FIELD GENIUS 8.4.19.1 KEY DRIVERS

It is common knowledge now that one should not ask Nikita for something when in a hurry name one old church or Soviet mosaic you chanced upon, and before you realise an hour has passed and you now know of the existence of every 13th century church in the Kvemo Kartli region. Not only did they prove to be an endless source of good times and wine they were also able to provide me with a wealth of information. Throughout my stay here, they have been the best companions I could hope for. Doing so while staying in Tbilisi would have been much more difficult - and certainly much less fun - without my flatmates and friends there - Zurab, Anya, Mahmoud, Nikita, Anton, and Anuki. This thesis, in ways that shall be detailed below, seeks to find some order in this profound ambiguity in Georgia s relations and discourses about Europe, but also about itself in the context of Europe. Reality is a bit more complicated, and certainly a whole lot more ambiguous. It thus seems clear and simple: this is Georgia, but it is not only Georgia, it is also Europe. After having had a very clear and simple outline of the borders of the country stamped into one s document of identity, the first road international travellers pass is named after Europe. While it is not one of the prominent boulevards straddling Tbilisi named after Europe - those are reserved for iiiД¤ historically famous Georgians such as Shota Rustaveli, Davit Aghmashenebeli, or Ilia Chavchavadze - its name is not insignificant. So did I leave Europe or not? Having found a somewhat more reasonably priced taxi into the city, we immediately turned on to Europe Street after leaving the airport grounds. Now, there is also the blue- and yellow flag of the European Union. Outside the airport, the Georgian flags are no longer alone.

FIELD GENIUS 8.4.19.1 KEY DRIVERS

Or is it? Having collected my luggage, I wrestled myself through a barrage of taxi drivers offering to drive me to Tbilisi for prices that might afford one a month s rent in some dilapidated apartment block on the outskirts of Tbilisi - Gldani, Mukhiani, Dighomi Massive - to find a slightly more quiet spot to indulge in a well-deserved cigarette after a long flight. Yes, I know, this is Georgia, it s clear now.

A rather unremarkable hall, save, perhaps, for the two enormous Georgian flags hanging from the ceiling. Having passed the passport control without any hassle, I arrived to the luggage collection belts. Those familiar at least with the existence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, of course, know the reality is a little more complicated. Here is Georgia, and only once you cross one of these lines, you are in another country (or possibly at the bottom of the Black Sea), the stamp seems to suggest. The casual traveller could be easily forgiven for believing the Georgian borders are as straightforward as this simple outline suggests. After an interaction that lasted little more than a minute - EU-citizens are rarely questioned upon entering Georgia - the Georgian officer stamped an outline of the Georgian territory into my document of identity. However, while an Austrian - clearly European - flag need not provide one with any particular legal standing, the discursive story is a little more complicated. Experienced customs officers from EU-countries training younger ones from various other countries shouldn t be a particularly noteworthy occurrence. The older officer, however, clearly disseminating his experience to new employees, did not wear a flag on his shoulder that should endow him with any legal authority in Georgia. Both officers uniforms were adorned with flags in red and white those of their country. Evidently, the young Georgian customs officer was being trained by her more experienced peer. Walking up to the passport control booth after alighting the plane, it struck me that there was not one, but two officers at work there. table of contents, bibliography, etc.): iДЈ PREFACE On February 25th, 2019, after a four and half hour flight from Amsterdam, I landed at Tbilisi s international airport. Henk van Houtum Radboud University Nijmegen Human Geography, specialisation Conflicts, Territories, and Identities Word count (excl. 1 EUROPE OUTSIDE OF EUROPE: A CRITICAL GEOPOLITICS OF THE EUROPEANISATION OF GEORGIA Maxim van Asseldonk Supervised by prof.

Field genius 8.4.19.1 key