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Parliamentary Buildings as Contested Spaces in Georgia and Ukraine: Power, Protest, and Legitimacy from the Soviet Era to Post-Independence

Kobeshavidze, Lika LU (2025) In Masters Thesis EUHR18 20251
European Studies
Abstract
This thesis explores the changing symbolic meanings of parliamentary buildings in Georgia and Ukraine. It focuses on how these spaces evolved from symbols of Soviet authority to main sites of resistance and political struggle through protest movements. The study offers a comparative analysis of Georgia and Ukraine through six key events that illustrate the symbolic transformation of the parliament buildings: the Georgian language protests and the Helsinki Group movement during the late Soviet era (1978–1988), the independence movements of 1989–1991 in both countries; the Rose Revolution in Georgia (2003), and the Orange Revolution in Ukraine (2004).

The thesis uses Most Similar Systems Design (MSSD) to compare Ukraine and Georgia, two... (More)
This thesis explores the changing symbolic meanings of parliamentary buildings in Georgia and Ukraine. It focuses on how these spaces evolved from symbols of Soviet authority to main sites of resistance and political struggle through protest movements. The study offers a comparative analysis of Georgia and Ukraine through six key events that illustrate the symbolic transformation of the parliament buildings: the Georgian language protests and the Helsinki Group movement during the late Soviet era (1978–1988), the independence movements of 1989–1991 in both countries; the Rose Revolution in Georgia (2003), and the Orange Revolution in Ukraine (2004).

The thesis uses Most Similar Systems Design (MSSD) to compare Ukraine and Georgia, two countries that share a common Soviet past and similar experiences with mass protests, although the state response and course of the events differ in detail. The analysis focuses on Henri Lefebvre’s idea of space as socially produced and Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of symbolic power, combined with discourse analysis methods by Norman Fairclough and Teun van Dijk. These theoretical frameworks allow a detailed analysis of how the discourse of the population, the language of protest, and the collective perception influence the change in the symbolic meaning of these spaces. By focusing on both the discursive and physical aspects of protests, the thesis emphasizes that these buildings are more than administrative centers and that during specific events, they change their symbolic meaning through the discourse and actions of the protesters. (Less)
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author
Kobeshavidze, Lika LU
supervisor
organization
course
EUHR18 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Parliament buildings, symbolic transformation, protest movements, post Soviet space, Georgia, Ukraine, Soviet legacy, political symbolism, mass mobilization, discourse analysis, symbolic power, spatial theory, European Studies
publication/series
Masters Thesis
language
English
id
9193387
date added to LUP
2025-06-10 13:03:09
date last changed
2025-06-10 13:03:09
@misc{9193387,
  abstract     = {{This thesis explores the changing symbolic meanings of parliamentary buildings in Georgia and Ukraine. It focuses on how these spaces evolved from symbols of Soviet authority to main sites of resistance and political struggle through protest movements. The study offers a comparative analysis of Georgia and Ukraine through six key events that illustrate the symbolic transformation of the parliament buildings: the Georgian language protests and the Helsinki Group movement during the late Soviet era (1978–1988), the independence movements of 1989–1991 in both countries; the Rose Revolution in Georgia (2003), and the Orange Revolution in Ukraine (2004). 

The thesis uses Most Similar Systems Design (MSSD) to compare Ukraine and Georgia, two countries that share a common Soviet past and similar experiences with mass protests, although the state response and course of the events differ in detail. The analysis focuses on Henri Lefebvre’s idea of space as socially produced and Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of symbolic power, combined with discourse analysis methods by Norman Fairclough and Teun van Dijk. These theoretical frameworks allow a detailed analysis of how the discourse of the population, the language of protest, and the collective perception influence the change in the symbolic meaning of these spaces. By focusing on both the discursive and physical aspects of protests, the thesis emphasizes that these buildings are more than administrative centers and that during specific events, they change their symbolic meaning through the discourse and actions of the protesters.}},
  author       = {{Kobeshavidze, Lika}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Masters Thesis}},
  title        = {{Parliamentary Buildings as Contested Spaces in Georgia and Ukraine: Power, Protest, and Legitimacy from the Soviet Era to Post-Independence}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}