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International Conference
“Totalitarianism and Literary Discourse. (20^th century experience)”

On 7-9 October, 2009 Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature in partnership with Georgian Comparative Literature Association and Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, with the support of the Foundation for Georgian Studies, Humanities and Social Sciences (Rustaveli Foundation) organized an international scientific conference “Totalitarianism and Literary Discourse. (20^th century experience)”.

The conference covered the analysis, evaluation, revision and reinterpretation of the 20^th-century literary processes of Totalitarian regime; in addition the tendencies of the literary studies of that epoch was discussed and classified.

The following panel topics operated on the conference:

Myths and Stereotypes of Totalitarian Epoch;
Totalitarianism and Models of Alternative Thinking;
Literary Genres of the Epoch of Totalitarianism;
Totalitarian Text and the Concept of a Leader;
The Specificity of the Interpretation of Creative Text under the Condition of Totalitarianism;
Dissident Literature;
Banned and Harmed Texts under the Conditions of Dictate Censorship;
Public and Intellectual Criticism;
Totalitarianism from Far-Away Perspective (centre and emigration)
The Formation of Totalitarian Text and its Collapse;

The conference working languages were Georgian, English and Russian.

From 160 applications 96 reports have been approved by the commission of experts. Scholars from different Georgian Universities and research centres (Ivane Javakhsihvili Tbilisi State University, Ilia Chavchavadze State University, Akaki Tsereteli Kutaisi State University, Iakob Gogebashvili Telavi State University, Gori State University and others) as well as the representatives of research Institutions from USA, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, India, Malaysia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kirgizstan, in total 28 foreign guests, participated in this conference.

The international conference was of an interdisciplinary character. Thus, not only philologists – literary critics (including comparativists) and linguists, but philosophers, historians, sociologists and art critics participated in it.

In addition, there was organized the first international student conference on literary theory within the frameworks of the conference. The presentations were made by Master and Bachelor students of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University.

The opening ceremony of the international conference - “Totalitarianism and Literary Discourse. (20^th century experience)” was held on October 7 at the Conference Hall of Sheraton Metechi Palace. The opening ceremony was attended by Mr. Nodar Surguladze, Deputy Minister of Education and Sciences of Georgia, Ms. Tinatin Bochorishvili, the director of the Foundation for Georgian Studies, Humanities and Social Sciences (Rustaveli Foundation), and conference participants.

Prof. Irma Ratiani, the director of Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature opened the conference and made a welcoming speech. The presentation on the topic “Totalitarian and National Cultural Models, as Binary Oppositions” was made by Prof. Bela Tsipuria, Ilia chavchavadze State University, at the plenary session.

The work of the conference was preceded in Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature. 16 sections were in operation during 3 days where 90 presentations have been made. The works of those 6 participants who could not arrive in Tbilisi due to some reasons were displayed and the participants had an opportunity to get acquainted with them.

A roundtable discussion on the topic – “Taming of the writing” was organized within the frameworks of the conference, where most of the conference participants took part. Georgian writers, working during the period that was under discussion were invited.

Besides the scholarly works, other cultural events were also organized within the frameworks of the conference: Excursions in Mtskheta and Sighnaghi were offered to foreign participants. In addition, Prof. Almira Kazieva, director of the Scholarly Research Institute of North Caucasus, professor of Pyatigorsk State Linguistic University made a presentation of the artistic-literary and scholarly journal “Megalog” published by the above mentioned University. Young Georgian scholars were invited at the presentation. Moreover, Romanian scholar, Elena Dulgeru-Jecu, owing to the thematic of the conference, has showed a Romanian film, depicting the political repressions of Romania. On the last day of the conference, one of the conference participants from Lithuania Prof. Jūrate Landsbergyte held an organ concert in the Catholic Church, entitled “the Bells of Freedom”.

During the conference Georgian and Foreign scholars have planned the implementation of a number of scholarly projects.

The closing ceremony was held on October 9, 2009.

For further information contact: Mariam Nebieridze

Phone: (99532) 99 63 84; Fax: 99 53 00; E-mail: maillit@litinstituti.ge