On May 22, the Security, Policy and Nationalism Research Center (UGSPN) of the School of Social Sciences at The University of Georgia will host a public discussion titled: “The Unextinguished Spark: Georgia’s Long Road to Independence.”
Dedicated to Georgia’s Independence Day, the discussion aims to explore, from various professional and academic perspectives, what independence truly means and what it requires from Georgians from one generation to the next.
The discussion will focus on the continuous chain of Georgian resistance — from the declaration of independence to the restoration of independence and up to the present day.
On May 26, 1918, the Democratic Republic of Georgia was proclaimed — one of the first parliamentary democracies in the region and the state foundation to which Georgians returned in 1991. However, throughout the seven decades of Soviet occupation, the idea of independence remained alive in Georgia. Therefore, Independence Day is viewed as part of a broader historical continuum that connects the past with the present.
Within the framework of the discussion, speakers will examine the different methods each generation used in the struggle for independence, as well as contemporary perspectives on May 26 as Independence Day and the meaning associated with it today.
The discussion will be moderated by: Konstantine Topuria — Rector of The University of Georgia
Speakers:
Date: May 22, 4:00 PM
Location: The University of Georgia,77a Kostava Street, Tbilisi, Georgia, Building IV, Conference Hall 519
