Caucasian Studies Research and Study Opportunities

Caucasian Studies Scholarships, Fellowships and Conferences

Caucasian Studies relevant accounts on Twitter

What is the Caucasus? 

The Caucasus refers to the geographical region that lies between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The term for the Caucasus originated from ancient Greece, where geographers referred to this territory as Kaukasos.

According to the current world map, the Caucasus region includes four post-Soviet Union Countries, including Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. 

The region is considered to be the one with the most cultural and linguistic diversity, and as such, represents an attractive area of studies and research. Living in the mountainous region and oriented by the survival rules of mountains, Caucasian people are courageous, warm-blooded, and emotional. You will notice the historical past and lifestyle habits of the Caucasians in their national songs and music, their language expressions, etc. 

If you are interested in exploring the area in more detail and seeing it from an academic perspective, the Caucasian study is a discipline designed right for you. Read on further to get an insight into this academic direction in more detail. 

Caucasian Studies as an academic discipline

As you read above, the international community refers to four countries when pointing to the Caucasus. Consequently, when we talk about the study and research opportunities in Caucasian studies, you should understand either the studies of all those four countries united under one discipline or each of them as a separate academic direction. 

Caucasian studies as a disciplined focus on linguistic and socio-cultural aspects of Caucasian countries, exploring their languages, politics, law, history, religion, culture, and other life spheres essential for finding the clue to the region. 

The discipline prepares near-native communicators for the region by navigating students through the essential life spheres of Caucasian countries. As the first and foremost important factor of learning about any country is knowing its language, Caucasian studies might emphasize language and linguistics. 

However, the discipline is not about pure languages. You will also learn culture, history, and many more, which means you will know the Caucasian language(s) in its most profound context: in combination with a thorough understanding of the countries and nations.

The Caucasus is rich with things to share. You will meet the lifestyle that differs from the rest of the world. You would notice it in the supportiveness and short-temperateness of the locals, their communication style, and accepted standards.

Therefore, you will develop into a professional who has a deep cultural understanding and is ready to effectively communicate and build relationships with Caucasian countries and people. A Caucasian Studies degree might significantly assist you in negotiations and international communication, translation, commerce, and other working spheres. Also, should you need to continue your studies or career in any of the Caucasian countries, the adaptation period will be far easier for you. 

To support the full integration of international students in the discipline, many Caucasian studies faculties organize international placements, where students spend a semester or a whole academic year in Caucus and can experience the environment they study in classrooms in real life.  

Caucasian Studies Research opportunities

The research directions of the discipline go to two different paths. Firstly, you will most probably focus either on one of the countries separately or their interrelation around a certain topic. For example, and especially in the conditions of recent political instability in the region, you might conduct your research in the fields relating to regional stability, threats to security, international relations between the region’s countries, etc. 

From the other point of view, many universities or research institutions offer separate life aspects of Caucasian Studies as a separate research direction. For example, you might conduct your research only in Caucasian languages, culture, religion, social issues, etc. 

The widespread directions of study & research include:

  • State-building and Political Schemes
  • Prevailing trends in Asia and South Caucasus
  • The role of external power instability or instability of the region
  • The development of integration policies in the Caucasus
  • The primary developmental issues
  • Extremism prevention in the region’s countries
  • The effective cooperation of nations with different religions and culture to establish long-lasting peace in the region

The closer you stand to the Caucasian area, the more specific research programs you will carry out. By standing closer, you should understand either doing the whole research in one of the Caucasian countries or taking a student exchange or international research fellowship in those countries. The topics will vary because the region knows its pain points better, and usually, the research directions are more specific and detailed. 

Caucasian Studies is an engaging journey through the region, culture, and history, making many EU or US students intrigued. You might be surprised at how things go differently in Caucasian culture, yet it will be one of the best study and research experiences you will have. In our turn, we hope this section of ARMACAD will help you step closer to your dream career in the discipline.