BOOK LAUNCH: Mobilities, Boundaries, and Travelling Ideas. Rethinking Translocality Beyond Central Asia and the Caucasus - 6.12.2018 im ZOiS in Berlin via @ZOiS_Berlin

[facebook.com/Mobilities, Boundaries, and Travelling Ideas ]
6. December 2018 - ZOiS, Mohrenstr. 60, 10117 Berlin

With Manja Stephan-Emmrich (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Philipp Schröder (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), Tsypylma Darieva (ZOiS, Berlin) and Katrin Bromber (Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin)

‘Translocality’ has become an important concept in social sciences for depicting the social and cultural representations of a globalizing world ‘from the ground’. But does the concept also have the capacity to describe, in new ways, the multiple mobilities, exchange practices and globalizing processes that link people, institutions, and goods in Central Asia and the Caucasus with others in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East?

Mobilities, Boundaries and Travelling Ideas seeks to explore this question. Collecting anthropological, historical and sociological case studies, the edited volume aims to overcome ‘territorial containers’ such as the nation‐state or local community, which have long dominated research on mobility and migration in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Following new directions in area studies, the book instead emphasizes the significance of processes of translation and negotiation for understanding how meaningful localities emerge beyond conventional boundaries.

At ZOiS, the editors and two experts will discuss the book’s contribution to new epistemological and methodological perspectives in the transdisciplinary study of mobilities, migrations, and diasporas in and beyond Central Asia and the Caucasus, two regions sharing a long history of travel, migration, and connectedness.

The book:

Manja Stephan-Emmrich and Philipp Schröder (eds.), Mobilities, Boundaries, and Travelling Ideas. Rethinking Translocality Beyond Central Asia and the Caucasus. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers, 2018 [pdf]

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To make our programme more accessible to parents, we offer free professional child care during the event. Please register at least one week in advance, stating the age(s) of your child(ren), by emailing: Julia Braun events@zois-berlin.de.

[openbookpublishers.com] This collection brings together a variety of anthropological, historical and sociological case studies from Central Asia and the Caucasus to examine the concept of translocality. The chapters scrutinize the capacity of translocality to describe, in new ways, the multiple mobilities, exchange practices and globalizing processes that link places, people and institutions in Central Asia and the Caucasus with others in Russia, China and the United Arab Emirates.

Illuminating translocality as a productive concept for studying cross‐regional connectivities and networks, this volume is an important contribution to a lively field of academic discourse. Following new directions in Area Studies, the chapters aim to overcome ‘territorial containers’ such as the nation‐state or local community, and instead emphasize the significance of processes of translation and negotiation for understanding how meaningful localities emerge beyond conventional boundaries.

Structured by the four themes ‘crossing boundaries’, ‘travelling ideas’, ‘social and economic movements’ and ‘pious endeavours’, this volume proposes three conceptual approaches to translocality: firstly, to trace how it is embodied, narrated, virtualized or institutionalized within or in reference to physical or imagined localities; secondly, to understand locality as a relational concept rather than a geographically bounded unit; and thirdly, to consider cross‐border traders, travelling students, business people and refugees as examples of non-elite mobilities that provide alternative ways to think about what ‘global’ means today.

Mobilities, Boundaries, and Travelling Ideas will be of interest to students and scholars of the anthropology, history and sociology of Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as for those interested in new approaches to Area Studies.

The VolkswagenStiftung (Volkswagen Foundation) has generously contributed towards the publication of this volume.

Mobilities, Boundaries, and Travelling Ideas: Rethinking Translocality Beyond Central Asia and the Caucasus
Edited by Manja Stephan-Emmrich and Philipp Schröder | April 2018
380 | 38 colour illustrations | 6.14'' x 9.21'' (156 x 234 mm)
ISBN Paperback: 9781783743339
ISBN Hardback: 9781783743346
ISBN Digital (PDF): 9781783743353
ISBN Digital ebook (epub): 9781783743360
ISBN Digital ebook (mobi): 9781783743377
ISBN Digital (XML): 9781783744992
DOI: 10.11647/OBP.0114
Subject codes: BIC: JHMC (Social and cultural anthropology, ethnography), 1FC (Central Asia), JH (Sociology and anthropology), JPS (International relations), RGCP (Political geography); BISAC: SOC002010 SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, SOC015000 SOCIAL SCIENCE / Human Geography

LÄNDERABEND: Minderheiten in Georgien. Recht auf Leben? (copernicus-stipendium.de)

Am Mittwoch, 13.01.2016, um 19 Uhr
Ort: MitOst e.V., Alt-Moabit 90, 10559 Berlin

(copernicus-stipendium.de) Georgien ist ein Land, in dem die verschiedenen ethnischen, religiösen und sexuellen Minderheiten immer zusammen gelebt haben. Historisch waren die Georgier besonders tolerant gegenüber anderen. Die Lage des Landes begünstigt eine vielfältige und multikulturelle Gesellschaft. Aber gibt es unter dieser Toleranz versteckten Rassismus oder Sexismus?

Die orthodoxe Kirche ist sehr stark in Georgien. Manche Gläubigen denken, dass sexuelle Minderheiten gar kein Recht auf das Wort, auf die Wahl und überhaupt, auf das Leben haben. Warum sind gerade Mitglieder einer Institution, die Toleranz predigt, dieser Meinung? Wird das Thema einfach falsch verstanden?

Eine der größten ungelösten Fragen in Georgien ist laut der EU der Schutz der Minderheiten. Seit die georgische Regierung ein Antidiskriminierungsgesetz geschaffen hat, gibt es starke Proteste. Von der Bevölkerung wurde dieses Gesetz so aufgefasst, dass ihre eigenen Rechte zu Gunsten der Minderheiten eingeschränkt würden, während jene zusätzliche Privilegien erhielten, die sie nicht verdienten. Ist das Gesetz nun realistisch anwendbar und auch gewollt oder war es vielmehr ein gezielter formaler Schritt in Richtung EU, der aber ohne Folgen blieb? Ist die Regierung überhaupt dazu in der Lage, die Mentalität der Bevölkerung zu verändern?

Die georgische Stipendiatin Mariam Kikvidze (Studiengang: Rechtswissenschaft) beschäftigt sich neben dem Studium mit verschiedenen Projekten, die Menschen- und Minderheitenrechte betreffen. In ihrem Vortrag wird sie versuchen ihre persönlichen Erfahrungen einzubringen und das Problem von mehreren Seiten zu beleuchten.

Unser Verein lädt die Teilnehmer im Anschluss an die Veranstaltung zu weiteren Gesprächen im informellen Rahmen bei einem kleinen Buffet mit Getränken (georgischem Wein) und selbst zubereiteten georgischen Spezialitäten ein. Der Eintritt ist frei. Spenden für die Arbeit des Vereins sind willkommen. Diese Einladung kann gerne an Freunde und andere Interessenten weitergegeben werden!

 Copernicus Berlin e.V. ist ein von Studierenden, Absolventen und jungen Berufstätigen ehrenamtlich getragener gemeinnütziger Verein, der in den dreizehn Jahren seines Bestehens 82 Studenten aus 21 Ländern ein Studium in Berlin ermöglicht hat. Neben dem Studium an einer deutschen Universität absolvieren die Stipendiaten ein mehrwöchiges Praktikum und werden von Mentoren intensiv und persönlich betreut. Das Stipendium wird über Stiftungsgelder, Spenden und Patenschaften finanziert. Ein besonderer Aspekt des Copernicus-Stipendienprogramms ist die Unterbringung und Verpflegung der Stipendiaten in Berliner Gastfamilien.

weitere Informationen: 
www.copernicus-stipendium.de, 
berlin@copernicus-stipendium.de

BOOK: Fear, Weakness and Power in the Post-Soviet South Caucasus. A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis. By Kevork Oskanian (us.macmillan.com)

New Security Challenges

Kevork Oskanian

Palgrave Macmillan, October 2013
ISBN: 978-1-137-02675-0, ISBN10: 1-137-02675-8,
5.430 x 8.500 inches, 288 pages, 3 b/w tables, 4 figures,

(us.macmillan.com) This book provides a detailed, multi-level analysis of international security in the South Caucasus and considers whether this region of the former Soviet Union, with several as yet unresolved, 'frozen' separatist conflicts, can move towards a more peaceable future. Using three concepts from Regional Security Complex Theory, amity/enmity, state incoherence and great power penetration, Oskanian forms a unique conceptual expansion of the theory, providing a comprehensive examination of both material conditions and discourses of insecurity. Applying this expanded framework onto a region of considerable complexity and conflict, the book considers the hostility between the South Caucasian states, the fissures underlying their secessionist conflicts, and the regional involvement of great powers, outlining the broader narratives that pervade societies in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The book also assesses the emergence of a security regime in the Southern Caucasus and offers a critical-prescriptive assessment of policy implications for both regional and extra-regional actors concerned with improved regional stability. 

Kevork Oskanian currently teaches at the University of Westminster, UK. He received his PhD from London School of Economics, UK and has formerly edited Millenium Journal of International Studies. His research interests include the politics of the Former Soviet Union, constructivism, the English School, regionalism, and state incoherence.

Geopolitical Map of the Caucasus
Timeline of Events in the South Caucasus 1988-2009
A Note on Transliteration and Toponymy List of Acronyms and Abbreviations List of Interviewees
1. Introduction
2. Amity and Enmity in its Regional Context
3. State Incoherence as Weakness, Instability and Failure
4. Great Powers and Their Regional Entanglements
5. A Macro-View of the Southern Caucasus
6. Discourses of Conflict in the Southern Caucasus
7. State Incoherence in Southern Caucasia
8. The Great Powers and The Southern Caucasus
9. The South Caucasus Regional Insecurity Complex

ANALYSIS: No. 55: Presidential Elections in Azerbaijan (css.ethz.ch)

Author(s): Rashad Shirinov, Shahin Abbasov, Farid Guliyev
Editor(s): Denis Dafflon, Lili Di Puppo, Iris Kempe, Natia Mestvirishvili, Matthias Neumann, Robert Orttung, Jeronim Perović, Heiko Pleines
Series: Caucasus Analytical Digest (CAD)
Issue: 55
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen; Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, George Washington University
Publication Year: 2013

(css.ethz.ch) This issue examines the presidential elections of October 2013 in Azerbaijan. The first two articles provide an overview of the election strategies of both the ruling party and the opposition. Rashad Shirinov writes about the “stealth strategy” of the ruling party in which the incumbent, President Ilham Aliyev, did not campaign at all and the state-controlled media did not mention the opposition, leaving the public rather uninformed about the upcoming elections. Shahin Abbasov deals with the opposition, which for the first time managed to unite and participate in the elections with a broad coalition and a single candidate. Finally, Farid Guliyev analyses the meaning of these elections for different actor groups in Azerbaijan, concluding that, even though the outcome was predictable, the elections nevertheless fulfilled important functions for President Aliyev, the ruling party, and the opposition.

Download:

English (PDF)

CAD subscription service

WEB: VISIONS FOR KARABAKH IN 2014 (c-r.org)

In an effort to stimulate discussion about where the Karabakh conflict is heading and where the best hopes for a peaceful resolution lie, Conciliation Resources has commissioned papers from three Armenian and three Azerbaijani analysts, asking them to depict scenarios for how the conflict might look in 2014.
They presented these papers at a seminar at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London on July 10, 2009, with former US Karabakh negotiator Carey Cavanaugh leading a discussion in
the final session.

For more information and downloads of the papers, please visit:
http://www.c-r.org/our-work/caucasus/karabakh-2014.php

Christopher Selbach
Caucasus Programme Director
Conciliation Resources
173 Upper Street
London
N1 1RG
Email: chris.selbach@gmx.de
Web: http://www.c-r.org

UK charity number 1055436
Conciliation Resources (CR) is an independent non-governmental organization working to prevent violence, promote justice and transform conflict into opportunities for development.

RESEARCH: Publications on the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia (kices.org)

KICES – Koszalin Institute of Comparative European Studies
www.kices.org
Research Centre for East European Studies / Forschungsstelle Osteuropa Bremen
www.forschungsstelle.uni-bremen.de

Publications on the Caucasus and Central Asia – A quarterly bibliography (POCAU+CA) 2 – 2009

An overview of recent English- and German-language academic publications on the Caucasus and Central Asia

POLITICS
Central Asian Survey: Special Issue: Domestic and International Perspectives on Kyrgyzstan's ‘Tulip Revolution’: Motives, Mobilization and Meanings, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 27 (2008), No. 3 & 4.

Chervonnaya, Svetlana: The New Independent States of the Central Caucasus: The Achilles’ Heel of their National Policies, in: The Caucasus and Globalization, Vol. 3 (2009), No. 1.

Cheterian, Vicken: From Reform and Transition to 'Coloured Revolutions', in: Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Vol. 25 (June 2009), No. 2 & 3, pp. 136–160.

Closson, Stacy: State Weakness in Perspective: Strong Politico-Economic Networks in Georgia's Energy Sector, in: Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 61 (2009), No. 5, pp. 759–778.

Collins, Kathleen: Clan Politics and Regime Transition in Central Asia, Cambridge University Press, June 2009, ISBN-13: 978-0521114660, pp. 400.

Divinianin, A.: The Transcaucasus: Problems and Prospects, in: International Affairs, Vol. 55 (2009), No. 1, pp. 42–50.

Drahokoupil, Jan: After transition: Varieties of political-economic development in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union (review article), in: Comparative European Politics, Vol. 7 (2009), No. 2, 279–298.

Ergashev, Bahodyr: The Social-Democratic Parties of Central Asia: Declarations, Specifics, and Projects, in: Central Asia and the Caucasus, (2009) No. 2 (56).

Gegeshidze, Archil: Georgia after the War: Toward Lasting Peace and Stability, in: The Caucasus and Globalization, Vol. 3 (2009), No. 1. 2

Heathershaw, John: Post-Conflict Tajikistan: The politics of peacebuilding and the emergence of legitimate order, Routledge, 2009, ISBN: 978-0-415-48403-9, Hardcover, pp. 240.

Herron, Erik: Elections and Democracy after Communism?, Palgrave Macmillan, May 2009, ISBN-13: 978-0230600959, Hardcover, pp. 256.

Jahn, Egbert (ed.): Nationalism in Late and Post-Communist Europe, Volume 2: Nationalism in the Nation States, Baden-Baden: Nomos, 2009, ISBN 978-3-8329-3969-4, pp. 633.

Lane, David: 'Coloured Revolution' as a Political Phenomenon, in: Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Vol. 25 (June 2009), No. 2 & 3, pp. 113–135.

Lundberg, Thomas Carl: Post-Communism and the Abandonment of Mixed-Member Electoral Systems, in: Representation, Vol. 45 (April 2009), No. 1, pp. 15–27.

Macków, Jerzy (ed.): Autoritarismus in Mittel- und Osteuropa, VS Verlag, May 2009, ISBN-13: 978-3531168456, Hardcover, pp. 359.

Markowitz, Lawrence: How master frames mislead: The division and eclipse of nationalist movements in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, in: Ethnic and Racial Studies, Vol. 32 (May 2009), No. 4, pp. 716–738.

Metreveli, Ekaterine: State Approaches to National Integration in Georgia: Two Perspectives, Silk Road Paper, February 2009, http://www.isdp.eu/files/publications/srp/09/nn09stateapproaches.pdf

Møller, Jørgen: Post-communist Regime Change: A Comparative study, Routledge, Juune 2009, ISBN-13: 978-0415483391, Hardcover, pp. 178.

Nußberger, Angelika: Begrenzungen und Entgrenzungen präsidentieller Macht in post-kommunistischen Staaten, in: Osteuropa-Recht, Vol. 56 (2009), No. 2, pp. 109–129.

Ó Beacháin, Donnacha: Roses and Tulips: Dynamics of Regime Change in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, in: Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Vol. 25 (June 2009), No. 2 & 3, pp. 199–226.

O'Loughlin, John / O Tuathail Gerard Toal, Gearoid: Accounting for separatist sentiment in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the North Caucasus of Russia: A comparative analysis of survey responses, in: Ethnic and Racial Studies, Vol. 32 (May 2009), No. 4, pp. 591–615.

Ostrowski, Wojciech: The Legacy of the ‘Coloured Revolutions’: The Case of Kazakhstan, in: Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Vol. 25 (June 2009), No. 2 & 3, pp. 347–368.

Peimani, Hooman: Conflict and Security in Central Asia and the Caucasus, ABC-CLIO, June 2009, ISBN-13: 978-1598840544, Hardcover, pp. 312.

Rose, Richard: Understanding Post-Communist Transformation: A Bottom Up Approach, Routledge, 2009, ISBN: 978-0-415-48218-9, Hardcover, pp. 240. 3

Schurak, Sebastian: Die Farbrevolutionen: Eine vergleichende Untersuchung anhand der Analyse der Ereignisse in der Ukraine, Georgien und Kirgisien, Grin Verlag, May 2009, ISBN-13: 978-3640326105, Paperback, pp. 32.

Spechler, Martin C.: Human Rights in Central Eurasia: The Unexpected Sides of Economic Growth and Authoritarian Rule, in: Problems of Post-Communism, Vol. 56 (March–April 2009), No. 3, pp. 3–16.

Tatum, Jesse David: Democratic Transition in Georgia: Post-Rose Revolution Internal Pressures on Leadership, in: Caucasian Review of International Affairs, Vol. 3 (Spring 2009), No. 2, pp. 156–171, http://www.cria-online.org/7_4.html

White, Stephen: Is There a Pattern?, in: Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Vol. 25 (June 2009), No. 2 & 3, pp. 396–412.

Yovkochev, Shukhrat: The Modernization of Society and Transfer of Power in Muslim Countries, in: Central Asia and the Caucasus, (2009) No. 2 (56).

Zherebkin, Maksym: In search of a theoretical approach to the analysis of the ‘Colour revolutions’: Transition studies and discourse theory, in: Communist and Post-Communist Studies, Vol. 42 (June 2009), No. 2, pp. 199–216.

FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY
Abduvalieva, Ryskul: Kyrgyzstan’s Security Problems Today, in: Central Asia and the Caucasus, (2009) No. 2 (56).

Abushov, Kavus: Policing the near abroad: Russian foreign policy in the South Caucasus, in: Australian Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 63 (June 2009), No. 2, pp. 187–212.

Bialasiewicz, Luiza / Dahlman, Carl / Apuzzo, Gian Matteo / Ciută, Felix / Jones, Alun / Rumford, Chris / Wodak, Ruth / Anderson, James / Ingram, Alan: Interventions in the new political geographies of the European ‘neighborhood’, in: Political Geography, Vol. 28, No. 2 (February 2009), pp. 79–89.

Central Asian Survey: Special Issue: Domestic and International Perspectives on Kyrgyzstan's ‘Tulip Revolution’: Motives, Mobilization and Meanings, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 27 (2008), No. 3 & 4.

Cornell, Svante E. / Starr, S.: Frederick (eds): The Guns of August 2008: Russia's War in Georgia, M. E. Sharpe, June 2009, ISBN-13: 978-0765625083, Paperback, pp. 304.

Dodikhudoev, Khurshed / Niyatbekov, Vafo: The Chinese Vector in Tajikistan’s Foreign Policy, in: Central Asia and the Caucasus, (2009) No. 2 (56). 4

Eyvazov, Jannatkhan: Russia in Central Eurasia: Security Interests and Geopolitical Activity, in: The Caucasus and Globalization, Vol. 3 (2009), No. 1.

Fert, Imre / Soós, Károly Attila: Duration of trade of former communist countries in the EU market, in: Post-Communist Economies, Vol. 21 (March 2009) No. 1, pp. 31-39.

Galbreath, David J.: Putting the Colour into Revolutions? The OSCE and Civil Society in the Post-Soviet Region, in: Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Vol. 25 (June 2009), No. 2 & 3, pp. 161–180.

Gegeshidze, Archil: Georgia after the War: Toward Lasting Peace and Stability, in: The Caucasus and Globalization, Vol. 3 (2009), No. 1.

Guang Tian, Robert: From Internal to External: Challenges Against U.S.’S Central Asian Policy, in: Central Asia and the Caucasus, (2009) No. 2 (56).

Guliyev, Farid / Akhrarkhodjaeva, Nozima: The Trans-Caspian energy route: Cronyism, competition and cooperation in Kazakh oil export, in: Energy Policy, Vol. 37 (August 2009), No. 8, pp. 3171–3182.

Halbach, Uwe / Jenni, Sabine: Nachkriegsentwicklung in Südossetien und Abchasien: Internationale Isolation und Abhängigkeit von Russland, SWP-Aktuell 2009/A 28, June 2009, pp. 8, http://www.swp-berlin.org/common/get_document.php?asset_id=6036

Heathershaw, John: Rethinking the International Diffusion of Coloured Revolutions: The Power of Representation in Kyrgyzstan, in: Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Vol. 25 (June 2009), No. 2 & 3, pp. 297–323.

Hovsepyan, Levon: The Turkish Model and Turkey’s Central Asian Policies Conditioned by Western Strategic Interests, in: Central Asia and the Caucasus, (2009) No. 2 (56).

Ipek, Pinar: Azerbaijan's Foreign policy and Challenges for Energy Security, in: The Middle East Journal, Vol. 63 (Spring 2009), No. 2, pp. 227–239.

Janardhanan, Nandakumar: China's search for energy and its strategy towards Central Asia, in: International Journal of Energy Sector Management, Vol. 3 (2009), No. 2, pp. 102–107.

Kolesnichenko, Anna: Institutional Harmonization and Its Costs and Benefits in the Context of EU Cooperation with Its Neighbors: An overview, CASE Network Studies & Analyses No. 387, http://www.case.com.pl/upload/publikacja_plik/25197237_sa387.pdf

Krueger, Heiko: Implications of Kosovo, Abkhazia and South Ossetia for International Law: The Conduct of the Community of States in Current Secession Conflicts, in: Caucasian Review of International Affairs, Vol. 3 (Spring 2009), No. 2, pp. 121–142, http://www.cria-online.org/7_2.html

Łapczynski, Marcin: The European Union’s Eastern Partnership: Chances and Perspectives, in: Caucasian Review of International Affairs, Vol. 3 (Spring 2009), No. 2, pp. 143–155, http://www.cria-online.org/7_3.html

Linn, Johannes F.: First Eurasia Emerging Markets Forum: ‘Connecting Central Asia with the World’, in: Global Journal of Emerging Market Economies, Vol. 1 (May 2009), pp. 241–258.

Magomedov, Arbakhan: The Conflict in South Ossetia and the Frontiers of Struggle for the Greater Caspian’s Energy Resources, in: Central Asia and the Caucasus, (2009) No. 2 (56).

MacKay, Joseph: Running dry: International law and the management of Aral Sea depletion, in: Central Asian Survey, Vol. 28 (March 2009), No. 1, pp. 17–27.

Paramonov, Vladimir / Stolpovskiy, Oleg: Russia and the Central Asian Countries: Bilateral Security Cooperation, in: Central Asia and the Caucasus, (2009) No. 2 (56).

Peimani, Hooman: Conflict and Security in Central Asia and the Caucasus, ABC-CLIO, June 2009, ISBN-13: 978-1598840544, Hardcover, pp. 312.

Radziwill, Artur / Smietanka, Paweł: EU's Eastern Neighbours: Institutional Harmonisation and Potential Growth Bonus, CASE Network Studies & Analyses No. 386, http://www.case.com.pl/upload/publikacja_plik/25194533_CNS&A_386_25_05_09.pdf

Reiter, Erich: Der Krieg um Bergkarabach: Krisen- und Konfliktmanagement in der Kaukasus-Region, Böhlau, May 2009, ISBN-13: 978-3205784043, Paperback, pp. 200.

Rudenko, Elena: A Close-Up View of Indian-Tajik Political Cooperation: The Indian Perspective, in: Central Asia and the Caucasus, (2009) No. 2 (56).

Sadyrbek, Mahabat: Die Zentralasienstrategie der EU: Neues „Great Game― oder neue Chance für die Region?, Hamburg: Verlag Dr. Kovač, 2009, ISBN: 978-3-8300-4334-8, pp. 228.

Starchak, Maxim: U.S. vs Russia: Attempted Cooperation with Turkmenistan in the Security and Defense Sphere, in: Central Asia and the Caucasus, (2009) No. 2 (56).

Telatin, Michela: Armenia: A Defense Reform Through the Looking Glass, in: Central Asia and the Caucasus, (2009) No. 2 (56).

Tolipov, Farkhad: Strategic Friction in Afghanistan and Geopolitical Reversal in Central Asia, in: Central Asia and the Caucasus, (2009) No. 2 (56).

Troitsky, Mikhail: Accepting the Inevitable? in: Russia in Global Affairs, Vol. 7 (April–June 2009), No. 2, http://eng.globalaffairs.ru/numbers/27/1283.html

van Ruiten, Maria: The European Commission and post-conflict rehabilitation in Georgia: Lessons learned, in: Security and Human Rights, Vol. 20 (May 2009), No. 2, pp. 165–174.

Wilson, Jeanne L.: Coloured Revolutions: The View from Moscow and Beijing, in: Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Vol. 25 (June 2009), No. 2 & 3, pp. 369–395.

Yazkova, Alla: Russia and the Independent Caucasian States, in: The Caucasus and Globalization, Vol. 3 (2009), No. 1.

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Asadov, Farda: The public oversight of oil projects in Azerbaijan, 2004-2007, in: International Social Science Journal, Vol. 57 (May 2009), Supplement 1, pp. 93–106.

Barry, Michael P.: Dutch Disease in Uzbekistan? A Computable General Equilibrium Model of Effects of Foreign Investment into Uzbekistan's Gas Sector, in: Caucasian Review of International Affairs, Vol. 3 (Spring 2009), No. 2, pp. 189–209, http://www.cria-online.org/7_7.html

Barry, Michael: Post-Soviet Migration to Russia: A Computable General Equilibrium Approach, in: The Caucasus and Globalization, Vol. 3 (2009), No. 1.

Bruckner, Till: Decision-Making and Georgia's Perpetual Revolution: The Case of IDP Housing, in: Caucasian Review of International Affairs, Vol. 3 (Spring 2009), No. 2, pp. 172–180, http://www.cria-online.org/7_5.html

Buxton, Charles: NGO Networks in Central Asia and Global Civil Society: Potentials and Limitations, in: Central Asian Survey, Vol. 28 (March 2009), No. 1, pp. 43–58.

Central Asian Survey: Special Issue: Domestic and International Perspectives on Kyrgyzstan's ‘Tulip Revolution’: Motives, Mobilization and Meanings, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 27 (2008), No. 3 & 4.

Closson, Stacy: State Weakness in Perspective: Strong Politico-Economic Networks in Georgia's Energy Sector, in: Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 61 (2009), No. 5, pp. 759–778.

Connolly, Richard: Financial vulnerabilities in Emerging Europe: An overview, BOFIT Online, 2009, No. 3, http://www.bof.fi/NR/rdonlyres/BA4C9028-D69D-45CB-ABF1-140ECB129E4C/0/bon0309.pdf

Dao, Minh Quang: Poverty, income distribution, and agriculture in developing countries, in: Journal of Economic Studies, Vol. 36 (2009), No. 2, pp. 168–183.

Drahokoupil, Jan: After transition: Varieties of political-economic development in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union (review article), in: Comparative European Politics, Vol. 7 (2009), No. 2, 279–298.

Fernandes, Ana M.: Structure and performance of the service sector in transition economies, in: Economics of Transition, Vol. 17 (2009), No. 3, pp. 467–501.

Fert, Imre / Soós, Károly Attila: Duration of trade of former communist countries in the EU market, in: Post-Communist Economies, Vol. 21 (March 2009) No. 1, pp. 31-39.

Fidrmuc, Jan / Tichit, Ariane: Mind the break! Accounting for changing patterns of growth during transition, in: Economic Systems, Vol. 33 (June 2009), No. 2, pp. 138–154.

Galbreath, David J.: Putting the Colour into Revolutions? The OSCE and Civil Society in the Post-Soviet Region, in: Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Vol. 25 (June 2009), No. 2 & 3, pp. 161–180.

Garagozov, Rauf: Collective Memory and National Identity in the Globalization Era (Empirical Studies of the Azeri Youth), in: The Caucasus and Globalization, Vol. 3 (2009), No. 1.

Gentile, Michael / O’Hara, Sarah : Household Incomes in Central Asia: The Case of Post-Soviet Kazakhstan, in: Eurasian Geography and Economics, Vol. 50 (May–June 2009), No. 3, pp. 327–374.

Grewlich, Klaus W.: Wasser gegen Drogen: Die Nutzung von Wasser als Entwicklungsprojekt in Zentralasien, in: Zeitschrift für Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik, Vol. 2 (Januar 2009), No. 1, pp. 24–34.

Guliyev, Farid / Akhrarkhodjaeva, Nozima: The Trans-Caspian energy route: Cronyism, competition and cooperation in Kazakh oil export, in: Energy Policy, Vol. 37 (August 2009), No. 8, pp. 3171–3182.

Halbach, Uwe: Die Weltwirtschaftskrise in Kaukasien und Zentralasien, SWP-Aktuell 2009/A 20, April 2009, pp. 8, http://www.swp-berlin.org/common/get_document.php?asset_id=5926

Hasanov, Rasim: Management in Transition Economies: An Azerbaijan Republic Case Study, in: The Caucasus and Globalization, Vol. 3 (2009), No. 1.

Holmes, Leslie: Crime, organised crime and corruption in post-communist Europe and the CIS, in: Communist and Post-Communist Studies, Vol. 42 (June 2009), No. 2, pp. 265-287.

International Monetary Fund: Georgia: 2009 Article IV Consultation and Second Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement—Staff Report; Press Release and Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for Georgia, IMF Country Report No. 09/127, April 2009, pp. 85, http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2009/cr09127.pdf

International Monetary Fund: Republic of Armenia: Request for Stand-By Arrangement—Staff Report; Staff Supplements and Statement; Press Release on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for the Republic of Armenia, IMF Country Report No. 09/140, http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2009/cr09140.pdf

International Monetary Fund: Republic of Tajikistan - 2009 Article IV Consultation, Final Review Under the Staff-Monitored Program, and Request for a Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility, IWF Country Report No. 09/174, June 2009, http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=22995.0

Jacobi, Moritz: Das Bildungssystem Zentralasiens im Wandel, Grin Verlag, 2009, ISBN-13: 978-3640294923, pp. 28.

Jahn, Egbert (ed.): Nationalism in Late and Post-Communist Europe, Volume 2: Nationalism in the Nation States, Baden-Baden: Nomos, 2009, ISBN 978-3-8329--4, pp. 633.

Kalyuzhnova, Yelena / Kutan, Ali M. / Yigit, Taner: Corruption and Economic Development in Energy-rich Economies, in: Comparative Economic Studies, Vol. 51 (June 2009), No. 2, pp 161–180.

Kemoklidze, Nino: Victimisation of Female Suicide Bombers: The Case of Chechnya, in: Caucasian Review of International Affairs, Vol. 3 (Spring 2009), No. 2, pp. 181–188, http://www.cria-online.org/7_6.html

Kyj, Myroslaw J. / Kyj, Larissa: An institution-stakeholder framework for examining business relationship dynamics in a transforming Eastern Europe [Odessa-Brody oil pipeline], in: Journal of World Business, Vol. 44 (July 2009), No. 3, pp. 300–310.

Korhonen, Iikka / Mehrotra, Aaron: Real exchange rate, output and oil: Case of four large energy producers, BOFIT Discussion Papers, No. 6, 2009, http://www.bof.fi/NR/rdonlyres/0A076C57-5214-4A04-A6A1-E29207291A25/0/DP0609.pdf

Lerman, Zvi / Sedik, David: Agricultural Development and Household Incomes in Central Asia: A Survey of Tajikistan, 2003-2008, in: Eurasian Geography and Economics, Vol. 50 (May–June 2009), No. 3, pp. 301–326.

Linn, Johannes F.: First Eurasia Emerging Markets Forum: ‘Connecting Central Asia with the World’, in: Global Journal of Emerging Market Economies, Vol. 1 (May 2009), pp. 241–258.

Maliszewski, Wojciech: Modelling inflation in Georgia, in: Applied Economics, Vol. 41 (April 2009), No. 10, pp. 1203-1213.

Markowitz, Lawrence: How master frames mislead: The division and eclipse of nationalist movements in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, in: Ethnic and Racial Studies, Vol. 32 (May 2009), No. 4, pp. 716–738.
Masimli, Ali: Azerbaijan and The World Financial Crisis, in: The Caucasus and Globalization, Vol. 3 (2009), No. 1.

McBrien, Julie: Mukadas's struggle: Veils and modernity in Kyrgyzstan, in: The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Vol. 15 (May 2009), Supplement 1, pp. 127–144.

Natelauri, Iza: Microeconomic Environment in Post-Soviet Georgia: Reverses and Paradoxes, in: The Caucasus and Globalization, Vol. 3 (2009), No. 1.

Nasritdinov, Emil: Regional Change in Kyrgyzstan: Bazaars, Cross-Border Trade and Social Networks, Lambert Academic Publishing, June 2009, ISBN-13: 978-3838300931, Paperback, pp. 176.

Paasiaro, Maija: Home-Grown Strategies for Greater Agency: Reassessing the Outcome of Civil Society Strengthening in Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan, in: Central Asian Survey, Vol. 28 (March 2009), No. 1, pp. 59–77.

Parks, Lisa: Signals and oil: Satellite footprints and post-communist territories in Central Asia, in: European Journal of Cultural Studies, Vol. 12 (May 2009), pp. 137–156.

Polonsky, Jonny: Equity in community health insurance schemes: Evidence and lessons from Armenia, in: Health Policy and Planning, Vol. 24 (May 2009), No. 3, pp. 209–216.

Pomfret, Richard: Using Energy Resources to Diversify the Economy: Agricultural Price Distortions in Kazakhstan, in: Comparative Economic Studies, Vol. 51 (June 2009 ), No. 2, pp 181–212.

Radnitz, Scott et al.: The Origins of Social Capital: Evidence From a Survey of Post-Soviet Central Asia, in: Comparative Political Studies, Vol. 42 (June 2009), pp. 707–732.

Reshiev, Sulaiman: Forming an Effective Mechanism of Sociopolitical Stability in the Northern Caucasus, in: Central Asia and the Caucasus, (2009) No. 2 (56).

Roberts, Ken et al.: Young adults' family and housing life-stage transitions during post-communist transition in the South Caucasus, in: Journal of Youth Studies, Vol. 12 (April 2009), No. 2, pp. 151–166.

Scrimin, Sara et al.: Attention and Memory in School-Age Children Surviving the Terrorist Attack in Beslan, Russia, in: Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, Vol. 38 (May 2009), No. 3, pp. 402–414.

Spechler, Martin C.: Human Rights in Central Eurasia: The Unexpected Sides of Economic Growth and Authoritarian Rule, in: Problems of Post-Communism, Vol. 56 (March–April 2009), No. 3, pp. 3–16.

Spence, Martine: Internationalisation of entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan, in: International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business, Vol. 3 (April 2009), No. 3, pp. 252–262.

Stan, Lavinia: Transitional Justice in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union: Reckoning with the Communist Past, Taylor & Francis, 2009, ISBN: 978-0-415-77671-4, pp. 328.

van Atta, Don: "White Gold" or Fool's Gold? The Political Economy of Cotton in Tajikistan, in: Problems of Post-Communism, Vol. 56 (March–April 2009), No. 3, pp. 17–35.

Werner, Cynthia: Bride abduction in post-Soviet Central Asia: Marking a shift towards patriarchy through local discourses of shame and tradition, in: The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Vol. 15 (June 2009), No. 2, pp. 314–331.

Whitsel, Christopher M.: Family Resources, Sitting at Home and Democratic Choice: Investigating Determinants of Educational Attainment in Post-Soviet Tajikistan, in: Central Asian Survey, Vol. 28 (March 2009), No. 1, pp. 29–41.

Yovkochev, Shukhrat: The Modernization of Society and Transfer of Power in Muslim Countries, in: Central Asia and the Caucasus, (2009) No. 2 (56).

Ziemer, Ulrike: Narratives of Translocation, Dislocation and Location: Armenian Youth Cultural Identities in Southern Russia, in: Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 61 (May 2009), No. 3, pp. 409–433.

Koszaliński Instytut Europejskich Studiów Porównawczych
Koszalin Institute of Comparative European Studies (KICES)
Forschungsstelle Osteuropa an der Universität Bremen
Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen
Please send your comments and relevant titles to: info@kices.org 11
KICES – Koszalin Institute of Comparative European Studies
and
Research Centre for East European Studies, Bremen
Quarterly Electronic Bibliographies

The Koszalin Institute of Comparative European Studies and the Research Centre for East European Studies (Bremen) jointly produce quarterly bibliographies of recently published English- and German language books and articles in academic journals on several Eastern European countries. The bibliographies cover politics, foreign policy, economic and social issues.

The following bibliographies are available as PDF-files per e-mail free of charge:
Publications on the Caucasus and Central Asia. A quarterly bibliography
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Publications on Poland. A quarterly bibliography
Publications on Russia. A quarterly bibliography
Publications on Ukraine. A quarterly bibliography


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BOOK: Azerbaijan A Country Study. By Federal Research Division

Publisher: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
Number Of Pages: 152
Publication Date: 2004-06-17
ISBN-10 / ASIN: 141910862X
ISBN-13 / EAN: 9781419108624

Product Description:
This volume is one in a continuing series of books prepared by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress under the Country Studies/Area Handbook Program sponsored by the Department of the Army.
The last two pages of this book list the other published studies. Most books in the series deal with a particular foreign country, describing and analyzing its political, economic, social, and national security systems and institutions, and examining the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors. The authors seek to provide a basic understanding of the observed society, striving for a dynamic rather than a static portrayal. Particular attention is devoted to the people who make up the society, their origins, dominant beliefs and values, their common interests and the issues on which they are divided, the nature and extent of their involvement with national institutions, and their attitudes toward each other and toward their social system and political order.
The Soviet Union created the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region within Azerbaijan in 1924, when over 94 percent of the region's population was Armenian (see fig. 3). (The term Nagorno-Karabakh originates from the Russian for "mountainous Karabakh.") As the Azerbaijani population grew, the Karabakh Armenians chafed under discriminatory rule, and by 1960 hostilities had begun between the two populations of the region.
At the end of 1991, the formal liquidation of the Soviet Union was the surprisingly swift result of partially hidden decrepitude and centrifugal forces within that empire. Of the fifteen “new” states that emerged from the process, many had been independent political entities at some time in the past. Aside from their coverage in the 1989 Soviet Union: A Country Study, none had received individual treatment in this series, however.
Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Country Studies is the first in a new subseries describing the fifteen postSoviet republics, both as they existed before and during the Soviet era and as they have developed since 1991. This volume covers Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, the three small nations grouped around the Caucasus mountain range east of the Black Sea.

AmazonShop: Books, Maps, Videos, Music & Gifts About The Caucasus

ART & CULTURE: The International Initiative for Georgian Cultural Studies (symposiumgeorgia.org)

The International Initiative for Georgian Cultural Studies had been established in 2007 by Georgian Arts and Culture Center in cooperation with various local and International bodies.

The aim of the IIGCS is to introduce scholars and professionals working in the fields of Georgian and Caucasian art and culture to each other and to familiarize international audiences with the broad spectrum of scholarly work that exists in the expanding field of Georgian art history, to establish the networking among the scientists working on Georgian art, familiarize international audiences with the broad spectrum of scholarly work that exists in the ever-expanding field of Georgian art history, the updated information on cultural tourism development.

By doing so, the IIGCS intends to increase the level of academic interest on topics concerning Georgian arts and culture, and preservation of cultural heritage, introduce specialists on Georgian cultural scholarship to other colleagues in their fields and provide them with an unprecedented forum for scientific exchange and therefore affect on the cultural tourism development in the region.

IIGCS ACTIVITIES

Symposiums
Scheduled - November 2-9, 2009, Florence, Italy - Share of the Experience in Creativity and Innovationsacross the Europe and Beyond; The Caucaus: Georgia on the Crossroad
June 21-29, Georgia - Georgian Art in the Context of European and Asian Cultures

Conferences
Scheduled - May 5th, 2009; NY,NY,USA - Georgia on the Crossroads of European and Asian Cultures
February 3, 2009, Tbilisi, Georgia - The Cultural Heritage of Georgia - Abkhazeti and Shida Kartli
April 24, 2007, BY, NY, USA - Georgian Culture- Past and Present

Homepage: www.symposiumgeorgia.org

VORTRAG: "Raum und neue Geopoetiken"

Vortrag von Prof. Dr. Georg Witte (Osteuropa-Institut der FU Berlin) und Prof. Dr. Magdalena Marszalek (Institut für Slawistik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)

Montag, 25. Mai 2009
Habelschwerdter Alle 45 (Silberlaube), Seminarzentrum, Raum L113
(Lageplan >>>)

Geopoetik ist ein Begriff, der im literarischen Diskurs der letzten Jahre eine Konjunktur erlebt und insbesondere in den mittel- und osteuropäischen Literaturen für eine (neue) Lust am Bereisen,
Entwerfen und Interpretieren von geographischen Räumen steht. Neue Geopoetiken antworten auf die "Raumrevolution" in Europa - und provozieren Fragen nach dem Beitrag von Literatur zur Hervorbringung kultureller Geographien.

Der Vortrag ist Teil der Ringvorlesung des Center for Area Studies an der FU: "Die Ungleichzeitigkeit des Raums -- Geschichte und Perspektiven der Area Studies"

Nähere Informationen zu den einzelnen Vorlesungen:
www.fu-berlin.de/cas/


Ankündigung der Ringvorlesung:
Die Welt zu erkennen - dafür scheint die Metropole Berlin bestens gerüstet: Regionalstudien oder Area Studies bilden traditionell einen Schwerpunkt an der Freien Universität. Sie werden aber auch in etlichen anderen wissenschaftlichen Einrichtungen Berlins gepflegt.
Ihre Ergebnisse sind gefragt, denn moderne Gesellschaften werden zunehmend interkulturell, ihre Austauschprozesse erstrecken sich über den ganzen Globus. Damit verändern sich auch räumliche Identitäten: sie werden dynamischer und neu bestimmt. Wer in dieser Welt handlungsfähig bleiben will, braucht fundiertes Wissen über andere Weltregionen und mehr noch: über die Verflechtungen zwischen und in den einzelnen Kulturen. Erkenntnisse über solche Prozesse zu gewinnen und in die Praxis zu vermitteln gehört zu den aktuellen Herausforderungen der Area Studies.
In der Universitätsvorlesung soll das Potenzial der reichhaltigen Berliner Forschungslandschaft zusammengebracht werden. Die Vortragenden repräsentieren wie die Area Studies selbst ein breites
Spektrum geistes- und sozialwissenschaftlicher Fachdisziplinen mit Expertise zu verschiedensten Weltregionen. Dabei soll ausreichend Raum für Diskussionen mit dem Publikum bleiben. Die verständliche Vermittlung dieser Diskurse an eine breite Öffentlichkeit ist ein wichtiges Anliegen der Vorlesung. Alle Interessierten sind daher herzlich eingeladen.
--
Anja vom Stein, M.A.
Freie Universität Berlin
Center for Area Studies
Geschäftsstelle
Lansstr. 7-9 - Raum 315 -
14195 Berlin
Telefon: +49 (0)30 838-52881
Sekretariat: +49 (0)30 838-52474
Fax: +49 (0)30 838-52873
geschaeftsstelle@cas.fu-berlin.de
www.fu-berlin.de/cas/

PRESSEMITTEILUNG: Konferenz im Auswärtigen Amt „Stability Policy in the Caucasus Region“ (pressrelations.de)

Wie in den vergangenen Jahren veranstaltet das Auswärtige Amt vom 25.05. bis 27.05. gemeinsam mit dem George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies (GCMC) eine mehrtägige sicherheitspolitische Konferenz. Das diesjährige Thema lautet „Stability Policy in the Caucasus Region“.

Die Konferenz bietet hochrangigen Regierungsvertretern und Parlamentariern aus insgesamt neun Staaten Osteuropas und dem Kaukasus eine Diskussionsplattform. Neben der aktuellen sicherheitspolitischen Situation stehen u.a. Ansätze regionaler Kooperation und Perspektiven für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit in der Kaukasusregion im Mittelpunkt der Veranstaltung.

Am Montagvormittag (25.05.) führt Gernot Erler, Staatsminister im Auswärtigen Amt, um 11:40 Uhr als Hauptredner in die Veranstaltung ein. Das Schlusswort halten am Mittwoch (27.05.) um 14:30 Uhr Generalmajor a.D. Justus Graebner, stv. Direktor des GCMC, und Botschafter Dr. Hans-Dieter Lucas, Beauftragter für Osteuropa, Kaukasus und Zentralasien im Auswärtigen Amt.

Weitere Informationen Internetangebot des Auswärtigen Amts:
www.auswaertiges-amt.de

Berlin - Veröffentlicht von pressrelations

Link zur Pressemitteilung >>>

[Druckversion]

FILM: Ursula Biemann in Conversation and a Screening of Black Sea Files (2005) (berkeley.edu)

Ursula Biemann in Conversation and a Screening of Black Sea Files (2005)

Film - Feature | April 30 | 4-5 p.m. | 142 Dwinelle Hall

Moderator: Deniz Göktürk, Associate Professor of German and Film Studies, UC Berkeley

Speaker/Performer: Ursula Biemann, Zurich- based artist

Website: www.geobodies.org

Sponsors: Film Studies, The Strategic Working Group on Cultural Forms / Local Stakes / Global Circuits, The Working Group on Contemporary European Performance, German, Department of, The Multicultural Germany / Transnational Europe Project, European Studies, Institute of

Zurich-based artist, theorist, and curator Ursula Biemann interrogates in her video-essays how migration and technologies of mobility are reshaping our world. In videos such as Performing the Border (1999), Remote Sensing (2001), and Europlex (2003), she exposes the gendered dimension of migrant labor and the precarious position of global sex workers. Her award-winning work has been shown worldwide in solo exhibitions, art biennials, film festivals, and activist conferences. Biemann’s 2005 project Black Sea Files explores the sociopolitical and cultural effects of oil extraction in the Caspian Sea, focusing on the daily practices of oil workers, farmers, refugees, and prostitutes living along the building site of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. The video-essay combines an experimental aesthetic practice with the investigatory fieldwork of anthropologists and journalists to expose how visual intelligence is detected, withheld, and circulated. Black Sea Files is part of a larger visual research project with Angela Melitopoulos and Lisa Parks called B-Zone: Becoming Europe and Beyond.

RESEARCH: Eurasian Crossroads: The Caucasus In US-NATO War Plans (globalresearch.ca)

by Rick Rozoff, Global Research, April 8, 2009

The South Caucasus is rapidly becoming a critical strategic crossroads in 21st century geopolitics, encompassing the most ambitious energy transit projects in history and the consolidation of a military corridor reaching from Western Europe to East Asia, one whose command centers are in Washington and Brussels.The culmination of eighteen years of post-Cold War Western designs is on the near horizon as oil and gas are intended to be moved from the eastern shores of the Caspian Sea to Central Europe and beyond and US and NATO troops and equipment are scheduled to be deployed from Europe and the Persian Gulf to Afghanistan and Central Asia.Nothing less is at stake than control of world energy resources and their transportation routes on one hand and the establishment of a global army under NATO auspices fanning out in South and Central Asia and ultimately Eurasia as a whole on the other.The three nations of the South Caucasus - Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia - are increasingly becoming the pivot upon which that strategy turns. With the Black Sea and the Balkans to its west, Russia to its north, Iran and the Arab world to the south and southeast and the Caspian Sea and Central Asia to the east, the South Caucasus is uniquely situated to become the nucleus of an international geostrategic campaign by the major Western powers to achieve domination of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa and as such the world.

full article >>>

STUDIES: ACNIS Brief: The Military Balance of Power in the South Caucasus. (groong.usc.edu)

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Center for National and International Studies
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 375033, Armenia
Tel: (+374 - 10) 52.87.80 or 27.48.18
Fax: (+374 - 10) 52.48.46
E-mail: root@acnis.am or info@acnis.am
Website: www.acnis.am


April 1, 2009

ACNIS Presents New Policy Brief on `The Military Balance of Power in
the South Caucasus.'

Yerevan, April 1, 2009-- The Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) convened a special roundtable seminar discussion to present a new special publication entitled, `The Military Balance of Power in the South Caucasus.'

Welcoming the participants and attendees, ACNIS Director Richard Giragosian explained that the new ACNIS report, the second in a series of ACNIS Policy Briefs, examines recent shifts in the military and security situation in the region, including a specific focus on developments since the August 2008 war in Georgia. He further noted that the report includes an assessment of the current state of the Azerbaijani military, and an analysis of the implications for the security of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.

more >>>

PUBLICATION: Georgian Archival Bulletin, No. 4 (archive.security.gov.ge)

source: http://centralasiaharvard.blogspot.com

PUBL.- Georgian Archival Bulletin, No. 4
Distrib. by: Central-Eurasia-L - Announcement List for Central Eurasian Studies
PUBL.- Georgian Archival Bulletin, No. 4
Posted by: Timothy Blauvelt timblauvelt@mail.ru

The 4th edition (Winter 2009) of the quarterly Archival Bulletin has recently been released by the Archive Department of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, and is available for download in PDF format:

Any institution interested in receiving hard copies of the Archival Bulletin or individuals interested in working in the Georgian KGB and Central Committee archives should contact:

Colonel Omar Tushurashvili
Head of the Archives Department
Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia
Vazha-Pshavela Avenue, #72
Tbilisi, Georgia
Tel./Fax: (995 32) 323898
E-mail: Tushurashvili@pol.ge or Moambe@pol.ge

Timothy Blauvelt
Tbilisi, Georgia
_______________________________________________

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SCIENCE: PUBL.- Journal of Central Asian and Caucasian Studies, Volume 3, Issue 6

Distrib. by: Central-Eurasia-L - Announcement List for Central Eurasian Studies

Posted by: Koray Guven <kgmirza@gmail.com>

The new issue contains the following articles:

Foreword

"Andijon'da Nima Bo'ldi?": Terror, Security and Democracy in Uzbekistan (in Turkish)
Author: Salih BICAKCI

Predicaments and Prospects in Uzbek Islamism: A Critical Comparison with the Turkish Case (in English)
Author: Ihsan YILMAZ

EU's Response to the Georgia Crisis: An Active Peace Broker or a Confused and Divided Actor? (in English)
Author: Omer KURTBAG

Revisiting "Sovereign" Tatarstan (in English)
Author: Matthew DERRICK

Formation, Rising, and Declining Processes of States in Eurasia: Turkish and Russian Cases (in Turkish)
Author: Omer Goksel ISYAR

The Caucasian Politics of the Ottoman State at the Beginning of the First World War (in Turkish)
Author: Reha YILMAZ

The Relationship between Population and Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence from the Central Asian Economies (in English)
Author: Bilal SAVAS

Book Reviews

Recent Publications

Conferences

Abstracts and Key Words

About the Authors

Notes for the Contributors

Index

_______________________________________________
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STATEMENT: Lessons From the Russia-Georgia Cyberwar (georgiandaily.com)

By Kenneth Corbin

With the benefit of hindsight, the Russian military campaign against Georgia last summer seems to offer conclusive proof that cyberwar has come into its own.

Speaking here at the FOSE convention, an annual trade show for government IT workers, Georgia's Secretary of National Security, flanked by a pair of U.S. security experts, recounted the experience of last July when the small nation in the Caucasus saw its digital infrastructure brought to its knees.

"It's distressful to think of the way in which the technology which is so helpful and beneficial for all of us to get all the nations together and then ... is used for the purposes [where] people suffer," said Eka Tkeshelashvili, who at the time of the Russian invasion was Georgia's foreign minister.

Aug. 7 marked the official date of the onset of the conflict, when Russia launched air and ground strikes in the disputed territory of South Ossetia, but the offensive began in earnest the previous month with a massive Internet attack on Georgia's government Web sites and commercial operations.

full article >>>

MONOGRAPHY: “One Year Later: The Psychology of Comparative Change in Armenia and the US” monograph presented in Yerevan (panarmenian.net)

PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) today convened a special roundtable to present the findings of a new monograph entitled “One Year Later: The Psychology of Comparative Change in Armenia and the US.”

Welcoming the participants and attendees, ACNIS Director Richard Giragosian explained that “one year after the tragic events of March 1, 2008, Armenia remains challenged by the lingering effects of an unresolved post-election crisis,” but noted that “the underlying causes of Armenia’s post-election crisis include several unresolved problems, ranging from widening socio-economic disparities to a pronounced political polarization.”

The ACNIS Director went to say that the monograph revealed “an interesting parallel in the psychology of comparative change in Armenia and the United States, driven in both countries by an awakening of the people, as a population no longer satisfied with apathy or inactivity, and seeking an agenda for change.”

The day’s first speaker, ACNIS Research Coordinator Syuzanna Barseghian, presented the monograph’s findings entitled “The Logic of the Presidential Election of 2008: The Change of the Public Perceptions.” According to Barseghian, Armenia’s 2008 presidential elections were distinct because, this time, apathy did not accompany the entire pre- and post-election process. And during the post-election phase, there was a civic and psychological process which the authorities tried to define as an “appropriation of state power” and a “coup” attempt, whereas the opposition called it a “people’s movement. “Yet the greatest concern is the disappointment that could emerge among the masses who have awakened from apathy, and this disappointment is dangerous for the whole society. It is therefore necessary to learn lessons from such developments,” Barseghian noted. “The social tension and the polarization of the political field as well as the absence of discourse and the state of intolerance, all of which are the results of the 2008 presidential elections, inevitably will bring about a need to increase the societal factor and the citizens’ role in the political processes, a change in public perceptions, and a demand for a ‘new opposition.’”

full article >>>

CD: Anthology of Azerbaijani Mugam (amazon.com)

Heritage of the centuries..., July 25, 2005
By E. R. "Shirvanshah"(Baku, Azerbaijan)

The art of mugham is an important branch of verbal heritage of the culture of Azerbaijan professional music. It has deep roots in cultural traditions and history of Azerbaijan people. Great number of followers of this cultural tradition in the country, and an important role it plays in the national culture as a source of endless enthusiasm for the composers, painters, sculptors and poets of speak about the basis of this culture in Azerbaijan. Several common features relate Azerbaijani mugham with Iran destgahs, Uzbek and Tajik shashkoms, Uygur mukams, India ragas, Arabian nubas and Turkish tegsims. They comprise the common artistic traditions of the oriental music. The art of mugham is one of the main cultural wealth that forms the basis for national self-consciousness and self-identification of the Azerbaijanis. This kind of art is also famous among the Talishes, the mountain the Jewess, the Armenians, the Lezgins, the Georgians, the Avars and other ethnic groups living in the territory of Azerbaijan.

Artistic values of Azerbaijani mugham for national culture and the culture of the whole world and its high sense acknowledged by highly authorized international organization YUNESKO in 2003. YUNESKO appreciated mugham as 'one of the masterpieces of the verbal and non-material heritage of the world'.

The term 'mugham' in Azerbaijan music also means the categories of fret, melody and genre.

In the meaning of 'fret' the term 'mugham' is used at least 700 years. In the booklet of the prominent theoretician, performer and composer of Azerbaijani music Abdulgadir Maragai lived in the 14th century, mugham is applied to 12 main frets wide spread in the music of the Near and the Middle East (Buselik, Neva, Ushshag, Irag, Isfahan, Zirafkend, Bozurg,Rehavi, Huseyni and Hijaz). Today mugham is not only the main 7 melodies in Azerbaijani music (Rast, Shur, Segah, Chahargah, Bayati-Shiraz, Humayun, Shushter)but also a number of tonic variants (Mahur, Dugah, Bayati-Gajar, Kharic Segah, Orta Segah, Mirza Huseyn Segahi, Yetim Segah, etc.). Thus in its wide meaning the term 'mugham' is also applied to the main subclasses of the main frets and generally reflect them as fret.

Melodies with free measure in modern life of Azerbaijan music are also called 'mugham'. In spite of the fact that the traditional repertoire of mugham comprises different types, i.e. the melodies without any measure or improvised melodies ('bahrsiz hava'), melodies with tact measure('bahrli hava') and melodies of mixed types of the measure ('garishig bahrli hava'),when a singer is asked to perform a mugham he surely understands 'bahrsiz hava'. The wide spread idea is that melodic style of mugham derived from the traditional reading of Koran, but according to the opinion of some scientists it is alike the traditions of anthem performing of Avesta. The opinions differ on one hand and overlap in sacral character of mugham on the other.

Mugham is the general name of the largest genre of traditional Azerbaijan music and is applied to all of its forms. Nevertheless they all carry their own names. Main forms of music representing this genre are destgah (vocal-instrumental or instrumental), mugham (vocal-instrumental, solo-instrumental and solo-vocal) and zerbi-mugham. The largest for the volume and literary idea among the forms of mugham in Azerbaijan music is destgah.

Vocal-instrumental destgahs (the earliest variety of the destgah) widely spread in Shusha, Shamakhi, Baku, Ganja, Lenkeran and Sheki cities of Azerbaijan in the 19th century. Mir Mohsun Nevvab Garabagi gave first scientific description of mugham in the booklet 'Vuzuhul-erqam'(1884). Despite of the fact the destgahs had stable principles of form till 20th of the 20th century. The same destgah might be performed differently by mugham schools of Garabag, Baku and Shamakhi.

In 1922 teaching of mugham included in to the curriculum of the first European type musical school established in Baku. Construction of the curriculum caused reforms in the structure of Azerbaijan destgahs and the relative unification of traditional district schools. According to the request of Uzeyir Hajibayov (1885-1948) a group of the prominent musicians (Mirza Faraj Rzayev, Mirza Mansur Mansurov, Ahmed khan Bakikhanov, Seyid Shushunski, Zulfi Adigozalov) worked out reduced versions of the destgahs for education. Nevertheless in 1920s and 1930s versions extended by the-that time masters existed simultaneously with the versions for education. Reduced versions started to be performed later in concerts, radio and recorded to the gramophones thus strengthening its position. Many melodies performed in Azerbaijan destgahs in the first decade of the 20th century were already forgotten in the 1960-1970s.

As a musical term 'destgah' means 'set or sum of the tons and steps'. The form is based on the set of the several definite melodies-'mughams' different in each destgah. For example, the set of the melodies in 'Rast' destgah is differed from the set of the frets of 'Chahargah' destgah. The pattern of the destgah in Azerbaijan music, i.e. composition of the fret cycle may only have the abovementioned main melodies and their tonal variants. The main difference between the forms of destgah and that of mugham is that the musical pattern of the destgah comprises several various mugham- fret system, while mugham is composed of the musical composition of one mugham-fret with all the possible tonal varieties. Destgah and mugham also differ in their volumes. (Rahab mugham is an exception here, as in the process of its historical evolution it changed from destgah to mugham and in some degree preserved the principles of the fret and composition of the destgah).

Vocal-instrumental varieties of the compositions are performed by the group of the performers. The group is composed of a singer-khanende, playing on gaval (percussion musical instrument), tar (a musical instrument) and kamancha (a musical instrument).

This group of the mugham and destgah performers is called 'trio of mugham' and spread in Azerbaijan since the late 19th century. There exist larger groups of performers, too. Performance of the destgah by one soloist-khanende (singer) has widely spread in the practice of Azerbaijan music during the recent times.

Vocal-instrumental destgah is composed of standard musical measure (Deramed, Tesnifs, Regler (colours)) and free verse improvising parts (Berdasht, Maye and Shohbet). There are some destgahs based on the simultaneous sequence of both melody types (Zerbi-Mugham). Practically,all the parts of the destgah, except Berdasht might be performed apart from destgah in the form of small musical forms. Each of the parts of the destgah has their definite function and form. Deramed and Berdasht are prelude instrumental plays. The third part, Maya (translated as the base, dough leaven) is the main and the largest part of each destgah. Deramed, Berdasht and Shohbet are inseparable parts of the vocal instrumental destgah; they determine its motion and logics. The Tesnifs (music type vocal instrumental melodies) and Rengler (shades) (mainly in instrumental plays supposed for dances) divide the destgah into layers and bring beauty to it. The performer is free to choose them for his/her wish, taste and the literary meaning.

The rule of following of the parts in destgah is as follows: from tonic (Maya) melody rises to the highest level of the tonic and again returns to Maya; this form the stepping structure of the raise and then destgah is completed. The dramaturgy of destgah is a cycle of the changing spiritual condition of a human. The sequence of those conditions is directed to the emotional peak at each destgah. Artistic conception of the destgah takes the human through emotional cases ('moments') morally freeing and purifying him and embodies the idea of the moral way of human's personality. This way is laid through gradual release of human spirit from the social ties, through separation from the outer world and interference the world of the personal feelings and experiences. Sometimes the peak of this process is the ecstatic reflection of the feelings. Then comes freedom.

The art of mugham is tightly related with the classic poetry.

Some of the melodies in the mughams carry the names of the forms of the poems, such as, mesnevi, saginame, semai, shehrashub, dubeyti. This shows the relation of the melodic pattern to those forms of the poetry, or even the source of those patterns. The melodies of the vocal mugham are performed by the poems of the quantitative meter fitted to the peculiarities of Azerbaijan language.

Gazal, a genre of the classical poetry is the main form of the poems performed in mughams. The singers of the past prefer the gazals of the middle age Azerbaijani poets, such as Nizami Ganjavi and Khagani Shirvani (12th centiry), Imadeddin Nasimi(14th century),Shah Ismail Khatai and Mahammad Fuzuli (16th century), Molla Panah Vagif (18th century), Khurshid banu Natavan and Seyid Ezim Shirvani (19th century).The singers of the modern period mainly prefer the gazals of Aliaga Vahid(20th century), the latter classic poet of Azerbaijan.

Alongside with the gazal it is possible to use in mughams (especially in zerbi-mughams) national poems in the forms of goshma or bayati. Singer is free to choose the kind of the poem, but he should take into consideration the melodic peculiarities of the mugham he performs. For instance, gazals chosen for 'Rast' mugham that have positive emotive shades would not fit to 'Humayun' mugham, that according to the description of U.Hajibeyov carries the shades of 'deep sadness' or to 'Shushter' mugham mainly performed at religious or mourning ceremonies.

Till the early 20th century Azerbaijani khanendes (singers) followed the tradition to perform the mugham with Persian poems. The tradition broken by the prominent Azerbaijani khanende Jabbar Garyagdioglu (1861-1944); foundered the tradition to perform the mughams in Azerbaijani language. This tradition was popular not in Azerbaijan, but also in the South Caucasus.

Among the instrumental varieties of the mugham have the same structure and the principles of extension of the form as in the vocal-instrumental varieties. The difference is that Deramed, Berdasht and Tesnifs are not performed in the instrumental compositions.

Instrumental kinds of the mugham widely spread at early 20th centuries when new talented instrumentalists appeared in Azerbaijan and developed instrumental performance. Particular role in the process plaid the changes made on the tar (musical instrument) by Mirza Sadig Asad oglu. Once brought to Azerbaijan from Iran, the tar possessed stronger sound useful for the concerts. Today the destgahs might be solely performed on other traditional instruments, for example on kamancha, ud, canon (stringed), zourna, balaban, ney(breathing). Beginning with the 20th century some European instruments (clarinet, oboe, accordion) penetrated the traditional music and performance of mugham on them is appreciated by the audience as authentic.

Both the vocal-instrumental and instrumental varieties of the genre might be performed both in the form of melody cycle (destgah) or in one-part melodic improvisation in one fret.

Small mughams (vocal-instrumental and instrumental)-'Rahab', 'Gatar', 'Shahnaz', 'Sarenj', 'Bayati-Kurd', 'Neva', 'Deshti', 'Hijaz', etc. in comparison with the other destgahs are free musical compositions of smaller volume. If tesnifs may comprise from 5 to 10-12 subdivisions, with the exception of the tesnifs and the shades, mughams are generally composed of about 3 subdivisions. The only mugham that have more than 5 divisions is 'Rahab'.

Vocal mugham (without instrumental accompaniment) is performed in the ceremonies or in mourning, and is performed by the gazals and gasidaz written in religious or mourning character.

Zerbi-mughams (rhythmic mughams) are composed of one-part vocal-instrumental composition performed within one fret and referred to the group of the small independent forms of mugham.18 samples of this mugham used in the 19th century are preserved in 'Garabag shikestesi', 'Shirvan shikestesi', 'Kesme shikeste', 'Zerbi-Simayi-Shems', 'Zerbi-Mensuriyye', 'Arazbari', 'Ovshari', 'Maani' and 'Heyrati'. The characteristic feature of those compositions is co-ordination of the independent in measure vocal melodies (usually of high register) with rhythmic instrumental accompaniment. There are totally instrumental patterns ('Heydari') of this genre that are kept within the frames in definite measure ('bahri hava').

Culture of mugham performance

Literary and musical societies established in Azerbaijan cities beginning from 20thsof the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century played great role in extension of mugam performance and gave it professional shape. The most famous among them were 'Mejlisi-Feramushan', 'Mejlisi-Uns', 'Society of mucisians' in Shusha, 'Beytus-safa' and musical society of Mahmud aga in Shamakhi,'Majma-ush-suara' in Baku, 'Divani-hikmet' in Ganja, 'Anjuman-Ush-shuara' in Ordubad, 'Fovjul-fusaha' in Lenkeran. The poems, literary men, musicians, intellectuals, experts and connoisseurs of the classical poetry and music gathered in those societies, carefully listened to mughams, made discussions around tender performance of the music and the poem. In the 19th century the society was one of the main forms where mugham performed before the auditory. Concert form of musical performance at early 20th century and democratization of Azerbaijan music caused disappearance of those societies.

The societies formed tasteful, understanding auditory level ('the society of the wise') that required particular culture and careful listening of the mugam as well as its high artistic performance. At late 19th and early 20th centuries the societies stimulated professional perfection of Azerbaijan musicians.

The school of rovzakhanlar (performers of musical repertoire in the ceremonies) under the mosques also carried some educational importance. The boys with good voice were taught here perfect performance of mughams and correct pronunciation of the classical poems. Till the 20s of the 20th century those schools were the only educational institutions that served professional perfection of mugham performers.

Since 20s of the 20th century-in the Soviet Period, musical education, as well as the education of mugham in Azerbaijan crossed 3 steps: secondary school-technical school-conservatoire. Thus the process of teaching mugham formally takes 14-15 years. According to the opinions of mugham performers, professional perfection is achieved not less than in 5-10 years of the professional training. To master mugham and to become the professional of his/her profession the performer needs 20-25 years. Such higher level of the requirements raises mugham to the level of professional art of verbal tradition.

The art of mugham performance requires the performer special musical memory and comprehension, capability of improvising, talent of composing. Professional musician should know all the mugham repertoires, be able to perform before the audience without repetition. Khanende should know the classical poetry and the measures of eruz, the range of his/her voice should not be less than two octaves. The instrumentalist (sazende) should be able to perform mugham in different solo and accompanied versions. Mugham performer possessing all the abovementioned peculiarities is called a master.

The process of mugham teaching was and is realized in the form of the repetitions started by the teacher and continued by the student. The teacher performs parts from the melody and the student repeats till strengthening in the mind, the process goes on with the following fragment of the melody. In majority of the cases the students use the compact disks with the melody that they learn. They also use Dictaphones to write the melody they learn and the advices of their teachers.

The culture of mugham performance formed of the creative achievements of the prominent musicians- the heritages of the khanendes and sazendez famous in all the Caucasus and Iran. The great khanendez of the past were Mirza Sattar, Haji Husu, Meshedi Isi, Ebulhasan khan Azer Igbal, Mirza Mukhtar Mammadzadeh, Jabbar Garyagdi oglu, Alesker Abdullayev, Abdulbagi Zulalov, Agasaid Agabalaoglu, Mirtagi Mirbabayev, Majid Behbudov, Kechesi oglu Mahammad, Islam Abdullayev, Meshedi Mammad Farzaliyev, Huseyngulu Sarabski, Seyid and Khan Shushinskis, Bulbul and Zulfu Adigozalov, the prominent sazendez(instrumentalists) of the past tar players Mirza Sadig Asad oglu, Mirza Faraj Rzayev, Meshedi Jamil Amirov, Shirin Akhundov, Meshedi Zeynal Hagverdiyev, Mirza Mansur Mansurov, Gurban Pirimov, brothers Bakikhanovs , Pasha Aliyev and Firuz Alizadeh, kamancha players Ismail Talishinsli, Gilman Salahov, the prominent clarinet players Abutalib Yusifov, Kamranbeyim, Ehed Aliyev, Kerbalayi Letif, Teyyub Demirov and the zourna player Ali Kerimov.

In the Soviet period the art of mugham was preserved by the khanendes Abulfat Aliyev, Gulu Asgarov, Nariman Aliyev, Hagigat Rzayeva, Yaver Kelenterli,Zehra Rahimova, Jahan Talishinskaya, Fatma Mehraliyeva, Rubaba Muradova, Shovket Alekberova, Tohfa Aliyeva, Hajibaba Huseynov and Yagub Mammadov, the tar players Ahsan Dadashov, Bahram Mansurov, Baba Salahov, Kamil Ahmadov, Haji Mammadov, Habib Bayramov, Mammadaga Muradov, Amirulla Mammadbeyli, Khosrov Malikov, Geray Melikov, Adil Geray and Anver Mansurov, the kaman players Gilman Salahov, Talat Bakhikhanov, Elman Badalov and Adalet Vezirov, the clarinet players Latif Alitev, Abutalib Yusifov, Ahad Farzali Oglu, Meshedi Ali and Teyyub Demirov and the national music performers Nadir Akhundov, Agasef Seyidof and Firuza Zeynalova.

Performers and pedagogues like the khanendes Islam Rzayev, Arif Babayev, Alibaba Mammadov, Janali Akberov, Agakhan Abdullayev, Alim Gasimov, Mansum Ibrahimov, Sakina Ismayilova, Gandab Guliyeva, Melekhanum Eyyubova, Zabit Nabizadeh, Zahid Guliyev, the tar players Agaselim Abdullayev, Vamig Mammadaliyev, Mohlet Muslumov, Firuz Aliyev, Server Ibrahimov and kaman players Habil Aliyev, Mirnazim Asadullayev, Shafiga Eyvazova and Fakhraddin Dadashov also made great contribution to Azerbaijan culture of mugham performance.

Azerbaijani musicians were the first in the Moslem East who started tours to the Europe. They recorded gramophones and attracted the auditory which was non-traditional to mugham. For the first time in 1906 an English Joint-Stock Company 'Gramophone' recorded Azerbaijani music to gramophone records in the performance of the famous khanende Jabbar Gryagdi and other musicians of Azerbaijan. In the period 1906-1914 some gramophone-recording studios, as well as French company 'Brothers Pate', Germanic Joint-Stock Company 'Sport- Record', Russian companies 'Extraphone', 'Concert-Record', 'Monarc-Record', 'Gramophone-Record' and 'Premier- Record' issued tens of records with Azerbaijani mughams, tesnifs and colours(shades).

After the establishment of the Soviet regime in Azerbaijan, particularly beginning with 1930s, culture of music had completely been taken under the state control. Policy of 'Iron barrier' applied by the soviet state, for a long time created and obstacle for Azerbaijani music and Azerbaijani musicians to the international music market. On the first decade of the 20th century, in the period when Western auditorium interested in the culture of the East, traditional musicians of the Soviet East had for evident political situation an obstacle on their ways as well. The large place in artistic market of the West, among all the music cultures of the Moslem Middle East occupied traditional Arabic, Iran and Turkish music. Azerbaijan mugham lost its position in the foreign cultural environment and nihilist tendency expressed in evident slogans ('down with tar!', 'down with mugham') of the 20-30s of the past century gradually weakened the social status of mugham.

Beginning with the 30s of the 20th century to 1970s the primitive attitude to mugham gradually strengthened its position in Azerbaijan society, but it still remained popular in part of this society. Attitude toward the art of mugham started to be changed only at 1970s, when the first international symposiums and festivals of traditional music held under YUNESKO's support (Moscow 1971, Alma-Ata 1973, Samergend 1978, 1983) and when those processes caused the reaction in the soviet society. Thus those measures gave start to interest towards art of mugham and negative attitude toward mugham changed to highly professional art.

Beginning with the 1990s art of Azerbaijan mugam attracts the attentions of the audience, specialists and the managers in the world. Traditional musicians of Azerbaijan participate at the international festivals, made tours about the world, their disks produced in the largest record-studios of the West.

The art of mugham stimulated creation of the 20th century Azerbaijan composers. Beginning with 1908, when Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov staged his first opera in Baku and gave the start to professional musical theatre in Azerbaijan, many new musical works created on the basis of mugham. Those are opera of mugham( brothers Uzeyir and Jeyhun Hajibeyovs and others), symphonic and chorus mughams (Fikret Emirov, Niyazi, Suleyman Alesgerov, Nzim Aliverdibeyov), sonta-mugham (Agshin Alizadeh, Nariman Mammadov), jazz-mugham (Vagif Mustafazadeh, Rafig Babayev, Azize Mustafazadeh). Growing list of works of Azerbaijani composers is based on the principles of mugham.

more:
* datacomm.ch
* wikipedia.org/wiki/Mugham
* Aserbaidschanisches Mugam
* WELLCOME TO «MUGAM»
* mugam.ru/en/
* azeriyoungsters.blogspot.com
* Azerbaijani mugham between tradition and innovation

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