Vol. 2 (2025)
Articles

Becoming a Memory Activist: The Encounters with the Documents at the KGB MIA Archive in Tbilisi, Georgia

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  • Laura Mafizzoli
Laura Mafizzoli
Czech Academy of Sciences, Czechia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/asiac-3762

Published 2025-11-10

Keywords

  • Epistemic anxiety,
  • Memory activism,
  • Archival research,
  • Georgia

How to Cite

Mafizzoli, L. (2025). Becoming a Memory Activist: The Encounters with the Documents at the KGB MIA Archive in Tbilisi, Georgia. ASIAC – Studies on Central Asia and the Caucasus (SCC), 2, 45–62. https://doi.org/10.36253/asiac-3762

Copyright (c) 2025 Laura Mafizzoli

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

This article explores the transformative process of becoming a memory activist in Tbilisi, Georgia, through the case of Ms. Nestan, who first encountered archival documents related to her great-uncle’s arrest and death during the so-called “Great Terror” (1936–38) in 2018. Her engagement with these formerly classified KGB records emerged amidst the authoritarian turn of the Georgian Dream government, prompting a profound shift in her perception of the past and its implications for the future. This article examines how reading these documents through a post-socialist lens generated an urgent need for action, as Ms. Nestan sought to prevent a return to a coercive and violent past akin to what her family endured. Building on this individual trajectory, the paper further investigates how archival materials serve as catalysts for memory activism, shaping both personal and collective engagements with the past and the future. By tracing Ms. Nestan’s journey from archival discovery to activism, this study sheds light on the broader implications of memory activism in post-Soviet Georgia, contributing to ongoing discussions on the role of memory activism in shaping collective remembrance and political agency in contexts of authoritarian resurgence.

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