Hydropower Development and Resistance in Georgia: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Save the Rioni Valley Movement
(2022) HEKM51 20221Department of Human Geography
Human Ecology
- Abstract (Swedish)
- This thesis investigates the movement resisting Namakhvani Hydropower Plant Cascade Project, the largest energy project envisioned in Georgia since the declaration of independence. A Critical Discourse Analysis is used to understand the motives behind the resistance, which encompass both invocations of traditional values such as defense of ancestral land and livelihood and liberal concepts such as citizenship and private property. Furthermore, the movement problematizes the concept of development that fails to deliver benefits to the local population. The protestors expose Namakhvani HPP as anti-national and question the energy policy and resource management in the country. At the same time, the protest leaders encourage the average... (More)
- This thesis investigates the movement resisting Namakhvani Hydropower Plant Cascade Project, the largest energy project envisioned in Georgia since the declaration of independence. A Critical Discourse Analysis is used to understand the motives behind the resistance, which encompass both invocations of traditional values such as defense of ancestral land and livelihood and liberal concepts such as citizenship and private property. Furthermore, the movement problematizes the concept of development that fails to deliver benefits to the local population. The protestors expose Namakhvani HPP as anti-national and question the energy policy and resource management in the country. At the same time, the protest leaders encourage the average citizen’s bottom-up participation in democratic processes in Georgia. However, the movement is not without contradictions, as demonstrated by incidents surrounding Tbilisi Pride 2021. Although the protest has succeeded in defending the Rioni Valley by getting the construction company to pull out, the emergence of a broader alliance against unjust energy projects and resource exploitation has been indefinitely postponed due to the disintegration of unity after the Save the Rioni Valley movement opposed Pride. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9097344
- author
- Jakeli, Tamar LU
- supervisor
-
- Eric Clark LU
- organization
- course
- HEKM51 20221
- year
- 2022
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- hydropower conflict, land grabbing, green grabbing, slow violence, environmentalism of the poor, Georgia
- language
- English
- id
- 9097344
- date added to LUP
- 2022-09-28 14:47:35
- date last changed
- 2022-09-28 14:47:35
@misc{9097344, abstract = {{This thesis investigates the movement resisting Namakhvani Hydropower Plant Cascade Project, the largest energy project envisioned in Georgia since the declaration of independence. A Critical Discourse Analysis is used to understand the motives behind the resistance, which encompass both invocations of traditional values such as defense of ancestral land and livelihood and liberal concepts such as citizenship and private property. Furthermore, the movement problematizes the concept of development that fails to deliver benefits to the local population. The protestors expose Namakhvani HPP as anti-national and question the energy policy and resource management in the country. At the same time, the protest leaders encourage the average citizen’s bottom-up participation in democratic processes in Georgia. However, the movement is not without contradictions, as demonstrated by incidents surrounding Tbilisi Pride 2021. Although the protest has succeeded in defending the Rioni Valley by getting the construction company to pull out, the emergence of a broader alliance against unjust energy projects and resource exploitation has been indefinitely postponed due to the disintegration of unity after the Save the Rioni Valley movement opposed Pride.}}, author = {{Jakeli, Tamar}}, language = {{eng}}, note = {{Student Paper}}, title = {{Hydropower Development and Resistance in Georgia: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Save the Rioni Valley Movement}}, year = {{2022}}, }