Direction:Cultural and Religious Studies
Position:Associate Professor
Sophie Zviadadze graduated from the Faculty of International Law and International Relations at Iv. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University specializing in International Relations. In 2007 she obtained Master’s Degree in Political Science, Sociology and Religious Studies at Westfalen Wilhelms University of Muenster (Germany). In 2014 she received PhD in Political Science and Sociology at University of Muenster (Germany).
Sophie Zviadadze coordinated several projects in field of civil integration of religious and ethnic minorities in Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli, improvement of intercultural education, fostering tolerance, civil responsibility in public education (Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Democracy /CIPDD). She worked as invited expert for monitoring and assessment of “Implementation of the National Concept and Action Plan for Tolerance and Civil Integration” by Public Defender Office of Georgia.
Her areas of research are secularism, in particular relationship between religion and politics in the South Caucasus, transformation of religiosity in post-communist countries, memory studies, urban sociology. Currently she is working on Islam in Georgia, radicalism and fundamentalism problematic in South Caucasus. Since 2012 Sophie Zviadadze works in international empirical research program “Religion and Human Rights 2.0”. In framework of the program she investigates religiosity among young people in Georgia and their attitudes towards human rights. As visiting scholar she worked at Foundation Maison des Scineces de l´Homme (FMSH) in Paris. She studied religiosity of Georgian migrants, the significance of religion in Georgian diaspora in Paris.
Sophie Zviadadze holds position of Associate Professor at Ilia State University. She is chair of Master Program in Religious Studies at Ilia State University. She regularly participates in international conferences, researches, and public lectures.
In 2016 Sophie Zviadadze was awarded with “Promoter of Tolerance Award” from Tolerance Center by Public Defender Office in Georgia.
Scientific interests / research interests
Secualrism, politics and religion, transformation of religion in post-communist countreis., Islam in Georgia, phenomenology of otherness, intercultural education, radicalism, urban sociology.
Featured publications
- „Religion and Socio-Economic Rights in Georgia and Moldova“, in: Ziebertz, Hans-Georg / Sjöborg, Andreas (eds.): Religions and Socio-economic Rights in empirical perspective, co-author, Wiesbaden: Springer Publishing, (forthcoming in 2018)
- Resurgence or Privatization of Religion in Secular City – Construction and Changing of Religious Identity among Georgian Migrants in Paris”, Routledge International Handbook of Religion in Global Society, (forthcoming in 2018)
- „The Unbearable Lightness of Being Muslim and Georgian – Religious Transformation and Identity Question among Adjara’s Muslim Georgians“, Caucasus Survey (forthcoming in 2018)
- „საქართველოს მართლმადიდებლური ეკლისიის გზა წარსულსა და აწმყოში, პოლიტიკური და საზოგადოებრივი ცვლილებების კონტექსტში“, ცოფურაშვილი თამარ (რედ.): რელიგია და თავისუფლება გერმანიაში და საქართველოში -კონფერენციის მასალები, თბილისი, [The Way of Georgian-Orthodox Church in Past and in Present Day in the Contect of Political and Societal Changies“, in: Tshopurashvili, Tamar (ed): Religion and Freedom in Germany and Georgia. Conference Papers, Tbilisi, 2017] 2017, 101-127
- ისლამი, პოლიტიკა და იდენტობა პანკისში, [Islam, Politics, and Identity in Pankisi, Working Paper], Tbilisi, 2016 http://www.cipdd.org/upload/files/pankisi-web.pdf
- “The Cult of Monk Gabriel: Institutionalization of Popular Religion and its Political Dimension in Georgia“, State, Religion, and Church in Russia and in Abroad, [Почитание преподобного Габриэла: институционализация народной религии и ее политическое измерение в Грузии, Государство, религия, церковь в России и за рубежом]. No. 2 (34) 2016, 226-254
- “მე არ ვარ თათარი, მე ვარ მუსლიმი ქართველი – რელიგიის ტრანსფორმაციის და რელიგიური იდენტობის რამდენიმე საკითხი აჭარაში,” რელიგია, საზოგადოება და პოლიტიკა, თბილისი, [“I am not Tatar, I am Muslim Georgian – Some issues of religious transformation of religiosity and religious identity problematic in Adjara”, Religion, Society, Politics,], 2016, 15-32
- „Die Georgische Orthodoxe Kirche und die Herausforderungen der Moderne“, Religion and Politics in the Caucasus, “Religion & Gesellschaft in Ost und West”, June/Juli 2015, 16-20
- „Georgian Orthodox Church and Human Rights: Challenges to Georgian Society“, in: Ziebertz, Hans-Georg/Cripic, Gordon (eds.): Religion and Human Rights: an International Perspective, Wiesbaden: Springer Verlag, 2015, 45-60
- Religion und Politik in Georgien. Die Beziehungen von Staat und Kirche und die Säkularisierungsproblematik im postkommunistischen Georgien, Hamburg, 2014
- „I ‘like’ my Patriarch – Religion on Facebook. New Forms of Religiosity in Contemporary Georgia“, Online – Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet, Vol. 6, 2014, 164-194
- „Islam in Georgia”, Kaukasus im 21. Jahrhundert – Schweizerische Gesellschaft Mittlerer Osten und Islamischer Kulturen, Bulletin 39, Herbst, 2014, 14-18
- Visible Religion and Invisible Human Rights in Georgia, Conference Paper, International Conference in Zagreb “Religion and Political Rights”, 2014
- Implementation of the National Concept and Action Plan for Tolerance and Civil Integration -2010, Public Defender Office of Georgia, Tbilisi, 2011
Current Courses |
Course Catalog |
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| Bachelor’s Seminar and Bachelor’s Thesis (Sociology); Construction and Perception of Otherness in society; How to research Religion – Religion in Society, politics, and Everyday life II Construction and Perception of Otherness in society; City as a Social Drama – Introduction to Urban Sociology; Theories and Current Debates in Religious Studies – Religion in Society, politics, and Everyday life I |
BA
MA
PhD
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