Reconfigurations of Political Space in the Caucasus: Power Practices, Governance and Transboundary Flows

ISBN-13: 9780367236823 / Angielski / Twarda / 2019 / 122 str.

Smolnik, Franziska

Opis

In order to analyse configurations of power that transcend the territorial trap, the Caucasus is an excellent case in point. Its past and present exhibit an extraordinary richness in power practices of diverse forms that intersect on various scales. This comprehensive volume offers an innovative procedural perspective on the actual workings of power not necessarily tied to the nation-state. Its focus goes well beyond national scales to tackle the manifold impacts of transboundary flows. The authors, from a wide range of academic disciplines, provide original empirical data from this intriguing but largely untapped region, with respect to the critical study of statehood. They also shed light on the diversity of political space and the ongoing process of spatial re-alignment. The chapters in this collection focus on: land governance practice in the North Caucasus; practices of local administration in Georgia; Shia influence from Iran in Azerbaijan; and trajectories of Ottoman influence in Adjara and Abkhazia respectively. They cover the South as well as North Caucasus, examining configurations of power that entangle smaller and larger scales, and providing perspectives on transboundary flows between the area and both Turkey and Iran.This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal Eurasian Geography and Economics.

Spis treści

1. Transboundary processes and (re-)configurations of political space in the Caucasus  2. Local government reforms in Georgia and their impact on state-society relations  3. Governing the local in the North Caucasus  4. Shia groups and Iranian religious influence in Azerbaijan: the impact of trans-boundary religious ties on national religious policy  5. Political space and borderland practices in Abkhazia and Adjara: exploring the role of Ottoman legacies and contemporary Turkish influences  6. Internationalization of science and regional political studies (the case of the Caucasus)