On January 23, we organized a workshop on the topic of remembrance. Participants learned about the conceptual history of the field of memory studies, how to apply the concepts to remembrance in Georgia, and thought about how memory manifests itself in Tbilisi.
The workshop began with an interactive exploration of the conceptual history of memory studies. Participants visited various stations in the DRONI office, where they read about key thinkers and concepts in the field. They collaboratively placed these ideas on a “memory tree,” organizing them chronologically to visualize the development of the discipline. The founding father Maurice Halbwachs was at the roots of the tree and modern concepts were on the branches.

In the next activity, participants engaged in group discussions to apply their newfound knowledge by addressing a question about Georgia. This encouraged them to connect theoretical concepts with real-world contexts.
In the second half of the workshop, participants worked in groups to create a memory map of Tbilisi. They marked locations that represent personal memories, sites of national significance, forgotten or neglected memories, and places shaped by political actors. This activity fostered a deeper understanding of how memory manifests in the urban and cultural landscape of Tbilisi using the concept of “places of memory” by Pierre Nora.

