THE OVERVIEW OF THE TRADITIONAL COSTUME OF ETHNIC, NATIONAL AND RELIGIOUS MINORITIES LIVING IN GEORGIA

  • GIORGI SORDIA Doctor of History, Associate Professor at the University of Georgia Address: 77A Merab Kostava St, Tbilisi, Georgia http://orcid.org/0009-0005-5663-9713
  • MERAB DATUASHVILI Doctor of Engineering, Associate Professor at Akaki Tsereteli State University Address: 59 Tamar Mefe St, Kutaisi, Georgia http://orcid.org/0009-0006-7299-064X
  • VAZHA DATUASHVILI International Republican Institute Georgia (IRI), Administrative and Program Associate, Address: 73 Z. Paliashvili St, Tbilisi, Georgia http://orcid.org/0009-0009-8444-4488

Abstract

The article is presented through the project “Study of the factors of formation and planning of traditional clothes of ethnic, religious and national minorities in Georgia (FR №–22–2598)” implemented by Akaki Tsereteli State University, funded by Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia. The project started in March 2023 and is being implemented by Akaki Tsereteli State University and the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Multiculturalism (CSEM). The project consists of three components: (1) collecting and reviewing materials prepared by libraries, museums, and civil society organizations on the appearance and dispersion of minority groups in Georgia, (2) studying the traditional clothing, accessories, decorative elements, terminology, and design characteristics of minority groups, and (3) materializing information on the traditional clothing of ethnic, national, and religious minorities. The project covers 12 target groups: Azerbaijanis, Armenians, Greeks, Germans, Kurds, Yezidis, Udis, Assyrians, Jews, Russians, Ukrainians, and Kists.

The article provides general, basic information about the ethnic, national, and religious minorities living in Georgia. It also addresses issues such as the settlement of minority groups and their general demographic data. The focus is on the historical, demographic, and migratory processes that have shaped the ethnic composition of modern Georgia. Additionally, it discusses aspects related to the cultural identity of ethnic minorities living in Georgia and provides samples of traditional clothing. Regarding the latter, the article provides illustrations, which were obtained as a result of expeditions around Georgia, as well as those found as a result of the analysis of old historical and ethnographic books. The given photo material and illustrations clearly show the samples of traditional clothing of the above-mentioned groups in a number of cases directly in Georgia and also in the Caucasus region in general.

Keywords: ethnic minority; religion; culture; cultural diversity; traditional costume.

Published
2025-06-19
Issue
No XIII (2025)
Section
SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES - SECTION OF ETHNOLOGY

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