The sixth issue of CIVICUS is dedicated to multiculturalism, cultural diversity and relationships between the different groups. The articles in this issue are grouped into two different categories. First part is the theoretical one. Here you can find the article by Marie-Agnes Lamsdorf on the differences between multiculturalism and pluralism as well as an extract from Slavoj Žižek’s book Tolerance as an Ideological Category, where you can read about the difference between coexistence and equality of the cultures. Grigol Gegelia speaks about the main characteristics of republicanism and its relationship with the problem of multiculturalism.
In the second part of the issue, you will read the articles about the religious and ethnic minorities of Georgia. Particularly, about the courage of Georgian Jews and their anti-Soviet demonstration, the Armenian theater of Tbilisi and the Tbilisi Cemetery of Gorkhani Muslims.
The fifth issue of CIVICUS is about elections. Here you can read about the history of elections in Georgia, its characteristics and peculiarities. You will also be introduced to several articles about citizen involvement in electoral processes and its inclusive nature. The authors will try to answer the following questions: What are the main shortcomings of majoritarian elections in Georgia? Why are Georgian ruling parties afraid of the proportional electoral system? What has caused the huge queue of voters in South Africa?
In this issue, you will also be introduced to the comparative analysis of electoral systems, the first electoral precedents, information about the National Council of Georgia, the pre-election speech of Ilia Chavchavadze in 1897 and the memoirs of Giorgi Laskhishvili.
The fourth issue of CIVICUS is dedicated to the social movements. Here you can read about the Chartist Movement. They have started the fight for gaining the political rights, equal constituencies and protested against property qualifications. Thus they laid the foundation for the contemporary electoral systems. You will also be introduced to the adventures of Rudi Dutschke and the hippies. The authors seek to answer the following questions: What is the origin of the students’ protest and what was its forms outside of Georgia? Is there a need to mobilize millions of people in order to carry out a social movement? What kind of social battle strategies exists in a modern era?
In this issue, you will also be introduced to the story of 1905 Guria and Bakhvi Manifesto and the movies about social movements.
The main topic of the third issue of CIVICUS is the freedom of expression – representation of person’s inner world with any means of expression – a book, painting, musical work or megaphone. The authors seek to answer the following questions: Where should the borderline be drawn between freedom and obligation to tolerate others’ critical speech? What is the main aspect of freedom of expression? Are all means of expression legitimate? What is the price for freedom of expression? What is the legal framework for that? How did the Soviet censorship work and what influence did it have on Georgia back then?
Also, you can find interesting examples of internet censorship and read about the wall paintings in Iran, which has become one of the forms of expressing the protest.
The second number of CIVICUS is about the people with special needs and the issues connected to them. Here you can read the articles where the authors try to emphasize the importance of making environment adapted for the people with disabilities. In regard to this issue, you will find interviews, reports, portraits and blog posts as well as an extract from Ruben Gallego’s book White on Black. The respondents and the authors of CIVICUS seek to answer the following questions: What steps should be taken for the change? What will make the environment more universal? What efforts are made in Georgia in terms of promoting engagement of people with special needs in the political and electoral processes?
Besides abovementioned topics, the articles describe personal experiences of the individuals with special needs, successful examples of creating accessibility for disabled and the assessment of the existing environment.
