2026/07/03 by Tamaz Putkaradze, Kakha Putkaradze · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Minority Rights and Languages #Post-Soviet Geopolitical Dynamics #Psycholinguistics and Behavioral Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.37708/ezs.swu.bg.v24i2.10
openalex publication_date 2026/07/03 · openalex created_date 2026/07/08 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15
Despite Georgia’s longstanding tradition of multiculturalism, socially and ethnolinguistically isolated communities continue to persist within its polycultural space, raising fundamental questions about the mechanisms that hinder their civic integration. This study aims to identify, classify, and analyse the sociocultural, linguistic, and psychosocial factors that sustain community isolation in contemporary Georgia, and to propose a preliminary typology of such communities. Employing an interdisciplinary qualitative methodology that combines ethnographic field observation, semi-structured interviews, sociolinguistic analysis, and comparative-historical research, the study examines five community types: Ajarian rural settlements in Guria, Armenian communities in Javakheti, Azerbaijani villages in Shida Kartli, Russian Doukhobors and Old Believers in Samtskhe-Javakheti, and Georgian diaspora communities across borders. The findings suggest that community isolation is sustained by a convergence of ethnolinguistic distance, religious distinctiveness, territorial concentration, limited access to Georgian-language education, and deeply rooted collective memory. Three principal isolation profiles are identified: historically-displaced religious minorities, ethnolinguistic border communities, and trans-boundary diaspora groups. The study concludes that an effective integration policy must address linguistic inclusion, intercultural education, and minority media access without erasing distinct cultural identities. The results contribute to broader theoretical debates on acculturation (Berry, 1997), boundary-making (Barth, 1969), and multicultural citizenship (Kymlicka, 1995) in post-Soviet societies.