Professor George Hewitt FBA

George Hewitt retired in 2015 from SOAS, serving as Lecturer in Linguistics/Caucasian Languages (1988-1992), Reader in Caucasian Languages (1992-96), and finally Professor of Caucasian Languages (1996-2015). He previously lectured in Linguistics at Hull University (1981-88). Educated at Doncaster Grammar School (founded before 1350), he studied Classics at St. John's College (Cambridge), gaining his doctorate there following two years at Tbilisi University (Soviet Georgia) as a British Council exchange-postgraduate (1975-76, 1979-80). His publications address philological questions in Caucasian languages (principally Georgian and Abkhaz) and aspects of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict. First president of the Societas Caucasologica Europaea (1986-90), he is Honorary Member of the International Circassian Academy and of Abkhazian Regional Academy of Sciences; he holds Abkhazia Order of Fame and Glory, a Medal of Abkhazia's Foreign Ministry, and a Medal of Abkhazia Defence Ministry. He is Abkhazia Honorary Consul in the UK.