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. 

Our research today 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

  • GAČR (15-09249S): De Facto States in Northern Eurasia in the Context of Russian Foreign Policy (2015-2017)

Selected publications

  • KOPEČEK, V. (2021, in print): Ethnic Minorities in the South Caucasus: Ethnicity, Community, Informality. London and New York: Routledge.
  • HOCH, T., KOPEČEK, V., eds. (2020): De Facto States in Eurasia. London and New York: Routledge. HOCH, T. (2020): The Roots of Ethno-Political Mobilization in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Soviet and Post-Soviet Review, published online 03 Jul 2020.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • HOCH, T., KOPEČEK, V., BAAR, V. (2017): Civil society and conflict transformation in de facto states: the case of Abkhazia. Problems of Post-Communism 64(6), 329‒341.
  • RUDINCOVÁ, K. (2017): The great imperial game in the Horn of Africa and its impact on current political processes in Somalia. In Záhořík, J., Piknerová, L., eds. Colonialism on the Margins of Africa. London and New York: Routledge, 19-31.
  • KOPEČEK, V., HOCH, T., BAAR, V. (2016): Conflict Transformation and Civil Society: The Case of Nagorno-Karabakh. Europe-Asia Studies 68(3), 441‒459.
  • KOPEČEK, V., HOCH, T., BAAR, V. (2016): De Facto States and Democracy: The Case of Abkhazia. Bulletin of Geography. Socio-Economic Series 32, 85–104. ISSN 1732-4254.

Updated: 01. 02. 2022