Ethnicity, nationalism, and separatism

Research focused on the phenomenon of ethnicity, nationalism, ethnic conflicts, and separatism is one of the traditional research areas of the Centre for Political and Cultural Geography (CPGG). In the contemporary world, ethnicity is one of the fundamental sources of collective and individual identity. Most armed conflicts in the contemporary world have (among other things) an ethnic aspect. In addition to studying the actual phenomena of ethnicity and nationalism, we focus on the issue of ethnic minorities and the currently very topical issue of separatism and the emergence of internationally unrecognized states (known as de facto states). On a regional level, we focus mainly on the post-Soviet or post-communist Eurasia, with an emphasis on the South Caucasus, and to a lesser extent on the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, East Asia, and the Indo-Pacific region. We are members of CEEPUS Border and Regional Studies network.

Our research focuses on the sub-areas below:

  • The emergence and decline of de facto states in the post-Soviet space
  • Internal politics and democratisation in de facto states
  • The issue of international recognition of states and legitimation strategies of de facto states
  • Ethnic conflicts
  • Ethnic minorities

Major grant projects

Selected publications

  • HORÁK, S., HOCH, T. (2023): The fate of sacred places in Nagorny Karabakh as a symbol of unsuccessful conflict transformation. Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, 59(59): 25-40.
  • KOSIENKOWSKI, M., ŽENKOVÁ RUDINCOVÁ, K. (2022): Client De Facto States and Quasi-Patrons: Insights from the Relationship Between Somaliland and Ethiopia. Ethnopolitics, 1-21.
  • ELBEL, O., KOPEČEK, V. (2022): I Thought That Everyone Perceived the Situation Similarly to Me.” The Czech-Polish “Cieszyn-Silesia” Region as a Case of a Polysemic Border. Mitteilungen der Österreichischen Geographischen Gesellschaft, 164: 145-168.
  • ELBEL, O. (2022): Border-crossings as memory sites?: The case study of the Czech-Polish border in Cieszyn Silesia. Border and Regional Studies, 10(3): 145-170.
  • BAAROVÁ, B., BAAR, V. (2022): Post-Soviet de Facto States in the Theory of Small States. Politické vedy, 24(4), 8-42.
  • HOCH, T., KOPEČEK, V., eds. (2020): De Facto States in Eurasia. London and New York: Routledge.
  • BAAR, V. BAAROVÁ, B.KURFÜRST, J. (2020): Tuva and Mongolia: Between Annexation and Independence. In: HOCH, T. KOPEČEK, V (eds).: De Facto States in Eurasia. London/New York: Routledge, 63-78.
  • HOCH, T. (2020): The Roots of Ethno-Political Mobilization in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Soviet and Post-Soviet Review, 47(3), 306-332.
  • HOCH, T. (2020): Independence or Unification with a Patron State? Not Such Dichotomous Ideas as One Would Think: Evidence from South Ossetia. Studies of Transition States and Societies 12(1), 68-89.
  • KOPEČEK, V. (2019): Trapped in informality? A study of informal politics in Georgia’s Javakheti. Caucasus Survey 7(1), 60‒78.
  • BAAROVÁ, B. (2019): South Ossetia-Alania – 10 Years since Gaining Partial International Recognition. Politické vedy, (22):2, 159-188.
  • HOCH, T. (2018): Legitimization of Statehood and its Impact on Foreign Policy in De Facto States: A Case Study of Abkhazia. Iran and the Caucasus 22(4), 382–407.

Updated: 31. 05. 2023