Brian George Hewitt

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Brian George Hewitt

FBA
Born (1949-11-11) 11 November 1949 (age 74)
Doncaster, England
Nationality English
Alma mater University of Cambridge
Occupation Linguist
SpouseZaira Kiazimovna Khiba
Children2
Website http://georgehewitt.net/

Brian George Hewitt, FBA (born 11 November 1949) is an English academic linguist who is Emeritus Professor of Caucasian languages as the School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas), University of London. [1] [2] Since 1993, he has been the self-styled "Honorary Consul of the Republic of Abkhazia in Great Britain". [3] [4]

Contents

Life

Early life

Hewitt was born in Doncaster, England into the family of Thomas Douglas and Joan Hewitt (née Cousins). [5] He received his primary and secondary education in his hometown where he attended the former Doncaster Grammar School for boys (now called the Hall Cross Academy), which has been in existence since at least 1350. Here he focussed his studies on Latin, Ancient Greek, and ancient history, which he completed in 1968. [1] [5]

Study at Cambridge and study tours

He then enrolled at St John's College, Cambridge where he read Classics. [5] During his time in Cambridge, he received (in addition to his Open Henry Arthur Thomas Scholarship in Classics) a College Henry Arthur Thomas Travel Grant. In addition he was awarded a John Stewart of Rannoch Scholarship during his second undergraduate-year and at the end of that year won from his college a Graves Prize. He successfully completed undergraduate studies in 1972, earning a Bachelor's degree (BA), selecting for his final year of the Classics Tripos the philology option (Group E). He continued his studies in 1972–1973 for the Cambridge Diploma in Linguistics, having been awarded a Warr Classical Studentship. His dissertation for the Diploma was entitled Some Semantic Aspects of Complementation in Latin. In 1976 he took his Master of Arts (MA) degree. [1] [5] Later in 1982, he received his PhD; his doctoral dissertation compared subordination in the Georgian and Abkhaz languages. [1]

After flirting with the idea of joining the police service in Liverpool, he decided to embark in 1973 on a doctorate, wanting to compare/contrast Ancient Greek with another Indo-European language. [1] The advice of Cambridge’s then-Emeritus Professor of Sanskrit, the distinguished Indo-Europeanist Sir Harold Bailey, whom he consulted was to choose either Lithuanian or Armenian. Initially Hewitt thought that Lithuanian might be the more attractive option. However, as he would need a long-distance adviser for whichever language he selected (Cambridge not having a specialist in either), he contacted Oxford’s Professor of Comparative Slavonic Philology, Robert Auty, for Lithuanian and Oxford’s Professor of Armenian, Charles Dowsett, for Armenian. Prof. Auty proved difficult to reach and by the time his positive response was received, Hewitt had already elected to work on Old Armenian under the general supervision of Alan Sommerstein, but, when the latter moved to Nottingham in 1974, Bernard Comrie took over. [1]

Although for two years Hewitt was gathering relevant data for Greek and Armenian, he was developing an ever keener interest in Georgian and other Caucasian languages. He persuaded the British Council to send him for the academic year 1975–1976 to Tbilisi State University (Georgian SSR) to receive tuition in Georgian. [5] This was to change his life, [4] for he soon became acquainted with Abkhazian post-graduate student Zaira Kiazimovna Khiba, whom he married on 25 June 1976 in Tbilisi, and with whom he has two daughters: Amra Shukia Hewitt and Gunda Amza-Natia Hewitt, each of whom has two children. [5]

From 1976 to 1978 he de-registered as a doctoral student and worked as research-assistant on a project on the Non-Slavic languages of the USSR led by Bernard Comrie, which was funded by the British Social Science Research Council. Hewitt was able to contribute materials on Caucasian languages, and thereby began his career as a caucasologist. [1]

In 1978, he received the Marjory Wardrop Scholarship (administered by the Oxford-based Board of Management of the Wardrop Fund) to study the differences between Georgian, Old Georgian and Abkhazian, and for this he re-registered for a doctorate (albeit with a revised topic) at Cambridge University’s Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics, where ultimately he defended his thesis which was now entitled Comparative-contrastive Study of the Syntax of Subordinate Clauses in Georgian and Abkhaz. During the Academic Year 1979-1980 he made another study-trip to Soviet Georgia on a second exchange-visit courtesy of the British Council, where he gathered further materials for inclusion in the aforementioned doctoral thesis, together with other materials for later use. [1]

Academic career

After his second return from Georgia, he became a Lecturer in Linguistics at the University of Hull where he worked from 1981 to 1988. In 1982, his doctorate was awarded following a viva voce examination before internal examiner Prof. W. Sidney Allen and external examiner Prof. David Marshall Lang, though his publishing career had already begun with the appearance in 1979 of Lingua Descriptive Studies 2: Abkhaz, which he co-authored with his wife. [5]

When the Linguistics’ Department at University of Hull was closed in 1988, he was transferred to London where he worked firstly as a lecturer in Caucasian languages and Linguistics at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). [6] In 1992, he became Reader in Caucasian languages there and finally a Professor in 1996. [1] [2]

During his academic career, he has been a member of the Board of Management of the Marjory Wardrop Fund in Oxford (since 1983); in 1985, he became a member of the editorial board of the French publication Revue des Etudes Géorgiennes et Caucasiennes which was published regularly until 1993. He was on the Editorial board of the journal Central Asia Survey (CAS) from 1993 to 2015 [7] and has similarly served since 2015 on the board of Journal of Caucasian Studies (JOCAS).

From 1985 to 1990 he was a member of the Council of the Philological Society and from 1986 to 1990 became the first president of the Societas Caucasologica Europaea. [2] In 1997 he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. [2] Since 1995 he has been an honorary member of the International Circassian Academy of Sciences, and an honorary member of the Abkhazian Academy of Sciences. [1] [2] in 2004 he was awarded Abkhazia’s Order of Honour and Glory (2nd grade) [5] and holds medals from both Abkhazia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Abkhazia's Ministry of Defence.

In 2015 he retired from SOAS. [2] [6]

Hewitt's role in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict

Until 1989, he continued to visit Soviet Georgia to gather additional material for his research and noted with growing alarm, largely on the basis of what was being written in such outlets as the weekly organ of the Georgian Writers' Union Literary Georgia (Georgian :ლიტერატურული საქართველო, Russian : Литературная Грузия), the growing tension between the Abkhazians and the Georgians. [4] [6] It was in 1989 that Georgia's relationship with him suddenly changed when, despite his wife's warning, he sent to the editorial office 'Literary Georgia' his Open Letter to the Georgian People (in Georgian) in May of that year. [5] [8]

Though initially unpublished in Tbilisi, its content became known in Abkhazia, thanks to the posting in the centre of Abkhazia's capital, Sukhumi, of a Russian translation. It was only after the first fatal clashes between Georgians and Abkhazians in Sukhumi on 15–16 July [6] and Hewitt's subsequent meeting with the head of the Georgian Communist Party, Givi Gumbaridze, in Ochamchire on 17 July that the 'letter' was published in 'Literary Georgia' on 21 July. Georgians saw his intervention against Georgians as a 'stab in the back'. Hewitt became an instant target of abuse and mud-slinging across the entire Georgian media. [9]

As a result of the events of the War in Abkhazia from 1992 to 1993, he became a supporter of independent Abkhazia and accepted an offer from Abkhazian leader Vladislav Ardzinba to serve as its Honorary Consul in the United Kingdom, [2] virtually earning the title of Persona non grata in Georgia. [4] [5] Nevertheless, in the mid-2000s (c.2006) he considered returning to Tbilisi to discuss participation in a research-project funded by the Volkswagenstiftung. However, the day before he planned to book his ticket, he was alerted to a question that had been posed that week in the Parliament of Georgia to Georgia's ambassador-elect to the UK, namely: "When you get to London, what will you do about the anti-Georgian activities of George Hewitt?" [4] Seeing this, Hewitt immediately decided that he would make no further visits to the Republic of Georgia which over the years called for his dismissal from his academic posts. [10] The British Foreign Office was prevailed upon to request that he desist from calling himself honorary consul of a state that the British government does not recognise. However, when asked to cite the treaty or convention which prohibits British citizens from calling themselves whatever they wish, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office accepted that there exists no such prohibition and simply requested that he cease so styling himself.

He was present in person in Abkhazia on 26 August 2008 when Russia declared its recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and witnessed the celebrations in Sukhum. However, he remains skeptical about the likelihood of wider recognition of Abkhazia's independence, even though he believes that this would be the best outcome for the future not only of the young republic but also of Georgia too. [4] Indeed he would like to see Georgia being the next to offer such recognition in the belief that, if Georgia were to take this step, the rest of the world would surely follow, and normal inter-state, neighbourly relations would be established between the two republics and one of the world’s frozen conflicts would be resolved. [11]

Although he has written several important scholarly works on Abkhaz and has a good understanding of its grammar, he does not speak the language, though he does speak Georgian. [4]

Works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abkhaz language</span> Northwest Caucasian language of Abkhazia

Abkhaz, also known as Abkhazian, is a Northwest Caucasian language most closely related to Abaza. It is spoken mostly by the Abkhaz people. It is one of the official languages of Abkhazia, where around 100,000 people speak it. Furthermore, it is spoken by thousands of members of the Abkhazian diaspora in Turkey, Georgia's autonomous republic of Adjara, Syria, Jordan, and several Western countries. 27 October is the day of the Abkhazian language in Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Principality of Abkhazia</span> 1463–1864 feudal vassal state in the South Caucasus

The Principality of Abkhazia emerged as a separate feudal entity in the 15th-16th centuries, amid the civil wars in the Kingdom of Georgia that concluded with the dissolution of the unified Georgian monarchy. The principality retained a degree of autonomy under Ottoman and then Russian rule, but was eventually absorbed into the Russian Empire in 1864.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abkhazia conflict</span> 1989–present conflict between Georgia and the partially recognized Abkhazia

The Abkhazia conflict is a territorial dispute over Abkhazia, a region on the eastern coast of the Black Sea in the South Caucasus, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. The conflict involves Georgia, Russian Federation and Russian-backed self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia, internationally recognised only by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Syria; Georgia and all other United Nations members consider Abkhazia a sovereign territory of Georgia. However, as of 2023, Georgia lacks de facto control over the territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abkhazians</span> Northwest Caucasian ethnic group native to Abkhazia

The Abkhazians or Abkhazes are a Northwest Caucasian ethnic group, mainly living in Abkhazia, a disputed region on the northeastern coast of the Black Sea. A large Abkhaz diaspora population resides in Turkey, the origins of which lie in the population movements from the Caucasus in the late 19th century. Many Abkhaz also live in other parts of the former Soviet Union, particularly in Russia and Ukraine.

For articles related to Georgia, see Category:Georgia (country)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Abkhazia</span> Feudal state in the Caucasus (778–1008)

The Kingdom of Abkhazia, also known Egrisi-Abkhazia, was a medieval feudal state in the Caucasus which was established in the 780s. Through dynastic succession, it was united in 1008 with the Kingdom of the Iberians, forming the Kingdom of Georgia.

The Sukhumi massacre took place on 27 September 1993, during and after the fall of Sukhumi into separatist hands in the course of the War in Abkhazia. It was perpetrated against Georgian civilians of Sukhumi, mainly by militia forces of Abkhaz separatists and North Caucasian allies. It became part of a violent ethnic cleansing campaign carried out by the separatists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Abkhazia</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic</span> Former autonomous soviet socialist republic of a union republic of the Soviet Union

The Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as Abkhaz ASSR, was an autonomous republic of the Soviet Union within the Georgian SSR. It came into existence in February 1931, when the Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia, originally created in March 1921, was transformed to the status of Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Georgian SSR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia</span> Soviet country (1921–1931)

The Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia was a short-lived republic within the Caucasus region of the Soviet Union that covered the territory of Abkhazia, and existed from 31 March 1921 to 19 February 1931. Formed in the aftermath of the Red Army invasion of Georgia in 1921, it was independent until 16 December 1921 when it agreed to a treaty that united it with the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. The SSR Abkhazia was similar to an autonomous Soviet republic, though it retained nominal independence from Georgia and was given certain features only full union republics had, like its own military units. Through its status as a "treaty republic" with Georgia, Abkhazia joined the Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, which united Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian SSRs into one federal unit when the latter was formed in 1922. The SSR Abkhazia was abolished in 1931 and replaced with the Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Georgian SSR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War in Abkhazia (1992–1993)</span> War between Georgia and Abkhaz separatists

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The Sukhumi riot was a riot in Sukhumi, Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union, in July 1989, triggered by an increasing inter-ethnic tensions between the Abkhaz and Georgian communities and followed by several days of street fighting and civil unrest in Sukhumi and throughout Abkhazia.

Many inhabitants of Abkhazia are Orthodox Christians, With significant minorities adhering to Islam and the Abkhaz neopaganism, or the "Abkhazian traditional religion". The influence of this last has always remained strong and has been experiencing a revival through the 1990s and 2000s.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abkhazian railway</span> State-owned railway company in Abkhazia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abkhazian State University</span>

The Abkhazian State University is the only university in Abkhazia, a disputed entity located in Georgia. It was founded in 1979 on the basis of the Sukhumi Pedagogical Institute. Its first rector was Zurab Anchabadze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abkhazia</span> Partially recognised state in the South Caucasus

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The Armenians in Abkhazia form the second largest ethnic group in Abkhazia after the native Abkhazians. Armenians settled in Abkhazia in late 19th and the early 20th centuries and are now the largest ethnic group in Sukhumi, Gulripsh and Gagra Districts forming 20% of the Abkhazian population with approximately 42,000 out of a total of 242,862.

Viacheslav Chirikba is a linguist and politician from Abkhazia. He was Minister for Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia between 2011 and 2016.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 CURRICULUM VITAE , Official webpage of Brian George Hewitt. [cit. 2021-06-10].
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Professor George Hewitt FBA. The British Academy. [cit. 2021-06-10].
  3. ↑ Abkhazia in the system of international relations . Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia. [cit. 2021-06-10].
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 PENDER, Kieran, AEDY Alice. The accidental ambassador . Smith Journal. 2018. pp. 101-103.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 KAPBA, Arifa. Professor Hewitt: how love for mysterious languages brought an Englishman to Abkhazia. World Abaza Congress (Abaza.org). 11. November 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 SONMEZ, Metin. Caucasian Languages Disappear from the Curriculum at London University: Interview with George Hewitt. Abkhaz World. 17 September 2015.
  7. ↑ Publication List. Official webpage of Brian George Hewitt. 17 November 2012.
  8. ↑ HEWITT, George. A Foreigner’s Observations on the Strained Relations between the Abkhazians and the Georgians (An Open Letter to the Georgian People) . May, 1989. PDF.
  9. ↑ HEWITT, George. Interview with George Hewitt (August 1989) . Interview with Hewitt in Abkhazian TV on 11 August 1989, translated from the Georgian language.
  10. ↑ The accelerated recognition of Georgia helped to instigate the ethno-political conflicts . Caucasus Times (copy on George Hewitt's official site). 16 November 2010.
  11. ↑ Pridon Dochia: Interview with George Hewitt . Translation from a Georgian internet-media-group on George Hewitt's official site. 15 August 2015.
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