How are questions of remembrance divisive in the Caucasus? And what might be a way forward? This talk will argue that an “Ethics of Political Commemoration” can help at least order many of the debates on remembrance. Based on the just war tradition, such a multi-dimensional paradigm can cover multiple considerations. The framework provides a richer description of how commemoration can succeed, and where it fails — in museums, with statues, street signs, and the most authoritative appeals to the past. Hans will draw on his 20+ years of experience in the Caucasus region to offer practical illustrations for how this framework can be applied, with implications beyond the Caucasus region.
Speaker
Hans Gutbrod is a professor at Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia. He has worked in the Caucasus since 1999, was the Regional Director of the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (2006 to 2012), covering Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, and regularly supports think tank research around the world.
