The Unbearable Lightness of Being Muslim and Georgian: Religious Transformation and Questions of Identity among Adjara's Muslim Georgians

Abstract:After Georgia regained its independence following the collapse of the Soviet regime, national and religious identities gained particular importance. A religious revival was observed not only among Christians but also among the country's Muslim communities. The region of Adjara is populated by Georgians who profess Islam. The aim of this paper is to explore the transformation of the religious landscape in Georgia and the idiosyncratic characteristics of identity in post-Soviet Adjara. The change in Adjara's religious landscape has resulted in a specific and eclectic picture. Muslim identity in Georgia creates a religious and cultural model rooted in the specific historical, political, and cultural development of the region. For Muslim Adjarians Islam is the "religion of their forefathers" and at the same time part of their national [Georgian] identity. However, due to the long-standing dominance of the Christian national narrative in public discourse, Muslim identity has remained "suspicious." Hence, Muslim Adjarians have suffered the traumatic experience of being perceived by the mainstream, Christian majority as not "perfect Georgians" because of their Islamic identity. Alongside this perception of marginality, Muslim Georgians demonstrate a particular Islamic identity with high intercultural competencies and tolerance.