[Discussion] Kafkaslarda din...

[gonul@bilkent.edu.tr]

CONF. PROGRAM- Religion & Politics in the Caucasus, CMI, Yerevan, Apr. 18-19 

The Caucasus Media Institute is organizing a conference on: 

Religion and Politics in the Caucasus 

The religious factor in the political discourse in the South and North 
Caucasus 

10:00 a.m., April 18-19, 2003, in Yerevan. 

Caucasus Media Institute 
Demirchyan Pagughi 23 
375002 Yerevan, ARMENIA 
Tel:  374 1 540631/540632 
Web: 

The Caucasus Media Institute organizes a scientific conference focused on 
the role of religious factor in the political discourse in the Caucasus. The 
conference aims to reflect on the place of religion in the ongoing political 
developments of both the Northern and the Southern Caucasus. 

A broad spectrum of topics will be discussed during the conference 
including: 

* Religious trends and political systems in the South Caucasus; 
* Religion and Homeland-Diaspora relations in the Soviet and 
post-Soviet period (the case of Armenia-Diaspora relations); 
* Social basis for religious radicalization in the North Caucasus; 
* The place of religion in nation-making; 
* Religion and politics in public opinion formation. 

The speakers are (in order of appearance): 

* Tadeusz Swietochowski, Monmouth University, New Jersey, USA 
* Ivlian Haindrava,Center for Development and Cooperation, Georgia 
* Edward Melkonian, Institute of History, National Academy of Sciences, 
Armenia 
* Dmitri Furman, Institute of Europe, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia 
* Alexander Iskandarian, CMI, Armenia 
* Said-Mohammad Hasiev, National Museum of the Chechen Republic, Russia 
* Arthur Tsutsiev, North Ossetian Institute for Humanitarian and Social 
Studies, Russia 

The working languages of the conference are Russian and English. 

The papers of the conference will be later published in book form. 

For further information please contact at: 

Tel.: (374 1) 54 06 31; 54 06 32 
E-mail: <contact@caucasusmedia.org> (Diana Hakobian, Reception) 
or <research@caucasusmedia.org> (Ruzanna Amiraghyan, Research Unit) 

Conference Program 

Friday, April 18: 

10:00-10:30 Registration of participants 

10:30-10:45 Opening Address 

Vicken Cheterian, Director, CMI, Yerevan, Armenia 
Alexander Iskandarian, Head of Research Unit, CMI, Yerevan, Armenia 

Session I: South Caucasus 
Moderated by Alexander Iskandarian 

10:50-11:20 Tadeusz Swietochowski, Monmouth University, New Jersey 
"The Islamic Trends in the Politics of Azerbaijan" 

11:20-11:50 Ivlian Haindrava, Center for Development and Cooperation 
"Religion in Georgia: the 21st Century" 

11:50-12:20 Edward Melkonian, Institute of History, National Academy of 
Sciences 
"The Armenian Apostolic Church in the Armenia-Diaspora Relations" 

12:20-13:00 Coffee break 

13:00-14:00 Discussion 

14:00-15:30 Lunch 

Session II: Russia. North Caucasus 
Moderated by Paata Zakareishvili 

15:30-16:00 Dmitri Furman, Institute of Europe, Russian Academy of Sciences 
"Religion and Politics in the Russian Mass Consciousness" 

16:00-16:30 Alexander Iskandarian, CMI 
"The Social Basis for Islamic Extremism in the North Caucasus" 

16:30-17:30 Discussion 

Saturday, April 19: 

Session III: North Caucasus 
Moderated by Edward Melkonian 

10:00-10:30 Said-Mohammad Hasiev, National Museum of the Chechen Republic 
"On the Role and the Place of Religious Factor in the Deep-laid Reasons of 
the Russian-Chechen Conflict" 

10:30-11:00 Arthur Tsutsiev, North Ossetian Institute for Humanitarian and 
Social Studies 
"Neopaganism in Ossetian National Ideology in the Making" 

11:00-11:30 Coffee break 

11:30-12:30 Discussion 

12:30-13:00 Concluding remarks. Closing 

Caucasus Media Institute assists in the development of mass media in the 
Caucasus. Our aim is to achieve a professional standard of journalism 
capable to inform the public and offer debate through the mass media. CMI 
works in three directions: To introduce international standards of reporting 
in journalism in the Caucasus, To form journalists in the use of new 
technologies which are reshaping the media profession, To offer background 
knowledge and critical analysis of recent developments in our area of 
concern. 

CMI brings together training and research, so that our practical experience 
is enriched by our efforts to better understand the changing socio-political 
conditions in post-Soviet Caucasus.