HOST UNIVERSITIES

The history of Abkhazian State University accounts for more than 80 years. The university was established in 1979 on the basis of the Sukhum/i Pedagogical Institute. The university was not operating during the War in Abkhazia in 1992-1993 but was reopened in late 1993.

Nowadays Abkhazian State University provides 20 programs and 26 specialties of higher education. The university incorporates 8 faculties in Physics-Mathematics, Biology-Geography, History, Law, Philology, Educational Studies, Economics, and Agronomy. The university is also composed of Republican Centre for the Further Training, departments of Abkhazian Academy of Sciences, Agronomical Research Institute, Scholarlike Library etc.

Research Centre of Nart Studies and Field Research that deals with Abkhazian Nart sagas, other genres of Abkhazian folklore, and their translation into other languages has been operating since 2011. Centre organizes research expeditions (i.a. overseas expeditions to ethnic-specific areas of Abkhazian diaspora in Turkey). Students and postgraduates of ASU actively participate in research.

Learning-scientific-innovative complex of ASU embraces Research Department of South Russian Centre of Russian Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Ethnocultural Policies, Research Agency of Systemic Problems etc.

Adyghe State University has been the leading research institution within Adygea. Its history account for more than 75 years. More than 14 000 students are studying a wide range of specialties and educational programmes. The university incorporates 3 institutes, 12 faculties, filial branches in Adygea and Krasnodar Krai, colleges of secondary vocational education, and other departments.

The university’s development strategy is conducive to the attainment of multilevel and polyfunctional research institution capable of ensuring continuity of education from pre-university to postgraduate and supplementary training levels.

Given the particular geopolitical location of Adygea, Adyghe University enjoys promise studies in different aspects of cultural and civilizational processes in multi-ethnic region in a global environment. The forward-looking analysis of the state of collective memory taking shape over the course of history is of high significance.

Shota Rustaveli State University is a place of higher education in Batumi, Adjara, Georgia. The originally teachers’ college was established in 1953 and further reorganized in Batumi State Pedagogical Institute; since 1990 it has been State University.

The university structure comprises faculties of Humanities, Exact Studies and Education, Economics and Business, Law and Social Sciences, Natural Sciences and Health Care, Technologies, and Tourism. It also includes 3 research institutes: Niko Berdzenishvili Institute, Agronomy and Membrane Technologies Institute, and Phytopatology and Biodiversity Institute.

More than 6 000 students are undergoing training in Bachelor, Master and post-doc programmes in praesenti. 273 professors, 71 research associates, and 387 visiting professors in total provide different types of training. The university has actively been using modern educational techniques, i.a. online training.

SRSU maintains close partnership with other top universities both in Georgia and abroad. Besides, academic teaching staff vigorously participates in international exchange programmes around the world.

Theoretical basis of Institution Centered Conflict Studies regards resources as a part of choice and limits set on actors. Basically, resources are exactly what actors seek to possess in order to pursue their interests in the conflict. Given the significance of resources for actors, one can mention that resources themselves are a supplement to the actor analytics. However, resources analytically strictly differ from actors, being essential point for comprehending conflict dynamics. We therefore set resources aside as distinct estimating package.

PARTNER UNIVERSITIES

Center for Conflict Studies is a core unit of the Philipps University of Marburg which is engaged in interdisciplinary Peace and Conflict Studies. Center was established in 2001; its curriculum integrates various types of learning and research activities. Center offers two Master programs, one of which allows to obtain joint degree in Peace and Conflict Studies in cooperation with University of Kent in Canterbury, UK. Center has been undertaking a number of research project, holds regular academic conferences and publishes in-house journal.

Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence (IKG) at Bielefeld University has been implementing theoretical and empirical analysis of various types, scales, and underlying conditions of conflicts and violence. Multidisciplinary approaches help to shed light on different aspects of ethnic, religious, and cultural conflicts. The exploratory program encompasses other forms of violence (e.g. violence in adolescence etc.).