HIB040b Modern history of the Caucasus

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2023
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
doc. Tomáš Šmíd, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. et Mgr. Bc. Pavla Wernerová (assistant)
Guaranteed by
doc. Tomáš Šmíd, Ph.D.
Department of History – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of History – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Mon 8:00–9:40 B2.32, except Mon 13. 11.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 11/25, only registered: 0/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
  • History (programme FF, B-HI_) (3)
Course objectives
The course aims to introduce students to  modern history of the Caucasus, a region that has been lying for centuries on the border of various powers, of which  in recent centuries Russia, Turkey and Iran have dominated . The region is also an extremely unique space in terms of linguistic, ethnic and religious diversity, despite which, however, these different identities have managed to create a number of common cultural features, leading some authors to  theorize o the existence of a Caucasian semi-civilization. However, the modern history of this region, which we will date from the end of the 18th century, is marked primarily by the struggle with the s Russian (later Soviet) empire and the mutual friction of the individual state formations and ethnic groups inhabiting them.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, the student will be able to understand the complex and often rapid historical processes and events associated with the Caucasus region in the modern era. Furthermore, he will be able to identify the main identitarian groups whose number and diversity this region is famous for. He/she will also be able to describe and explain the main ethnolinguistic differences or affinities between them and the basic features of mutual interethnic relations, including mutual (armed) conflicts. He will also be able to analyze the character of Russian great power politics in the region. They will be able to reproduce their knowledge orally.
Syllabus
  • 1. Ethnography of the Caucasus – ethnicity, languages, religions and culture I.
  • 2. Ethnography of the Caucasus – ethnicity, languages, religions and culture II.
  • 3. Russian conquest of the Caucasus in the 2nd half of the 18th century and increase of resistance – Russo-Circassian war and resistance in  Chechnya and Dagestan (e.g. rebellion of Mansur Aldya)
  • 5. The conquest of the Caucasus by Tsarist Russia – the Caucasus War and genocides in the North Caucasus 6. Caucasian Front of WW1
  • 7. Revolutionary chaos in the Caucasus – Transcaucasian Federation, Mountain Federal Republic
  • 8. Bolshevization of Caucasus and its territorial, national and demographic consequences
  • 9. Caucasus in 20s and 30s – collectivization and Stalinist terror
  • 10. Caucasus and Caucasians in the Great Patriotic War – deportation of North Caucasian peoples to Central Asia
  • 11. Opozice a národní hnutí na Kavkaze v 70. a 80. let a role gorbačovovské glasnosti na národní a náboženská obrození kavkazských národů
  • 12. Rozpad SSSR na Kavkaze – konflikty v Gruzii a arménsko-ázerbájdžánský konflikt o Náhorní Karabach
Literature
    required literature
  • Marshall, Alex: The Caucasus under Soviet Rule. London and New York: Routledge. 2010, s. 35-174 a 225-282.
  • Forsyth, James: The Caucasus. A History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2013, s. 267-648.
    recommended literature
  • De Waal, Thomas: The Caucasus: An Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2010.
Teaching methods
Seminary
Assessment methods
Oral colloquium
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2022, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2023, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2023/HIB040b