Launch of Marjory Wardrop’s 150th Birth Anniversary
On 12 February a kickoff event of the150th birth anniversary of Marjory Scott Wardrop was held at the Bodleian Library in Oxford.MarjoryWardrop (11 November 1869 – 7 December 1909) was an English scholar and translator of Georgian literature.
The launch event wasinitiated by the Embassy of Georgia to the UK and generously supported by the Marjory Wardrop Fund and the Bodleian Library. 150th birth anniversary of Marjory Wardrop is celebrated by UNESCO throughout 2019, the project that became possible with joint efforts of Georgia and the United Kingdom.
Ambassador of Georgia Tamar Beruchashvili opened the event and elaborated on Marjory Wardrop’s role and importance in the broader context of Georgia-UK relations.
An extensive talk on the legacy of Marjory Wardrop was given by Dr Gillian Evison, Head of the Marjory Wardrop Fund and Bodleian Libraries’ Keeper of Oriental Collections. She stressed the fact that there is an increasing interest towards the Collection among modern scholars which produces more academic research. Dr Evison also read abstracts from Wardrops’ letters, which besides Marjory’s great love and interest in Georgia, also showed her aspiration towards progressive ideas and change.
The launch of the Marjory Wardrop’s UNESCO anniversary year in the UK coincided with the exhibition in Weston Library Gallery ‘Sappho to Suffrage: women who dared’ showcasing some of the Bodleian's most remarkable and treasured items about the emancipated women, including Marjory Wardrop, who had the big impact on political and social environments of their times.
After conclusion of the official part of the launch event the audience was invited to view the exhibition and make notes in a special guests’ book.
Georgian Studies Programme Conference
The same day Georgian Studies Programme Conference took place at the University of Oxford.
The Programme operates since 2017 as a part of the Russian and East European Studies (REES) on the basis of the agreement between Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation and the University of Oxford. It acts as a focus for the academic study and research on Georgia across the University of Oxford. Georgian Studies Programme represents a very tangible example of people to people contacts which is one of the most important directions of UK-Georgia relations, accordingly reflected in the Wardrop Strategic Dialogue, high level format between the two countries.
The Georgian Studies Programme Conference, held annually at St Antony’s College of the University of Oxford, puts forward a solid academic agenda covering questions that are significant and of high interest for Georgia and the wider Region; whether it is historic events or contemporary politics, culture or social cohesion; achievements, challenges and opportunities in all these directions. Bringing such diverse content to the Conference undoubtedly further enriches academic dialogue between British and Georgian scholars.
In the frames of the Conference Zviad Gabisonia, director of the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation and Christopher Gerry, Chair of the Russian and Eastern European Studies Management Committee signed the document on continuing the cooperation.