On May 7, as part of “Ilia’s Thursdays,” a public event organized by the Caucasus University’s International Research Center for Georgian Studies was held with Professor Oliver Reisner of Ilia State University, along with the public presentation of the book: “The School of the Georgian Nation: The Society for the Spreading of Literacy and the National Project in the 19th Century.”

Within the lecture, the formation of the Georgian national movement in the 19th century was discussed, along with the processes that demonstrate how the nation was shaped not only at the level of ideas, but also through social practices, education, and cultural institutions. Special attention was given to the Society for the Spreading of Literacy among Georgians and its role in the formation of national consciousness.

The author of the book reviewed how Georgian intellectuals understood “Europe” as a normative and cultural ideal, and how they attempted to selectively and adaptively implement this ideal within an imperial and autocratic environment.