Culture
The idea that the relationship between civilizations will be a defining of the future world order became widespread at the turn of the 20th century. Therefore, civilizational identity appeared especially actual for those countries and nations which are not integrated in any of civilizational unuties. Georgia is one of them.
To understand the problem of Georgia’s civilizational essence, it’s necessary to study not only civilizational parameters of modern Georgia, but also their historical dynamics.
There are five main versions about civilizational identity of Georgia, given in modern scientific literature:
1. Georgia as Balcan-Caucasian type of the Mediterranean civilization. This standpoint is based on the comparative analysis of psycological features of Georgian culture.
2. Georgia as marginal intercivilizational zone, contact space, separating boundary. Georgia and the whole Caucasus is presented in this way in S.P.Huntington’s well-known book, which urged the searching of alternative versions. Initiatives – “Peaceful Caucasus” and “The Dialogue of Cultures and civilizations”, were among them.
4. Georgia as a part of Eastern Christian civilization. In this case, religious feature is considered a most important. The same standpoint refers Georgia to the part of Euroasian civilization.
5. Georgia as a part of Western (European) civilization. This version is also based on religious arguments.
Thus, there are different points of view among scholars about problem of Georgia’s civilizational essence. It should be stressed, that Georgia had always been a contact zone, a croosroad of Western and Eastern civilizations. That is why Georgia’s civilizational identity, as well as its civilizational surrounding, can not be described as steady or distinct one.
Iv. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University