NATIONALITY VERSUS CITIZENSHIP: DOUBLE UNDERSTANDINGS OF

BELONGING

Teona MataradzeMax Planck Institute for Social

Anthropology

Department of PostsocialismMax Planck Institute for Social Anthropology

‘Caucasian Boundaries and Citizenship from Below’ 2006-2009

Citizenship and Labour migration in Georgia One year fieldwork in North-West Georgia

(Tk’ibuli district)

Methodology

Participant observations (Teaching at school one semester)

In-depth interviews Desk research Observing election Census survey, covering the whole village Survey using questionnaires, which the whole

group worked with Collected materials about the tense relations

between Georgia and Russia Deported migrants

Two different meanings of nation (Anthony Smith)

1. ‘Western’ civic definitions of nation (characterized by clearly demarcated territory, legal-political community, standardized legal system, mass participation, a mass public culture, the political status of sovereignty)

2. Non-Western ‘ethnic’ nations (the myths of presumed common descent from a ancestor(s), vernacular culture, ‘ethno-history’, popular mobilization) (Smith, 2006: 173).

History of Georgian Nationalism

19th century: ethnic nationalism (Ilia Chavchavadze)

Slogans: ‘We should belong to us!’ Language, religion and homeland’ ‘In the condition of absence of Georgian

state, the only ideology which nation might had, was ethnic nationalism, while the Georgian ethnos might be formed into the nation’ (Tarkhan-Mouravi and Smite, 2007: 11).

First independent state

On 26 of May, 1918 Georgia declared independence

National symbols First constitutionThe first independent state came to an end

in 1921 and the coming 70 years of the Soviet rule strengthened the ethnic nationalism.

Ethnic nationalism under Soviet Regime

‘the most complete consolidation of the Georgians as a nation came in the first seven decades of Soviet power’: increase of the ethnic Georgian population within the Soviet Republic of Georgia, a cultural revival expressed in the foundation and development of the Georgian university, flourishment of the national theatre, opera, film, folk music and dance, etc. (Suny, 1989: 300).

The Soviet Union was not the national-state, ‘while it did not define the state or citizenship as a whole in national terms, it did not define component parts of the state and the citizenry in national terms’ (Brubaker, 1994: 52).

People living in the Soviet Union have a dual identity. [...] Citizenship is a civic identity referring to membership of the state, whereas nationality is an ethnic identity referring to membership of the people’ (Karklins, 1989: 22).

Postsocialist Nationalism

On 9 April, 1991, after a referendum, the independent Georgian state was re-established together with the national symbols and constitution of 1921.

The Strong nationalist politics (‘Georgia for Georgians’) The liberal citizenship regime (granting citizenship to all

ethnic minorities) These events again support my argument that citizenship

means belonging to the state, while nationality is belonging to the nation and when ethnic nationalism becomes very tense, it might become the reason for humiliating the rights of non-national citizens.

Nationality and Citizenship after ‘Rose

Revolution’ State and Government in the perception of local people:. The state in the understanding of local people is strongly

associated with the government. Contestation of Georgian Statehood via government:Welfare state (‘The state should not care only for one or four but

for the whole population’)Equality before the law (‘people will have equal rights and that

our rights will not decline, that we should not be enslaved in our own country’)

Strong State (‘Now people felt the pressure (He said ‘frost’ in Georgian) from the state and they understood that the state is constructing.’)

Democracy (‘When the state structure is democracy, the government should feel that they are elected and if they do something wrong, people will not elect them once again’)

Independent government (‘Independence means to be the sovereign of ourselves. But it is not independence, while somebody is holding my ear and taking me somewhere’)

pro-western political orientation of the government (example)

Perception of country (or nation)

The word country (originally meaning ‘the world’) includes the land and the people as a whole.

Source of belonging Source of Pride Expressing devotions toward country

What does it mean for you to be a citizen of ?

Meanings Frequency Percent Valid Percent

Proud to be a citizen of 28 28.0 28.0

Should be citizen of born and lived country

8 8.0 8.0

Georgians should be citizens of

15 15.0 15.0

Poor economy, but still should be citizen of

11 11.0 11.0

Proud to be Georgian citizens, but does not help

6 6.0 6.0

Citizen of no choice 6 6.0 6.0

Means to work for the country

8 8.0 8.0

Citizen of choice 6 6.0 6.0

want other citizenship 2 2.0 2.0

Means nothing 2 2.0 2.0

Nationality above citizenship

8 8.0 8.0

Total 100 100.0 100.0

The socialization of ‘good citizens’ in Georgia

National symbols Civil education at school for citizenship Promoting the importance of Georgian

army and creating the youth holiday clubs named as ‘patriots’

Orthodoxy as an element of Georgian nationality and the use of religion as a way of representation for the government

State politics toward migrants and the double citizenship as a way of bringing citizenship and nationality together

Thank you for your attention!