THE ONE HUNDRED-YEAR DYNAMICS OF THE ETHNOGRAPHIC LIFE OF THE MESKHETIAN VILLAGE

Abstract

Drawing on historical sources and ethnographic material, this paper examines socio-economic transformations in Meskheti from the early 20th century to the present. It traces changes in village appearance, education, cultural life, and ethnic–religious composition against the backdrop of internal and external migration, highlighting both positive and negative consequences.

Historical cataclysms of the 17th–19th centuries shaped Meskheti into a polyethnic and multi-confessional region. By the early 20th century, villages often hosted diverse communities—Georgian Orthodox and Catholics, Armenian Gregorians, Muslims of Georgian and Turkic origin—while settlements of Armenians and Russians established in the 19th century remained monoethnic. Latent tensions escalated in the 1920s, culminating in open conflict. The deportation of the Muslim population in 1944 and subsequent resettlement of newcomers from other parts of Georgia were closely linked to the tragic events of 1918–1919.

The study devotes particular attention to the transformation of village infrastructure and education. Ethnographic evidence shows that from the 1960s onward, new residential buildings, schools, kindergartens, libraries, and medical posts were established. Yet the upheavals of the 1990s reversed many gains, requiring communities to rebuild. Today, most villages are gasified, connected to the internet, and are gradually restoring medical and educational facilities.

Persistent challenges remain: youth outmigration, declining family formation, and school closures threaten the long-term vitality of rural communities. Agricultural traditions are also addressed, with emphasis on terrace farming and viticulture—practices deeply rooted in Meskhetian history and central to its agrarian identity.

Keywords: Meskheti, migration, polyethnic, multi-confessional, infrastructure, terrace farming, viticulture.