At the initiative of Kakha Shengelia, President of Caucasus University, and organized by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in partnership with the International Research Center for Georgian Studies, Caucasus University launches the Ilia’s Thursdays series in 2026.
About the tradition
Ilia’s Thursdays trace their origins to the second half of the 19th century, when Ilia Chavchavadze established a regular gathering at the home of Elisabed Saginashvili. In an era when Georgia lacked statehood, these meetings evolved into a vital forum for national self-organization, where pressing questions of strategy, education, language, imperial policy, and the country’s future were debated.
Following 1991, the tradition resurfaced in various forms and locations. A stable, cyclical format was re-established in 2021–2025 at the Ilia Chavchavadze House-Museum, initiated by the Tbilisi Museums Union.
The university format
By adopting a regular, cyclical meeting format, Caucasus University renews Ilia’s Thursdays as an open platform for dialogue among academics, students, and invited speakers—a space where classical knowledge meets contemporary experience, where knowledge, ethics, and responsibility converge, and where critical thinking flourishes through live intellectual exchange.
At the same time, Ilia’s Thursdays reflect the University’s third mission: sustained intellectual engagement with society and the creation of public value.
Format & Schedule
- Frequency: Monthly (Thursday), per pre-announced schedule
- Venue: Caucasus University
- Format: Public Lecture / Roundtable / Discussion
- Duration: 90 minutes