The Georgian Association in the USA is launching the ‘Making of Modern Georgia’ series, which intends to inform the American public on Georgian history and culture. This series brings together Georgian and non-Georgian researchers, academics, and practitioners to create an engaging series and provide information for those interested in learning more about Georgia today.
The series, titled “The Making of Modern Georgia” will start in November 2025 and go until Summer 2026. It will combine webinars, movie screenings, and other social activities to attract a wide range of participants and attendees.
Schedule of the events will be updated regularly. Topics and guests are subject to adjustment.
November 30, 2025 – The Democratic Republic of Georgia, 1918-21
Guest:
Professor Stephen Jones, Founding Director of the Program on Georgian Studies, Harvard University.
Moderator:
Professor Beka Kobakhidze, Professor and Co-chair of MA Program in Modern History of Georgia at Ilia State University, Tbilisi.
December 2025
In Person event – December 12, 2025. Visit to Library of Congress for a display and briefing on the Democratic Republic on Georgia materials.
December 14, 1pm EDT – Webinar – Georgian Monks and Scribes: Shaping the Christian Legacy
Speakers: Nikoloz Aleksidze, Professor of History and Political Thought. Dean of Social Sciences, Free University, Tbilisi Moderator – Professor Stephen Jones, Founding Director of the Program on Georgian Studies, Harvard University
2026
Session 3 – Keeping the Georgian Language Alive: Poets, Legislators and Teachers – February 1, 1 pm EDT – REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Guests: Professor Tamar Makharoblidze, Linguistics. Ilia State University, Tbilisi.
Dr. Zaal Andronikashvili, Research Fellow at the Liebnitz Center for Literary and Cultural Studies, Berlin.
Moderator: Mzia Shanava, Georgian Language Instructor. The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University
Session 4 – The History of Georgian Wine: What does the Georgian Wine Industry look like today? – February 21, 1 pm EDT REGISTRATION REQUIRED
It is impossible to talk of Georgian culture and history without including wine, a vital part of Georgian social life, the supra, and the livelihood of its citizens. Wine has always been central to Georgian identity through song, ritual, and storytelling around the table. In what ways does wine and wine production connect with Georgian history, and what is its role in the economy today?
Host: Mamuka Tsereteli – President, Georgia-American Business Council
Guest: Baia Abuladze – Baia’s Wines.
Webinar series continues in 2026 with the following topics (subject to updates)
- Soviet Georgia and its Legacy on Contemporary Politics
- How do Small States Survive? Lessons from Georgia
- Georgia and the Black Sea
- Armies and Nations: The Role of the Georgian Military Since Independence
- Foreigners, Immigrants, and the Making of Modern Georgia