A major scholarly volume, Languages in Conflict and War: Ukraine, the Caucasus, and the Baltics, has been published by Palgrave Macmillan, an internationally renowned academic publisher and part of Springer Nature, Switzerland.

The volume features a research article by Professor Mariam Manjgaladze, Doctor of Philology and Professor at Caucasus University.

The collection forms part of the international series Palgrave Studies in Languages at War. The idea for the book originated at a conference organized by the Russia, Ukraine and Caucasus Regional Research Centre at Malmö University, Sweden. Bringing together contributions from leading international scholars, the volume offers an in-depth examination of the critical role of language in contemporary political conflicts and wars across the post-Soviet space, with a particular focus on Ukraine, the Baltic states, and the Caucasus in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The book explores language as a means of preserving identity, a form of resistance, and, at the same time, an instrument of political pressure.

Professor Manjgaladze’s article, “Official Language Ecology in Contemporary Georgia,” examines key challenges and strategic priorities in Georgia’s language policy. The study addresses issues related to education and migration, language-related barriers to integration - including insufficient knowledge of the official language as one of the main obstacles to the full civic integration of ethnic minorities - as well as the threat of linguistic re-occupation and the challenges associated with Georgia’s occupied territories.

The article assesses Georgia’s official language strategy from three principal perspectives: language as a problem, focusing on the need to address existing challenges; language as a right, emphasizing the protection of minority rights; and language as a resource, highlighting the importance of linguistic diversity and the development of technological and digital language resources.

We warmly congratulate Professor Manjgaladze on this important achievement and wish her continued success on the international academic arena.