International Interdisciplinary Academic Conference in Honor of Academician Mzekala Shanidze

Date: 16-Jan-2026 - 17-Jan-2026
Location: Tbilisi, Georgia
Contact: Ekaterine Navrozashvili
Contact Email: [email protected]

Linguistic Field(s): Anthropological Linguistics; Historical Linguistics; Linguistic Theories; Translation; Writing Systems
Subject Language(s): Georgian (kat)

Submission Deadline: 05-Dec-2025

The Faculty of Humanities of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, the National Academy of Sciences of Georgia, the Korneli Kekelidze National Centre of Manuscripts of Georgia, and the State Language Department will hold an international interdisciplinary academic conference in honor of Academician Mzekala Shanidze – “Mzekala Shanidze – 100” on January 16-17, 2026.
Those wishing to participate in the conference must submit their abstracts by December 5, 2025, to the email address: [email protected]

Conference Participation Format: In-person attendance (presentation). Online participation is also permitted for foreign participants.

The conference covers the following areas:
- Kartvelology
- Philology (linguistics, lexicology-lexicography, onomastics, literary studies, codicology, textology, folklore studies, translation studies)
- History (source studies, archival studies, ethnology-ethnography, anthropology, archaeology)
- Art Studies (theory and history of art, audio and visual arts)
- Culturology (ancient studies, theory and practice of culture, cultural history, museum affairs)
- Philosophy (history of philosophy, cognition and cognitive aspects, philosophy of language)
- Biblical Studies
- Oriental Studies (Semitology, Armenology, Georgian-Oriental linguistic and literary contacts)
- Digital Kartvelology (methods of material documentation and archiving, digital archives and databases)
- Other (abstracts on other Kartvelological topics will also be accepted)

Conference Venue: Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Georgia
Working Languages: Georgian, English
Additional Events: Within the framework of the conference, a photo exhibition dedicated to Mzekala Shanidze and the presentation of the collection “Mzekala Shanidze - 100 Letters” will be held.
Contact Person: Head of the Office of Academic Research and Development of TSU Faculty of Humanities, Associate Professor Ekaterine Navrozashvili, TSU, Building I, Room 204.

Abstract Formatting Guidelines:
Please include the following information in a unified document (MS Word):
1. Author’s name and surname in Georgian and English
2. Abstract title in Georgian and English
3. Organization name in Georgian and English
4. Faculty name in Georgian and English
5. Main text of abstracts (MS Word and PDF format) in Georgian and English
6. 3-5 keywords in Georgian and English
7. Format: A4
8. Font: UNICODE (Sylfaen)
9. Begin the main text of abstracts/articles from the next new page, using font size 12.
10. Computer versions of photos and other graphic images should be saved in JPG format.
11. Abstract word limit: 300 words
12. The itle Page should be Formatted in following order:
- Author(s) — font size 12, centered
- Title — font size 12, centered
- Organization, e.g., Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University — font size 12, centered
- Faculty name — font size 12, centered
- Keywords
- Main text of abstracts

Mzekala Shanidze Biography:
Mzekala Shanidze (born January 16, 1926, Tbilisi) is a Georgian linguist, philologist, Doctor of Philology, and Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Georgia.

Mzekala Shanidze graduated from the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Tbilisi State University in 1948. Since 1953, she has been involved in scholarly and teaching activities at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, serving as a senior lecturer, associate professor, and full professor. From 1981 to 2006, she was a professor at the Department of Old Georgian Language at the Faculty of Philology. Since 1982, she has led the academic research lab “Orioni” for studying Georgian manuscripts, established within this department. Since 2006, she has held the title of Professor Emeritus at TSU and has been an advisor to the Principal's Council.

Starting in 1957, she worked in the Manuscripts Department of the S. Janashia State Museum as a junior research fellow. In 1958, she began working at the Institute of Manuscripts, which was established based on this department, as a senior research fellow. From 1968 to 2002, she led the Department of Old Georgian Philology at the K. Kekelidze Institute of Manuscripts. Between 1958 and 1968, she also served as a senior researcher at the Semitology Department of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences of Georgia. From 2002 to 2006, she was the chief consultant at the K. Kekelidze National Centre of Manuscripts. She is the author of nearly 200 academic works, including 8 books. Individual works have been published in Germany, France, Belgium, Russia, and Greece.
Fields of Scientific Interest: Georgian language, history of Georgian literary language, lexicology, textology, codicology, Biblical studies, Semitology.

Honors and Recognition
- Since 2013: Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Georgia
- Since 2015: Honorary Citizen of Tbilisi
- 1990-1991: Member of the first convocation of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia; signatory of the Act of Restoration of State Independence of Georgia (April 9, 1991)
- 1996: Awarded the Order of Honor for exceptional contribution to the development of Georgian scholarship, fruitful pedagogical and social activities
- 2021: Awarded the Order of Queen Tamar for exceptional personal contribution to the development of Kartvelian Studies, research of old and new Georgian language and literature, Georgian history, Georgian cultural heritage, and outstanding social activities
She has also received various awards, including the Akaki Shanidze University Prize, Ivane Javakhishvili Prize of the National Academy of Sciences of Georgia, Shota Rustaveli Prize, Ivane Javakhishvili Medal, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University Medal, Ilia Medal, Qaqutsa Cholokashvili Order of Excellence, and other awards. She holds the honorary doctorates of several universities.

Selected Bibliography
- Old Georgian Redactions of the Psalter: According to 10th-13th Century Manuscripts (1960) - Tbilisi, Academy of Sciences of Georgia Publishing House, 484 pp.
- Old Georgian Translations of the Book of Psalms (1979) - Tbilisi, Metsniereba, 230 pp.
- Concordance of Georgian Psalter: Materials for Early Versions and Concordance of Giorgi Mtatsmideli's Redaction (2010) - Tbilisi, Nekeri, 383 pp.
- Sitqua-i Artront'atv's: Old Georgian Grammatical Treatise (1990) - Tbilisi, State University Press, 248 pp.
- The Historian of David the Builder, "Life of King of Kings David" (1992) - Sources of Georgian History 62; Monuments of Georgian Historical Writing IX; Tbilisi, Metsniereba Publishing House, 256 pp.
vBasili Ezosmodzghvari, "Life of King of Kings Tamar" - Critical publication of old Georgian text in "Life of Kartli" (Georgian Chronicle) (2008), pp. 483-522.
- Description of the Georgian Manuscripts Discovered in 1975 at St. Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai (2005) - Athens, 664 pp. (co-author, editor of entire book, translator of English section)
- Mzekala Shanidze, Collection. Scholarly Articles (2021) - Tbilisi, Ilia State University Press, 561 pp.

Source: National Academy of Sciences of Georgia: science.org.ge; Georgian Parliament website: old.parliament.ge; Book of Honor: Vol. 1/ Comp.: Tamaz Kipiani (ed.), Tengiz Gachechiladze, Guram Simonishvili.- Tbilisi, 2000. - p.319.