Books: History and Politics of Georgia

This section of library resources provides a brief overview of available books on Georgian history grouped in three chronological periods: Antiquity, Medieval, and Modern. The latter includes Georgia’s two periods of independence (1918-21 and 1991 to the present). Separate resources on Abkhazia and South Ossetia are also included.

Antiquity (B.C.D - 5th century A.D.)

(English) Georgia in antiquity : a history of Colchis and Transcaucasian Iberia, 550 BC-AD 562 Braund, David, 1957- / Oxford : Clarendon Press ; Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press 1994

(Georgian) Atenis sionis somxuri carcerebi alekʻsiże, zaza / tʻbilisi : "mecʻniereba" / (sakʻartʻvelos istoriis cqaroebi ; 6.) /(epigrapʻikuli żeglebi da xelnacertʻa minacerebi ; 2.) 1978

(Georgian, Armenian, English) K'artʻlis cʻxovreba : the Georgian royal annals and their medieval Armenian adaptation 1st ed. / Delmar, N.Y. : Caravan Books / (Anatolian and Caucasian studies.) 1998

(English) Edge of empires: a history of Georgia Rayfield, Donald 2012

(Georgian) Demokratiuli tendencʻiebi: antikuri samqaro da sakʻartʻvelo : encʻiklopediuri cʻnobari = The democratic tendencies: ancient world and Georgia : encyclopedy [sic] tʻbilisi : sagamomcʻemlo programa "logosi" 2012

 

Medieval Era (Middle Ages - 5-15th century A.D.) 

(Georgian) C'xorebay da ucqebay bagratoniantʻa sumbat davitʻis-że, active 11th century / Tʻbilisi : Mecʻniereba" / (Kʻartʻuli saistorio mcerlobis żeglebi 8.) /(Sakʻartʻvelos istoriis cqaroebi 61.) 1990

(Georgian) Tʻamar Mepʻe--mšveneba da šaravandedi Sakʻartʻvelosa Gurgeniże, Vaxtang 1990

(Georgian) Tʻamar mepʻis droindeli matiane : "Cʻxovreba Mepʻetʻ mepʻetʻa Tʻamarisi" Tʻbilisi : [s.n.] 2001

(Georgian) Kartlis tskhovreba: A History of Georgia 2014.

(English) Eurasian State of Georgia in the Fourteenth Century: The Mongol Era and Its End Kiknadze, Vazha ; Kiknaze, Vaza 2013

(Russian) Istorii͡a i povestvovanie o bagrationakh sumbat davitʻis-że, active 11th century. / tbilisi : met͡sniereba / (pami͡atniki gruzinskoĭ istoricheskoĭ literatury ; 3.) /(sakʻartʻvelos istoriis cqaroebi ; 13.) 1979

 

Modern Era

  • Russian Empire (1801 - 1918)

(Georgian) K'artʻuli lirikis antʻologia (1765-1825) Tʻbilisi : universitetis gamomcʻemloba 2014

(English) Socialism in Georgian colors : the European road to social democracy, 1883-1917 Jones, Stephen F. / Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press 2005

  • Independence (1918-1921)

(English) The experiment: Georgia's Forgotten revolution, 1918-1921 Lee, Eric / 1st ed. 2017

(Georgian) Sakʻartʻvelos respublika Tʻbilisi : sakʻartʻvelos respublika 1990-

(English & French) The 1921 Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Georgia = La Constitution de 1921 de la République Démocratique de Géorgie Georgia (Republic) / Batumi : Constitutional Court of Georgia 2012

(English) The Making of Modern Georgia, 1918–2012: The first Georgian republic and its successors, Jones, Stephen, 2014

(Georgian) The experiment: Georgia's Forgotten revolution, 1918-1921 Lee, Eric / 1st ed. 2017

  • Soviet Period (1921-1991)

(French) Histoire de la Géorgie asatʻiani, nodar, 1931- / Paris : L'Harmattan, 1997

(Russian) Harvard Russian and Soviet Humanities Preservation Microfilm Project titles.

(English) Georgia after Stalin: Nationalism and Soviet power Blauvelt, Timothy K ; Smith, Jeremy 2015

(English) Georgia from national awakening to Rose Revolution: delayed transition in the former Soviet Union Wheatley, Jonathan 2016
 

  • Post-Soviet (1991-present)

(English) Georgia: From Autocracy to Democracy Jones, Stephen F ;  MacFarlane, Neil, 2020

(Georgian) Sakʻartʻvelos samokʻalakʻo sazogadoebis šepʻaseba, 2005 : demokratiuli pʻaseulobebis ertʻguleba gamocvevebitʻ aġsavse garemoši; sivikus-is samokʻalakʻo sazogadoebis indekʻsis šemoklebulo šepʻasebis instrumenti gurgeniże, paata. / tʻbilisi : konsultaciisa da treningis cʻentri 2006

(English) Defending the Border: Identity, Religion, and Modernity in the Republic of Georgia Pelkmans, Mathijs 2006

(English) Democracy and autocracy in Eurasia : Georgia in transition Areshidze, Irakly. / East Lansing : Michigan State University Press / (Eurasian political economy and public policy studies series.) 2007

(English) The Guns of August 2008: Russia's War in Georgia Cornell, Svante E ; Starr, S. Frederick 2009

(English) Little War That Shook the World: Georgia, Russia and the Future of the West Asmus, Ronald / 1st ed. 2010

(English) Popular mobilization and empowerment in Georgia's Rose Revolution Hash-Gonzalez, Kelli ; Hash-Gonzalez, Kelli 2012

(English) The August War in Georgia: Foreign Media Coverage Oganjanyan, Amalia / 1. Aufl. 2012

(English) Uncertain Democracy: U.S. Foreign Policy and Georgia's Rose Revolution Mitchell, Lincoln Abraham, 2013

(English) Certain Aspects of Georgian-Russian Relations in Modern Historiography Muskhelishvili, David 2014

(English) The Causes of Post-Mobilization Leadership Change and Continuity: A Comparative Analysis of Post-Color Revolution in Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, and Georgia Rukhadze, Vasili 2021

(Georgian) Sakʻartʻvelos Sisxlis samartʻlis kodekʻsi : gamocʻemulia 2000 clis 1 Okʻtombris mdgomreobitʻ Georgia (Republic) / [Tʻbilisi] : Gamomcʻemloba "L.D." 2000

(Georgian) Sakʻartʻvelos šromis kanonmdebloba Georgia (Republic) / Tʻbilisi : ["Bona kauza"] 2000

(English) Georgia : pawn in the new great game Gahrton, Per, 1943- / London : Pluto Press 2010

(English) Strangers in a Strange Land : Occidentalist Publics and Orientalist Geographies in Nineteenth?Century Georgian Imaginaries Manning, Paul 2012

(English) Georgia : the land below the Caucasus : a narrative history Skinner, Peter (Historian) [author] / New York ; London ; Tbilisi : Narikala Publications 2014

(English) Warlords and Coalition Politics in Post-Soviet States Driscoll, Jesse 2015

(English) Evangelical Christian Baptists of Georgia : the history and transformation of a free church tradition Sonġulašvili, Malxaz, 1963- [author] / Waco : Baylor University Press / (Studies in world Christianity (Waco, Tex.)) [2015]

(English) Gender in Georgia : feminist perspectives on culture, nation, and history in the South Caucasus New York : Berghahn Books 2018

(English) No Path Home: Humanitarian Camps and the Grief of Displacement Dunn, Elizabeth Cullen 2018

Books and Other Materials on Abkhazia & South Ossetia

Reports on conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. This section includes discussion of inter- ethnic relations in Georgia along with analyses of the ethnic conflicts in Georgia.

1991-present

(Georgian) Narkvevebi kʻartʻul-apʻxazuri kulturul-literaturuli urtʻiertʻobis istoriidan Čurġulia, Otʻar. / Soxumi : Alašara 1974-

(English) Understanding ethnopolitical conflict : Karabakh, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia wars reconsidered / World Politics 1989-

(English) The conflict in Abkhazia : a Georgian perspective Gachechiladze, Zaza. / [Washington, D.C.] : National Defense University, Institute for National Strategic Studies / (Strategic forum no. 21.) [1995]

(English) Historical sociological interpretation of nationalist separatism in the four former Soviet autonomous republics, Tataria, Chechnya, Abkhazia, and Ajaria Derluguian, Georgii Matveevich. 1995

(English) U.S. and Russian policymaking with respect to the use of force Santa Monica, CA : RAND 1996

(English) No peace, no war in the Caucasus : secessionist conflicts in Chechnya, Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabakh Walker, Edward W. / [Cambridge, Mass.] : Strengthening Democratic Institutions Project, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University [1998]

(English) Two mirrors : Georgian events of 1988-89, as reflected in the Georgian and central Soviet mass media Enoch, Reuven. / Jerusalem : The Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, The Hebrew University / (Peace papers 10.) 1998

(English) The conflict in Abkhazia : dilemmas in Russian 'peacekeeping' policy Lynch, Dov, 1970- / London : Royal Institute of International Affairs, Russia and Eurasia Programme / (RIIA discussion paper ; no. 77.) 1998

(English) Genocide in Abkhazia Nadareishvili, Tamaz, 1954- / 2nd ed. / Tbilisi : AZRI Publishers 1999

(English) Federal practice : exploring alternatives for Georgia and Abkhazia Brussels : VUB University Press c2000

(English) Interests over norms in western policy towards the Caucasus: How Abkhazia is no one's Kosovo Fawn, Rick ; Cummings, Sally N European security (London, England), 2001-09-01, Vol.10 (3), p.84-108

(English) War and Secession: A Moral Analysis of the Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict Coppieters, Bruno CONTEXTUALIZING SECESSION, 2003-01-01, p.187-212

(English) Status of autonomous regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia within Georgia, 1917-1998 : collection of political-legal acts Tʻbilisi : Regionalism Research Center 2004

(English) Independence of Abkhazia and prospects for the Caucasus Colarusso, John, 1945- / 1st ed. / Istanbul : Friends of Abkhazia c2010

(English) A difficult encounter : the informal Georgian-Abkhazian dialogue process Wolleh, Oliver. / Berlin : Berghof Forschungszentrum für Konstruktive Konfliktbearbeitung / (Berghof transitions series no. 12.) 2006

(English) EU Neglect and Competing Mediation in Georgia's Conflicts Tocci, Nathalie The International spectator, 2006-10-01, Vol.41 (4), p.69-84

(English) Problematic Region of Caucasus: South Osetia YapIcI, Merve Irem Orta Asya ve Kafkasya araştırmaları, 2007-01-01, Vol.2 (3), p.71-104

(English) Georgia after Stalin: Nationalism and Soviet power Blauvelt, Timothy K ; Smith, Jeremy 2015

Georgian:

Agresiuli separatizmi da misi šedegebi Beniże, Valerian, 1927- / Tʻbilisi : gamomcʻemloba "Cʻis nami" 2010

Alamisi = Aalamis : apʻxazuri novelebi Lakrba, Mikha, 1901-1965 / Tʻbilisi : literaturis muzeumi 2012

Ap'xazur-kʻartʻuli etʻnograpʻiul termintʻa ganmartebitʻi lekʻsikoni Bakhia, S. I 2020


English:

Abkhazia and South Ossetia - Russia's Intervention in Georgia (August 2008) Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

Regional conflicts in Georgia -- the Autonomous Oblast of South Ossetia, the Autonomous SSR of Abkhazia, 1989-2008 : the collection of political-legal acts 2nd, updated ed. / Tbilisi : Regionalism Research Center 2008

The guns of August 2008 : Russia's war in Georgia Armonk, N.Y. : M.E. Sharpe /Abingdon, Oxon : Routledge / (Studies of Central Asia and the Caucasus.) 2009

Uncertain democracy :U.S. foreign policy and Georgia's Rose Revolution Mitchell, Lincoln Abraham. / Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press c2009

The GeorgiaAbkhazia conflict: Critical factors shaping the present stalemate Beaulieu, Kyle Alexander 2009

The Responsibility of Outside Powers for Acts of Secessionist Entities Talmon, Stefan The International and comparative law quarterly, 2009-07-14, Vol.58 (3), p.493-517

Abkhaz : a comprehensive self-tutor Hewitt, B. G. / München : LINCOM Europa / (LINCOM student grammars ; 03.) 2010

Under siege : inter-ethnic relations in Abkhazia London : Hurst & Co. 2010

Discordant Neighbours: A Reassessment of the Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-South Ossetian Conflicts Hewitt, B. George 2013

The making of modern Georgia, 1918-2012 : the first Georgian republic and its successors Abingdon, Oxon ; New York : Routledge / (Routledge contemporary Russia and Eastern Europe series ; 52.) 2014

"Frozen conflicts" in Europe Opladen : Barbara Budrich Publishers 2015

Opportunity, Identity, and Resources in Ethnic Mobilization: The Iraqi Kurds and the Abkhaz of Georgia Fawaz, Ahmed Abdel-Hafez 2017

Language Education and Ethnic Resentment in Soviet Abkhazia, 1939–53 Blauvelt, Timothy K Ab imperio, 2020, Vol.2020 (1), p.197-219

Identities and representations in Georgia from the 19th century to the present Berlin : De Gruyter Oldenbourg / (Schriften des Historischen Kollegs. Kolloquien 103.) [2021]

Mobilizing in Uncertainty: Collective Identities and War in Abkhazia Shesterinina, Anastasia 2021

Collective Historical Memory Shesterinina, Anastasia Mobilizing in Uncertainty, 2021-03-15

Durable Solutions: Challenges with Implementing Global Norms for Internally Displaced Persons in Georgia Funke, Carolin 2022

Other Languages:

(Abkhazian & Russian) Abkhazovedenie : istorii͡a, arkheologii͡a, ėtnologii͡a = Aphsuatht͡ṡaara : athourykh, arkheologia, aetnologia Sukhum : Alashara 200?-[?].

(Russian) Abkhazskie tradit︠s︡ionnye obri︠a︡dy i obri︠a︡dovai︠a︡ poėzii︠a︡ Tabagua, S. A. (Svetlana Andreevna) / Moskva : MAKS Press 2001

(Russian) Materialy gazety "kavkaz" po istorii abkhazii Tʻbilisi : gamocʻemloba "Meridiani" 2012-<2013>

(German) Das Völkerrecht als Mittel zur Lösung ethnischer Konflikte : eine Untersuchung anhand von Georgien und den De-facto-Staaten Abchasien und Südossetien Bültermann, Lennart, 1985- [author] / Baden-Baden : Nomos / (Völkerrecht und Aussenpolitik ; Bd. 84.) 2017

(Russian) Kavkaz: kulinarnoe puteshestvie po gruzii, azerbaĭdzhanu i dalee Hercules, Olia 2020