Ideal modern nation states have clearly defined borders and a sedentary population. People without a defined domicile who regularly cross national borders easily put such an order into jeopardy. This talk explores the problem of transhumance in the Soviet South Caucasus in the 1920s and the beginning of the 1930s. Relying on documents of the Transcaucasian state and party institutions, it provides insights into Soviet policies attempting to assert control over this “fluid” part of the population, placing it into the frame of the national state and on track towards a new, socialist economy.
From the lecture, "When Nationalism Meets Soviet Modernization: The 'Liquidation' of the Nomads in the South Caucasus, 1921-1936."
CREECA Lecture Series Podcast