Dea Elibegova - Georgian Minorities: Roma, Qists, Assyrians, Ezids

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by LIBERTAS

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ISBN 978-3-937642-10-9 (print)

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The Authors

Dea ELIBEGOVA works as Chief Specialist at the Department on National/Ethnic Minority Issues, Office of the State Minister for Reintegration, Tbilisi , Georgia . She obtained a B.A. degree in English language at Georgian Technical University and a Master at Tbilisi State University , Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of South Caucasus in Transformation, on the subject of her contribution for this LIBERTAS Paper. One of the few experts on minority issues in Georgia (and of Armenian origin ), she worked before in Tbilisi , among others, as an analyst for the Foreign Relations Committee of the Georgian Parliament, the Presidential Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Public Defender (Ombudsman). She also got large media experience in working for 1 years with Georgian Public Television Broadcasting , where she was part of the News, Social and Political Programs Department (broadcasting for minorities).

Meqa KHANGOSHVILI : After obtaining at Tbilisi State Un i versity a Bachelors degree in physics, she reached a literature degree , and a Ph.D. at Technical University of Georgia on the Heroic Epos of the Vainakhs. Lecturer of Chechen language at different universities, head of the Congress of Caucasian Women and for many years head of the Chechen-Ingush Department in Caucasian House Tbilisi. A l eading expert on Chechen questions and refugees, the Pankisi Gorge and the Q ists , and a former TV program anchor on minority issues, she is today Chief Specialist in the Civil Integration Department, State Minist ry for Reintegration .

SergeyGeorgievichOSIPOV , Doctor of Medicine, Professor, corresponding member of the Academy of Military Sciences, Head of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine Department at Federal Research and Clinical Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology under the Ministry of Health of Russia. He was born in Tbilisi in 1946. 1953 - 1964 Secondary School 49 in Tbilisi , 1971 graduat ion from the 2 nd Moscow State Medical Institute named after N.I. Pirogov. In 1979 he defended a thesis on immunotherapy of childrens acute leukemia at the Hertsen Oncology Research Institute , i n 1987 a doctorate thesis on immunology of atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease at the All-Union Cardiologic Scientific Center (AUCSC) under the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS). From 1988 S.G. Osipov was heading the Coordination and Scientific Research Planning at the AUCSC under the USSR AMS, being at the same time the Academic Secretary of the Council of Cardiologic Experts under the Bureau of the USSR A M S. From 1991 leading the Clinical Immunologic Laboratory at the newly established Research Center of Pediatric Hematology under the Ministry of Health of Russia , and f rom 2000 - 2004 Vice President of the 21 st Century Clinic Foundation, a coordinating center of the Health Promoting Hospitals Worldwide Network under the World Health Organization, and a member of the Scientific Council of the WHO Regional Office for Europe for complex medical care.

In 1990 he was one of the founders and the Vice President of the USSR Assyrian Congress. In 1991 he was elected Vice President of the Assyrian National Congress in Modesto , USA . In 1994 he founded and started publishing the Assyrian social and political newsletter Melta (Word). Since 2003 also head of the broadcasting program Kala Aturaya (The Voice of Assyria) of the Russ ian State Broadcasting Company TheVoice of Russia .

EkaBITKASH was born in May in 1987 in Tbilisi /Georgia. 1992 -2004 Authors School . In 2003 she entered the M usical C ollege named after Zachariah Paliash - vili , which she finished i n 2007. In 2005 she started Oriental Studies at Ivane Javakchishvili State University in Tbilisi , in the Art Faculty. She is a s pecialist in Assyriology. Since 2009 also C hair person of the Assyrian Youth Organization NINEVIA in Georgia

DimitriPIRBARI, born in 1978 in Tbilisi / Georgia , graduated in 1995 from the secondary school In 1999 he graduated from Georgian Agrarian University , specialized in the Architecture of Green Buildings in which he got a Masters Degree in 2001 . In 2004 he graduated from Tbilisi Asia and Africa Institute, Faculty of the History of the Eastern Countries and International Relations, Arabian Department. He also served in the Ezids main temple in Lalishi ( Iraq s Kurdistan ). Working on the history of Kurds and the issues of Ezid religion , he is the author of different books, scientific papers and publications: O n the way to the truth: Ezidism, Tbilisi, 2003 , Ezidi Sarkhada (Ezids resettleme nt to the South Caucasus 2008), Kurds in Georgia, (co-author together with Mamuka Komakhia), Tbilisi 2008 and many others ore. In 2003 Kurdish - Russian language n ewspaper New V iews co-editor, Tbilisi , since 2004 chairman of Kurds I ntelligentsias U nion in Georgia, Tbilisi , since 2008 Georgian Radio, News & Music programs editor and the anchor.

Foreword

Th is booklet includes articles o n four ethnic groups or minorities - Roma, Q ists, Assyrians, Ezids - residing in Tbilisi and the rest of Georgia. Georgia is today a multi ethnic country where different national and ethnic minorities live side by side . The country can hardly be understood without a certain knowledge o f their minorities. The preservation of national-historical originality and ethnic self-identification of these certain groups, while keeping their culture, traditions, history and language is the key issue and a noble task of minorities today.

Th e paper serves as a first entrance, mainly for non-Georgians , but also for Georgians to be aware of the culture, traditions, history and customs of people living ne xt to the majority population. The importance of the paper is in indicating and identifying key points characterizing the precis e ethnic or minorities groups . The paper may become, after all, a useful contribution for European minority research.

By different kind of analysis t he originality of each group should be highlighted . While the contribution on Roma is a genuine social science research work, with high empirical content, the three others are more culturally and historically oriented , partly also including specific religious criteria . All authors come either from the relevant groups, or from minority research, or work in the ministry covering minority issues. The editor wants to thank cordially to all her colleagues who contributed to this collection, which may bring an interesting picture of daily life in Georgia , in many respects. All corrections and comments are welcome!