Ilia’s Library: A New Perspective in the Study of Ilia Chavchavadze’s Legacy

Abstract

Ilia Chavchavadze is credited with starting the nationalist discourse and the tradition of liberalism in Georgia. He also was among the first to confront socialism and the socialists. However, the origins of his ideas and consequently, their philosophical, socio-political and economic footing remain understudied, being limited to a handful of works. The same is true about the place and role of the tradition of liberalism Georgia was exposed to in Chavchavadze’s times.