Irma Makaradze 

Two Kartvelological Sessions at the World Congress in Medieval Studies

The World Congress in Medieval Studies took place in Leeds (UK) from July 5-9, 2015. This World Congress is traditionally of worldwide importance in Europe. Over 2,400 delegates from different academic or research institutions attended the 22^nd annual International Medieval Congress at the University of Leeds this year. It was the first time when those two Kartvelological sessions worked at the World Congress. It should also be noted that both Kartvelological sections, at the initiative of foreign colleagues, were organized by Professor Elguja Khintibidze.

According to the congress requirements, its sessions were allowed to work independently if each of them was presented by the members of different academic or research institutions as well as participants from different countries were especially welcomed. That is the reason why the organizers of the sessions invited famous Kartvelologists from Georgia and different foreign scholarly centers to be involved in the working process of these sessions.

The moderator of the session Medieval Georgian Culture was Professor Elguja Khintibidze. The papers were presented by English Professor Donald Rayfield – Religious Tolerance and Intolerance in Medieval Georgian Literature by Gaga Shurghaia, a professor from Italy - The Ecclesiastical Reform of Vakhtang I Gorgasali (c. 440-502): King of Kartli and also PH.D. student from Tbilisi State University Irma Makaradze - Revival of the Oriental Plot in English Dramaturgy: The Trace of The Man in the Panther Skin in 17^th Century England.

The famous specialist of Georgian/Kartvelian Studies Donald Rayfield (Department of Russian, Queen Mary College, University of London) discussed tolerance in Rustaveli’s The Man in the Panther Skin, the Georgian version of Vis i Ramin, the texts of the Ruis-Urbnisi Synod, the laws of the Bishop of Samtavisi, and Bagrat Mukhran-Batoni's Ungodly Faith of the Ishmaelites. Professor Gaga Shurgaia (Dipartimento di Studi sull’ Asia esull’ Africa Mediterranea, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice) discussed Vakhtang Gorgasali’s reform which introduced the catholicosate: clarified its reasons, established the date of its implementation, and its significance for the reorganization of the Church of Kartli. Irma Makaradze proposed Georgian sources for Shakespeare's Cymbeline. The latter may be connected to Anthony Shirley’s visit at the Persian Court, where he may have heard about The Man in the Panther Skin. 

The Chair of the session Rustaveli: A 12^th-century Georgian Poet and Thinker was Professor Donald Rayfield. The papers were presented by Professor of Tbilisi State University Elguja Khintibidze — Reinterpretation and Renewal of the Concept of Love from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. The presentation was also made by American Kartvelologist Bert Beynen (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Temple University, Philadelphia) – Shota Rustaveli's Philosophy of Friendship: Aristotelian or Georgian?  And by Italian professor Luigi Magarotto (Dipartimento di Studi Linguistici e Culturali Comparati, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice), – The Meaning of “Vepx-i” in Shota Rustaveli’s “The Man in the Panther’s Skin”.

Bert Beynen contrasted Aristotle’s conception of friendship, a friend is “another self”, with Rustaveli’s one, which   describes friends who are each other’s opposite initially, but then develop into teacher - pupil relation. On the basis of   translations from Hebrew and Persian and Georgian miniatures, Professor Luigi Magarotto concluded, that “vepx-i” should be translated as ‘leopard’ or ‘panther’, and not ‘tiger’.  Professor Elguja Khintibidze discussed the divine reinterpretation of the human emotion of love, characteristic not only for late medieval Europe, but also earlier for Shota Rustaveli’s poem The Man in the Panther Skin. 

The sessions were attended by researchers of Medieval Studies from different countries, such as USA, UK, Italy, etc. After presenting the papers, interesting discussions took place. The foreign colleagues were interested in various issues of Georgian/Kartvelian Studies, namely “what was the main channel through which the plot of the MPS penetrated into the English dramaturgy circles?” “What is the premise of the friendship concept of the MPS?” There were also questions about religious tolerance in Georgia and etc.

The working process of the Kartvelological sessions was successful, Georgian and foreign Kartvelologists unanimously summed up the most important issues for Georgian/ Kartvelian Studies.

Besides Kartvelological sessions, Medievalists from different Universities of Georgia made presentations at the Congress. Specifically, Professor of Tbilisi State University Mariam Chkhartishvili made a presentation on David the Builder in Medieval and Modern Narratives. PH.D student of Tbilisi State University and a member of the Centre for Kartvelian/Georgian Studies (Tbilisi State University) Sophio Guliashvili discussed the Renewal of Medieval Hagiography for Modern Europe.

Such sharing of experiences, introducing the latest Kartvelological researchers as well as exchanging the latest information are crucial in the process of popularization and promotion of Georgian scholarly works as well as Georgian culture.