Par : Magdalena Dembińska et Katerina Sviderska
The article investigates the use of history in political struggles over sovereignty. While most scholars focus on the conflictual Abkhaz–Georgian past, this study examines the ways in which Abkhazia navigates ‘troubled waters’ in its relations with Russia when commemorating nineteenth-century mass deportations. How does Abkhazia handle this founding historical myth, useful for nation/state-building, in the context of dependence on Russia for this de facto state’s very survival? We argue that, although commemorated, this pivotal period is marked by much confusion when naming and blaming, reflecting present-day competing visions of the role Russia should play in the present and future of Abkhazia.