The Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic (TDFR), which included present-day Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and surrounding territories, only lasted over a month between April-May 1918, but the idea of this federative republic has a much broader history. Dr Adrian Brisku explains how the TDFR came into being and the reasons for its failure. 00:14 Introduction 01:38 What was the Transcaucasian Republic? 07:57 What were the main political and ideological beliefs espoused by its creators? 13:14 What led to the collapse of the Transcaucasian Republic? 20:35 Was the Transcaucasian Republic doomed to fail from the start? 29:08 What lessons can we draw from the Transcaucasian Republic for the present?

2:20 - Ecem's interest in the architecture of the South Caucasus 6:50 - Role of architecture in identity construction and nation-building in the modern and pre-modern eras 11:40 - Intertwined histories of South Caucasus 17:20 - Architecture beyond religious buildings 20:40 - Collaboration of architects in South Caucasus 27:30 - What can we do differently from what has already been done? Ecem Sarıçayır and Flora Khazaryan discuss the role that architecture plays in the formation and preservation of identity among the peoples of the South Caucasus as well as its politicisation by the nation-state.

Gayane Ayvazyan, Senior Researcher at Matenadaran in Yerevan, and Leon Aslanov, co-founder of CaucasusTalks, discuss a range of political issues, linking them to the South Caucasus. In Armenian with English subtitles in the captions. Original link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiyZ7FSTv44

The Udi communities are one of the smallest in the South Caucasus, but their importance in terms of the history of the region and the historiography of Caucasian Albania is significant. Alexander Kavtaradze discusses his research on the Udi communities of the region and how the Udi culture and identity transcend the borders of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. The photo on the cover: The Udi girls of Zinobiani playing table tennis (The photo archive of Ana Patchikashvili) Alexander Kavtaradze personal history 2:11 Similarities and differences between Udi communities in the region 3:31 Do Udis feel more affiliated with a particular nation-state? 10:10 Do Udis identify with the historical Caucasian Albania? 11:25 How does the politicisation of Caucasian Albania affect Udi communities? 18:50 What are the main social and cultural challenges faced by Udi communities? 24:35

Flora Ghazaryan and Mirkamran Huseynli discuss the teaching of history in schools in Armenia and Azerbaijan, focusing on the content of history textbooks in both countries, how it affects the societies in general, and how an alternative teaching of history is possible. What periods of history do school textbooks focus on? 2:35 Stereotypes in history school textbooks 9:40 Omissions of history in the textbooks 16:35 Alternative history teaching in schools 33:00

Diana Yayloyan discusses with Sopiko Japaridze the protests in Rioni Valley in Georgia. This issue has brought out related topics such as workers' conditions, foreign investment and capitalism, and the right-wing violence witnessed at Pride in Tbilisi. 2:22 - Anti-dam protests, Georgian right-wing, attacks on Pride and journalists 29:56 - Foreign capital and investment in Georgia 41:06 - Reaction of Turkish company to anti-dam protests 44:30 - Are the environmental protests in Georgia challenging neo-liberalism? 54:21 - Prospects for regional co-operation

Armenian literature that touches on the Karabakh conflict is relatively little known. Arakel Minassian discusses with Samira Alakbarli the main pieces of "peace literature" written in Armenia in the past few years and what influence literature can have on Armenian-Azerbaijani relations in general. 01:10 - Arakel's interest in literature about the Karabakh conflict 06:42 - Two books: Hambartsumyan's "Two Hours" and Gharslyan's "Aterazma" 23:58 - Have the writers changed their opinions after the 2020 Karabakh war? 30:08 - Which other Armenian writers have written about the Karabakh conflict? 34:43 - What is the reaction of Armenian society to this literature? 37:32 - Can Armenian and Azerbaijani writers play a role in peacebuilding?

David Leupold's interest in the nationalisms and history of Turks, Armenians and Kurds 1:24 Armenian nationalism's relationship with Turks and Kurds 5:00 Relationship between Yezidis in Armenia and Kurds in Turkey 10:29 Turkish nationalism's relationship with Armenians and Armenia 15:02 Kurdish nationalism's relationship with Armenians and Armenia 17:07 Victimhood & nationalism 21:59 The effect of victimhood in Armenian nationalism 24:45 Is there a new generation of scholars in Armenia who look at nationalism critically? 28:40 Can we imagine a post-nationalist reality for the future? 36:09 David Leupold is author of the book "Embattled Dreamlands - the Politics of Contesting Armenian, Turkish and Kurdish Memories" published this year in spring. He discusses with Leon Aslanov the way in which the aforementioned overlapping nationalisms compete for space and power and how we can imagine a future in which essentialist imaginations of the nation may give way to more inclusive approaches.

Leon Aslanov is in conversation with Dr Shalala Mammadova, a historian specialising in political regimes of the 20th century in the South Caucasus, focusing mainly on Azerbaijan. They discuss matters concerning the study of historiography in Azerbaijan today. Historiography, the study of how history is written, is a topic of political importance in the South Caucasus as it is used to mould an imagined past and future of each nation while legitimising its "singular" trajectory. 1. What are the sensitive topics that exist in Azerbaijani historiography? 2:44 2. How did Russian and Soviet historiography influence Azerbaijani national consciousness? 5:36 3. The place of "non-Turkic" people in Azerbaijani historiography 10:25 4. International research on Azerbaijani history 13:00 5. Cooperation between historians in the South Caucasus? 20:23 6. Personal experience as an academic in Azerbaijan 22:53

Nukri Tabidze is in conversation with Mayranush about a highly significant environmental issue in Armenia regarding the initiative to exploit Amulsar's natural resources. Protests have been taking place for years and both activists and locals have been in a fight to prevent international investors from exploiting Amulsar. The Armenian Environment Front have been a key part of this struggle to Save Amulsar. What is Amulsar? 1:20 The issue of law suits 8:09 Myths that the mining project is "good for the country and the economy" 14:33 Amulsar protests and ways to support and find information 20:18 You can follow the activities of the Armenian Environmental Front here: Youtube: https://bit.ly/2PZo5HE Sign a petition: https://bit.ly/326EFLi FB page: https://www.facebook.com/armecofront/ info on Amulsar: http://www.armecofront.net/

Researcher Nargiz Mukhtarova discusses the situation of women's rights in Azerbaijan with Christina Soloyan. Following a string of femicides and women's rights abuses last year, civil society groups in the country activated campaigns to protest against and raise awareness about these incidents. Violence against women manifests itself in similar ways across the South Caucasus. Discussions on this issue have been gaining more and more traction in the region in recent years. The speakers also discuss possibilities for regional cooperation on the matter. Website dedicated to violence against women 2:30 Do women reach out for support if it is available? 6:44 Victim-blaming and individualisation of responsibility 8:42 The state and policy-making regarding violence against women 14:15 Istanbul Convention 19:12 The role of civil society 21:16 Non-institutionalised activism 23:33 Regional cooperation 25:42

Tigranna Zakaryan and Mirkamran Huseynli discuss how the Armenian diaspora is involved (or not involved) in shaping Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and how we can move forward in a different direction. Outbursts of fighting took place across Armenian and Azerbaijani diaspora communities following military clashes in the Tavush-Tovuz region. These instances of violence from Los Angeles to Moscow show just how little Armenians and Azerbaijanis are speaking to one another at home and abroad. CaucasusTalks aims to bridge this gap and show that it is possible to have a dialogue despite the circumstances. Tigranna Zakaryan's personal background 1:45 Armenian diaspora perception of Turks and Azerbaijanis 5:56 Armenians in the diaspora who have views outside of the mainstream 9:27 Armenian diaspora organisations' relationship vis-à-vis Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict 14:33 Do we work to change the organisations/system from within or strive to create something new? 20:21 Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/Caucasus-Talks-106963547712599/ https://twitter.com/CaucasusTalks https://www.instagram.com/caucasustalks/ Telegram: @CaucasusTalks

Leon Aslanov is in conversation with Gabriel Chubinidze, a sociologist from Georgia discussing developments at the Tskaltubo resort, a place of refuge for people displaced from war and a hot-spot for business profiteers. 1. What is Tskaltubo? 1:22 2. The situation of displaced people in Tskaltubo 4:35 3. The impact/consequences of reconstruction & business development 11:50