SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
ILIA STATE UNIVERSITY

Direction:Political Science, International Relations and Security Studies
Position:Full Professor





In 1976, Ghia Nodia graduated from Philosophy department of Tbilisi State University, and in 1982 bacame Candidate of Science in Philosophy. From 1980 until 2001 he worked for the Institute of Philosophy of the Academy of Sciences of Georgia as junior and senior research fellow, academic secretary, and head of department. Since 1992, save for one year in 2008, he has also been heading an independent think tank, the Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Developlment. During 2008 Ghia Nodia was minister for education and science of Georgia. Since 2006, he is professor of political science in Ilia State University.
In different years, Ghia Nodia was a visiting scholar or visiting lecturer in different western universities. This includes Kennad Institute for Advanced Russian Studies (in Woodraw Wilson Center), International Center of Democratic Studies and later in National Endowment for democracy (all three times in Washington DC), University of California at Berkeley, Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin, European Integration Center of the University of Bonn, held Emile Franqui scholarship in Free University of Brussels, taught three courses in the University of Glasgow.
Ghia Nodia is on editorial boards of three international academic and policy journals such as Journal of Democracy, Comparative Strategy, and Caucasus Survey.

Scientific interests / research interests

Ghia Nodia’s academic interests are mostly focused on topics of nationalism, democracy, and political development in general. His publications refer to both theoretical aspects of the said problems, and studying Georgian, Caucasian and post-Communist cases.

Featured publications

“Nationalism and Democracy”, Journal of Democracy, 1992/5, pp. 3-22. Reprinted in: Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner, eds., “Nationalism, Ethnic Conflict and Democracy”, Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994, pp. 3-22.

“The End of the Postnational Illusion”, Journal of Democracy, Vol. 28, No. 2, April 2017, pp. 5-19.

The Political Landscape in Georgia. Political Parties: Achievements, Challenges, and Prospects, Delf (Holland), Eburon Delft, 2006 (Co-author: Alvaro Pinto Scholtach, 268 p.

Lurching to Democracy. From agnostic tolerance to pious Jacobinism: Societal change and people’s reactions. Baden-Baden, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, 2000 (Co-author: Theodor Hanf), 156 p.

Books

Trud I Gumanism. O meste kategorii truda v sisteme marksistskogo teoreticheskogo gumanizma (in Russian; “Labor and Humanism. Category of labor in the system of marxist theoretical humanism”), Tbilisi: Metsniereba, 1986, 92 p.

Tamashis tsneba kulturis pilosopiashi (in Georgian; “Concept of play in the philosophy of culture”), Tbilisi: Metsniereba, 1987, 116 p.

Sait? (in Georgian; “Whereto?”), Tbilisi, CIPDD, 1995, 208 p.

Civil Society Development in Georgia: Achievements and Challenges, Policy Paper, Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development, Tbilisi, 2005.

Articles in magazines and book chapters

Democracy and its Deficits: The path towards becoming European-style democracies in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, CEPS, Brussels, December 2017, available at file:///C:/Users/Ghia%20Nodia/Documents/A-Ghia/Caucasus%20and%20wider/Finished-published/Nodia_2017_Democracy%20and%20Its%20Deficits.pdf.

“Georgia’s Pro-Western Policies: An Obsession or a Pragmatic Choice”, in Shireen T. Hunter (ed), The New Geopolitics of the South Caucasus: Prospects for Regional Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (Lexington Books: Lanham, Boulder, New York, London, 2017).

“The Story of Georgia’s State-Building: Dramatic but Closer to Completion”, in Ghia Nodia (ed.), 25 Years of Independent Georgia: Achievements and Unfinished Projects (Ilia State University Press: Tbilisi, 2016), pp. 56-90.

“The European Union, Democratic Values and Geopolitical Competition: The Roots of Confusion and Failure” – in Michèle Knodt, Sigita Urdze, (eds)., Caucasus, The EU and Russia – Triangular Cooperation? (Nomos: Baden Baden, 2016), pp. 211-229.

“The Values of the Georgian Supra: Nationalist or Nativist?” Ab Imperio, 4/2014, pp. 69-74.

“The Revenge of Geopolitics”, Journal of Democracy, Vol. 25, No. 4, October 2014, pp. 139-150.

“About the love of peace and confict of liberalism”, in: Leila Alieva, ed., The Soviet Legacy 22 years on: Reversed or Reinforced (Qanun Publishing: Baku), 2013, pp. 28-45.

“Georgian Policy towards the North Caucasus: Old Dilemmas, New Trends”, in: Aiça Ergun, Hamlet Isaxanli (eds.), Security and Cross-Border Cooperation in the EU, the Black Sea Region and Southern Caucasus (IOS Press: Amsterdam, Betlin, etc), 2013, pp. 137-151.

“The Record of the Rose Revolution: Mixed but still impressive”, in: Vichen Cheterian, Ed., From Peresroika to Rainbow Revolutions:Reform and Revolution after socialism (C. Hurst and Co: London), 2013, pp. 85-115.

“The August 2008: main consequences for Georgia and its conflicts”, Nationalities Papers, Vol. 40 No. 5 Sept 2012, pp. 721-738.

“External (F)actors in Democratization: Lessons from the Georgian Experience”, in: Nicolas Hayoz, Leszek Jesien, Daniela Koleva (eds.), 20 years after Communism: Expectations, Achievements and Disillusions of 1989 (Peter Lang: Bern, Berlin, etc), 2011, pp.  229-252.

“Freedom and the State”, Journal of Democracy, 2010/1, pp. 136-143.

“Components of the Georgian National Idea”, Idenitity Studies, 2009/1, pp. 84-101.

“The Wounds of Lost Empire”, Journal of Democracy, 2009/2, pp. 34-38.

“Tradition of “The Federalist” and the Status of Separation of Powers in the Georgian Political System”, A comment to the Georgian edition of Federalist Papers, at  http://www.federalistpapers.ge/eng/nodia.php.

“Georgia: Dimensions of Insecurity”, in: Bruno Coppieters and Robert Legvold, Eds, Statehood and Security: Georgia after the Rose Revolution,The MIT Press, Cambridge-London, 2005, pp. 39-82.

“Europeanization and (not) Resolving Secessionist Conflicts (from Europeanization and Conflict Resolution: Case Studies from the European Periphery)”, JEMIE, Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europehttp://www.ecmi.de/jemie/download/1-2004Comment01.pdf.

“Breaking the Mold of Powerlessness: The Meaning of Georgia’s Latest Revolution”in: Zurab Karumidze, James V. Wertsch, Editors, Enough! The Rose Revolution in the Republic of Georgia 2003, Nova Science Publishers Inc.: New York, 2004.

“Political Transformations and Nation-Building in the Post-Soviet South Caucasus”, in: Carine Bachmann, Christian Staerklé, Willem Doise (eds), Re-inventing citizenship in South Caucasus: Exploring the dynamics and contradictions between formal definitions and popular conceptions, Research report JRP 7AZPJ062373, Universite de Geneve – CIMERA, 2003, pp. 25-39.

“Debating the Transition Paradigm: The Democratic Path”, Journal of Democracy, 2002/3, pp. 13-19.

“Putting the State Back Together in the Post-Soviet Georgia”, in: Mark R. Beissinger and Crawford Young (Eds.,) Beyond State Crisis: Postcolonial Africa and Post-Soviet Eurasia in Comparative Perspective, Woodrow Wilson Center Press: Washington, D. C., 2002, pp. 413-443.

“The Impact of Nationalism”, Journal of Democracy, 2001/4, pp. 27-34. Reprinted in: Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner (eds), Democracy after Communism, Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002, pp. 201-208.

“Turmoil and Stability in the Caucasus: Internal Developments and External Influences”, in: Prospects for Regional and Transregional Cooperation and the Resolution of Conflicts, an international conference organized by the Armenian Center for National and International Studies, September 27-28, 2000.

“The End of Revolution?”, Journal of Democracy, 2000/1, pp. 157-163.

“A New Cycle of Instability in Georgia?”, in: Gary K. Cassady Craft, Scott A. Jones, Michael Beck (eds.), Crossroads and Conflict: Security and Foreign Policy in the Caucasus and Central Asia, London-New York: Routledge, 2000.

“Ethnicity and Nationhood”, in: Theodore Hanf (ed.), Dealing with Difference: Religion, Ethnicity and Politics: Comparing Cases and Concepts, Baden-Baden: Nomos Verl.-Ges., 1999.

“Trying to Build (Democratic) State Institutions in Independent Georgia”, in: Gerhard Mangott (Hrsg.), Brennpunkt Südkaukasus: Aufbruch trotz Krieg, Vertreibung und Willkürherschaft, Wien: Braumüller, 1999.

“The Conflict in Abkhazia: National Projects and Political Circumstances”, in: Bruno Coppieters, Ghia Nodia, Yuri Anchabadze, Eds., Georgians and Abkhazians: The Search for a Peace Settlement, Köln: Bundesinstitut für ostwissenschaftliche und internationale Studien, 1998, pp. 14-48.

“The Georgian Perception of the West”, in: Bruno Coppieters, Alexei Zverev and Dmitri Trenin, ed., Commonwealth and Independence in Post-Soviet Eurasia, London-Portland, OR: Frank Cass, 1998, pp. 12-43.

Causes and Visions of Conflict in Abkhazia, Berkeley Program in Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies, Working Paper Series, Winter 1998.

“Dynamics of State-Building in Georgia”, in: Henry Hale (ed.), The Caucasus and the Caspian. 1996 Series, Strengthening Democratic Institutions Project, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, Massachussetts, 1996, pp. 22-35. Also in: “Demokratiatsiya”, Vol. 6, No. 1, Winter 1998, 6-13.

“How Different Are Post-Communist Transitions”, Journal of Democracy, 1996/4, pp. 104-116. Reprinted in: Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner (eds), Democracy after Communism, Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002, pp. 3-17.

“Nationalism and the Crisis of Liberalism”, in: Richard Caplan and John Feffer, Eds., Europe’s New Nationalism: States and Minorities in Conflict, New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996, pp. 101-119.

“Political Turmoil in Georgia and the Ethnic Policies of Zviad Gamsakhurdia”, in: Bruno Coppieters (ed.), Contested Borders in the Caucasus, Brussels: VUBPRESS, 1996, pp. 73-89.

“Georgia’s Identity Crisis”, Journal of Democracy, 1995/1, pp. 104-116.

“The Moral Aspect of Philosophy”, in: N. Chavchavadze, G. Nodia and Paul Peachey, eds., National Identity as an Issue of Knowledge and Morality, Washington D.C.: Paideia Press & the Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, 1994, pp. 307-318.

“Rethinking Nationalism and Democracy in the Light of Post-Communist Experience”, in: N. Chavchavadze, G. Nodia and Paul Peachey, eds., National Identity as an Issue of Knowledge and Morality, Washington D.C.: Paideia Press & the Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, 1994, pp. 39-65.

“Nationhood and Self-Recollection: Ways to Democracy after Communism”, in: Peter J. S. Duncan and Martyn Rady, eds., Towards a New Community: Culture and Politics in Post-Totalitarian Europe, Hamburg and Münster: LIT Verlag, 1993, pp. 53-63.

“Political Crisis in Georgia: From Shevardnadze to Shevardnadze”, Current Politics and Economics of Europe, Vol. 2, No. 1/2, 1992, pp. 27-47.

“Humanism and Freedom”, in: Paul Peachey, John Kromkowski, George F. McLean, eds., The Place of the Person in Social Life, The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, 1991, pp. 33-43.

“’Back to Man Himself’: The Philosophical Inspiration of Zurab Kakabadze”, in: Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka, Ed., Man Within his Life-World, Dordrecht/Boston/London: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1989, pp.1-7.

Current Courses

Course Catalog

  • Introduction into Modern Thought
  • Great Books -2
  • Democracy and Democratization
  • Introduction into Modern Thought, BA, two semesters
  • Great Books -2, BA, one semester
  • Religion and politics, BA, one semester
  • Nationalism and modern politics,  BA, one semester
  • Democracy and Democratization, MA, one semester
  • Political modernization, MA/Ph.D, one semester