding_Ethnopolitical_Conflict_Karabakh_Abkhazia_and_South_Ossetia_Wars_Reconsidered_Basingstoke_Palgrave_Macmillan_2013>

·       Siroky, ‘Explaining Secession’ in <http://davidsiroky.faculty.asu.edu/Siroky2011EXPSECpreprint.pdf>

·       Carment & James, ‘Escalation in Ethnic Conflict: A Survey & Assessment’ in < https://dornsifecms.usc.edu/assets/sites/429/docs/Escalation_of_Ethnic_Conflict_-_A_Survey_and_Assessment.pdf>

6.     Reconciliation in ethno-political conflict

·       Kaufman, S., ‘Escaping the Symbolic Politics Trap: Reconciliation Initiatives & Conflict Resolution in Ethnic Wars’, Journal of Peace Research, 43/2 (2006), 201-218.

·       Ivor Sokolic, ‘Reconciliation Rising…,’ Ethnopolitics 12/2 (2020), 162-167.

7.     Mid-term Exam

·       Five open-ended questions based on the readings of weeks 2 to 6

8.     Case study (I) - the South Ossetia conflict: the causes & escalation (Third Position Paper)

·       Cornell, Small Nations and Great Empires: A study of ethno-political conflict in the Caucasus  <https://is.muni.cz/el/1423/podzim2012/MVZ208/um/35586974/Small_Nations_and_Great_Powers__A_Study_of_Ethnopolitical_Conflict_in_the_Caucasus__.pdf> (Chapter 4)

Further reading(s)

·       Vincent M. Artman, ‘Documenting Territory: Passportisation, Territory, and Exception in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Geopolitics’, 18:3, (2013), 682-704, DOI:10.1080/14650045.2013.769963

9.     Case study (II) - the Abkhazia conflict: the causes & escalation  

·  Cornell, Small Nations and Great Empires: A study of ethno-political conflict in the Caucasus  <https://is.muni.cz/el/1423/podzim2012/MVZ208/um/35586974/Small_Nations_and_Great_Powers__A_Study_of_Ethnopolitical_Conflict_in_the_Caucasus__.pdf> (Chapter 4)

·       Gerrits, A., Bader, M., ‘Russian Patronage over Abkhazia and South Ossetia: Implications for Conflict Resolution’, East European Politics, 32/3 (2016), 297-313.

10.  Cases (III) of latent ethnic conflict in the region 

·       Ingush Ossetian Conflict, in

·       Matevosyan, V., Currie, B., ‘A conflict that did not happen: visiting the Javakhk affair in Georgia’, Nation and Nationalism (2018), 1-21.

11.  Case study (IV) - the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: the causes, escalation, resolution?  

·       Galina Yamelianova, ‘The De facto State of Nagorno-Karabakh: Historical and Geopolitical Perspectives,’ Europe-Asia Studies, 75/8 (2023): 1336-1359.

12.  Workshop

Last update: Brisku Adrian, doc., Ph.D. (02.09.2025)
Teaching methods

The course is seminar-based and will take place offline, which means that the lecturer will open up the discussion on the reading material of the week by laying out the main concepts and questions which will be followed by students' interventions and analytical discussions. The reading material will be accessable in Moodle. 

Use of Generative AI Tools in This Course 

• A mandatory part of the paper is a detailed statement of whether and how you used generative artificial intelligence tools (chatbots) in its preparation. If it is missing or incomplete, the paper may be considered plagiarism. Whenever you use text generated by ChatGPT or another generative artificial intelligence tool, you must indicate this in your paper and cite the tool.

 

• AI may only be used as a tool for obtaining and processing information, not as a means of generating entire papers or substantial parts thereof:

o   You are free to use AI tools for language corrections.

o   You are free to use generative AI for preparatory tasks (brainstorming and generation of ideas, search for relevant literature)

o   You may not use, however, any generative AI tool for the generation of the text you are submitting as its author. That is, no part of your submitted text itself may be AI-generated.

• The student is responsible for any errors in the text, not the AI tool used. It is the student's responsibility to verify the accuracy of all generated information and sources.

 

• Further recommendations regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence at Charles University are available at https://ai.cuni.cz/AIEN-13.html

 

(• Part of the paper´s classification will consist of the evaluation of the use of AI.)

Last update: Brisku Adrian, doc., Ph.D. (25.09.2025)
Syllabus

Ethno-political Conflicts in the Caucasus (JMM 130) 

Associate Professor Adrian Brisku, PhD

Department of Russian & East European Studies, Charles University  

https://cuni.academia.edu/adrianBrisku

adrian.brisku@fsv.cuni.cz

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Ethno-political conflict is not a phenomenon peculiar to the region of the Caucasus. Yet it became part of the region’s post-Soviet history following the collapse of the Soviet Union. In this context, this one-semester course sheds light on key aspects of ethno-political conflicts (frozen and unfrozen) in the area by combining an understanding of major concepts and theories of ethno-political conflict initiation, separatism, as well as potential for reconciliation, with an analysis of the case studies of Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia. The course will also draw attention to latent hotspots of ethno-political tensions across the region. 

 

A.    COURSE DESIGN  

1.     Introduction to the course

2.     Historical Context of the Region

3.     Understanding the main concepts: identity, ethnicity, nationalism

4.     Defining ethno-political conflict

5.     Theorizing the causes of ethno-political conflict, separatism, and escalation

6.     Reconciliation in ethnic conflict

7.     Mid-term Exam

8.     Case study (I)– the South Ossetia conflict: the causes & escalation

9.     Case study II – the Abkhazia conflict: the causes & escalation

10.  Cases (III) of latent ethnic conflict in the region

11.  Case study (IV) – the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: causes & escalation, reconciliation?

12.  Workshop

Updated,

2.9.2025

Last update: Brisku Adrian, doc., Ph.D. (02.09.2025)