Malkhaz Saldadze

Assistant Professor

Conflict transformation; Politics of democratization; Russian, East European, Central Asian Studies; History; Political Philosophy.

Malkhaz Saldadze earned his Ph.D. from George Mason University’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. He also received an MA in Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies from the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. His Ph.D. research is focused on the narration of history and the transformation of conflicts in Georgia and engages with social-cultural and gender perspectives on relevant issues. As part of civil society and various research institutions in Georgia, he worked on these issues through programs and projects, including cross-border South Caucasus initiatives to shape public discourses on conflict transformation, gender equality, civic engagement, and European integration. Malkhaz Saldadze also worked on empowering feminist CSOs in Georgia, developing skills and expertise in organizational culture and conflict management.

Current Research

Transtemporal Agora of Georgia: Memoryscapes in Downtown Tbilisi as a Legitimizing and Mobilizing Source for Democratic Protest.

Strategies of Survival for the Subaltern Groups in Urban Areas: Case of the Roma in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Selected Publications

Post-Soviet Society and State in Russia (in Georgian). BTKK Policy Analysis Centre. Tbilisi, Georgia, 2008.

Arthur Shacklock, Malkhaz Saldadze, et al. Georgian National Integrity Systems Assessment. Open Society Georgia Foundation. Tbilisi. 2007.

Newspapers Outside the Capital: How International Assistance Influenced Print Media in Georgia's Regions. CIPDD. Tbilisi. 2007.

Regional Media Map of Georgia. CIPDD. Tbilisi. 2005.

Defrosting the Conflict in Tskhinvali: Is the “Revolution of Roses” Still Going On? Central Asia and Caucasus Journal. N5 (29), 2004.

Courses Taught

CONF320: Interpersonal Conflict Analysis and Resolution

CONF326: Cross-Cultural Negotiation

CONF329: Community Engagement and Collaborative Problem-Solving

CONF330: Community, Group, and Organization Conflict Analysis and Resolution

CONF340: Global Conflict Analysis and Resolution

CONF399: South Caucasus - Regional and Global Conflicts and Paths to Peaceful Resolution

Education

PhD George Mason University, Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution 2022

MA University of Washington, Henry M Jackson School for International Studies 2018

MA Manchester University / Moscow School for Social and Economic Sciences 2002

MA Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University 2000

BA Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University 1998

Recent Presentations

Opening the World: Georgia's Path of Post-Communist Transition. Delivered on June 5, 2024. Museum of Modern and Contemporary Arts. Seoul, Republic of South Korea.

Transtemporal Agora of Georgia: Memoryscapes in Downtown Tbilisi as a Legitimizing and Mobilizing Source for Democratic Protest. Delivered on January 10, 2025. Geopolitics, Migrations and Identities in Central Eurasia. Lisbon, Portugal.

Memory of the Place and Mobilization for Political Openness in Pro-European Societies Challenged by Authoritarian Backsliding. Delivered on March 5, 2025. International Studies Association 66th Annual Convention 2025. Chicago, IL, USA.

"Correction" of Historical Memories: How Does Historical Revisionism Ensure Survival of Russian Imperial Power in Russia and Its Neighborhood? Delivered on July 17, 2025. International Association for Reconciliation Studies (IARS) 6th Annual Conference. Seoul, South Korea.

In the Media

Georgia is doomed not to be multi-vectoral. May 3, 2025. Azerbaijani-based Think-Tank Topchubashev Center. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KYhf1-G2qE&t=161s

EVERYDAY AND CULTURAL RUSSIFICATION: How the USSR Erased the Identity of Nations (in Russian). August 3, 2023. Kyrgyz Civil Movement BASHTA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IPPIFdBWUc&t=48s

We are Too Much Attached to Traumas of Our Past (in Russian). January 31, 2023. Armenian Journalists’ Association REGION Research Center. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8ldcG87qYQ