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SELECTED PROJECTS IN THE ASCN CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES - GEORGIA


In March 2011, ASCN issued a call for proposals, open to researchers from and residing in Georgia. Research topics had to be relevant to the themes of transition, address and deal with specific issues at stake and fit into the topics defined specifically for Georgia:

• Institutions, networks and power
• Religion, nation and identities

The call was highly competitive, with 34 applications submitted by 3 June 2011. Following the evaluation process established by the ASCN Scientific Board, seven research projects were selected for funding. In concordance with the programme's aim to assist young researchers, some 16 PhD candidates will be involved with the seven research teams. Selected projects have a maximum annual budget of Swiss Francs (CHF) 20'000 and a maximum duration of 2 years.

Research projects are coordinated by the ASCN Local Coordination Unit (LCU) hosted by Ilia State University.


The Role of Social Networking in Georgian Party Politics. Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University


Good and democratic political institutions are indispensable to a sustainable democracy. Political parties are one of the central institutions of modern representative democracies and are confronted by a number of new challenges, many of which have neither been anticipated nor adequately addressed.
 
This initiative proposes to study the impact of modern communication technologies and social media networks on Georgian party politics and the ways in which political parties can promote the active involvement of ordinary voters in the political process by using social networks. The aim of this research is to draw from evidence-based research the most promising and innovative practices that can be readily adapted for political parties and their leaders and can be incorporated into their day-to-day work.
 
Moreover, during the intended research period, the following two hypotheses will be tested: 1) that there is a correlation between the well institutionalized political parties and increased use of online social networks and related communication technologies; and 2) the intensive use of online social networks and modern communication technologies leads to victory over rival parties. 
 
Within the project framework, qualitative research methodology will be used and in-depth interviews conducted with policy makers, consultants in political campaigns, experts in communication technologies, bloggers and civil society leaders. Electoral campaigns of political parties that would shed light on issues raised by the project team will also be monitored.
 
Project leader: Kornely Kakachia

Duration: September 2011- August 2013
 

Adolescent Identity Formation: Globalization versus Localization. Ilia State University


The project proposes to study the impact of international educational exchange programs on identity formation in adolescence. Identity formation is a primary psychosocial task of adolescence, which, along with intra-personal factors, is highly dependent on environment—the concrete space and time in which this process takes place. The diversity of modern contexts, associated with increased frequency of contact among different nations, should be reflected in how identities are formed. The novelty of these environmental conditions influences patterns of psychosocial development, identity structure and content—all of which need more in-depth investigation.

Adolescents participating in educational exchange programs face the task of identity formation within the context of two nations. This situation is a manifestation of modern times with its increased interconnectedness among cultures and the compression of space and time resulting from developed technologies. The challenges of the globalization era put extra pressure on the aspects of identity associated with one’s nation. Some scholars suggest that to counteract tendencies towards homogeneity, one of the main features of globalization, a tendency toward localization has emerged. This translates into an intensification of some nationally unique characteristics in identity structure. One purpose of this research is to identify these characteristics and capture their meaning in a life story.

The study will investigate the development of identity in individuals aged 18-22 years old as empirically expressed in their life stories. The research focuses on comparing identity structure and life stories’ thematic content in individuals having international education experience with individuals who do not have such experience. We will look at how the identities of those having studying abroad experience differ from those who do not have such experience, especially in terms of how they understand and shape particular aspects of their identities, such as those pertaining to nation and religion. We propose that some important elements of Georgian national identity (religion, for example) will become more salient in the identity of adolescents faced with mixed contexts than in those who develop only in their home country. The research methodology will combine qualitative and quantitative components.

Project Leader: Nino Javakhishvili

Duration: October 2011- September 2013

Social Media Development Tendencies in Georgia - Power of the Real Virtual? Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University

 
Social media constitute one of the most influential institutions in contemporary society, having a significant impact not only on other social institutions (political systems, economic systems, family, education, etc.), but also on the construction/reconstruction of social reality. Unlike classical media, the information in social media is “controlled” by the user, not the provider. Consequently, the traditional understanding of what a journalist is changes in social media—a journalist can be any person who disseminates information; subsequently, a so called citizen journalism develops. Information is relocated in this way, which is tantamount to the relocation of power. 
 
Although social media have been developed in the West, they have quickly spread to the rest of the world, and currently there is discussion about the “explosion” of social media and social networks in Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet space. Certainly, Georgia is part of this global process; therefore, it is crucial to undertake a scientific study of the capacities, expectations, prospects, and the social and cultural risks that make up inseparable components of this transitional process. Intellectual, political and economic actors of Georgian society—civil society, science, the state and private sectors— must immediately make a shift toward  understanding this new reality and take  greater steps toward becoming an information society so that they are not left behind, and activities in virtual reality are no longer simply virtual but become real virtual. 
 
Thus, our aim is to study social media development tendencies in Georgia. Relevant social science and judicial literature will be reviewed and analysed to make cross-cultural comparisons in the development of social media and trace their future prospects. Empirical research will also be conducted using both qualitative and quantitative methods, namely, quantitative and qualitative content-analysis and discourse analysis of personal and corporate blogs and websites, in-depth interviews with active users and experts in social media, and a survey research based on structured interviews with populations living in the urban areas of Georgia with the largest number of internet users.  
 
This research is important given that there has been little scientific study on the development tendencies of social media’s different aspects in Georgia, and no scientific study focusing on the transition from the virtual to the real virtual. The study of development tendencies and the impact of social media is strategically important, especially for small countries like Georgia, as social media provide the opportunity for personal and national self-actualization in a way that allows one to become global while simultaneously retaining local identity.  
 
Project Leader: Lia Tsuladze

Duration: September 2011- August 2013

Identities, Cultural Capital and Educational Choice of Georgian Youth – An Ethnographic Study


The proposed project will study possible factors affecting educational choices that young people make, their academic achievements, and the mechanisms through which these factors work. The study will specifically attempt to answer the following questions: Why and how do particular groups choose certain educational careers? What impact does an individual’s different identities have on his/her decisions regarding education and his/her subsequent success? How are these identities, in turn, formed and influenced by formal schooling practices?

The key theoretical concept explored in the study will be cultural capital, which, as suggested by a number of prominent scholars (a detailed overview appears in the next section), may be crucial in determining educational choices and success. The study will also attempt to explore the process of ethnic, linguistic, social and religious identity formation and examine these identities as builders of cultural capital in the transitional society of Georgia.

Educational choice is defined here as an individual’s decision to move to the next level of formal education or withdraw from it entirely. Educational success is defined as self-reported formal educational achievements at school.

The method selected to explore these issues is ethnography: an in-depth study of four different groups of young people in four different locations in Georgia will be conducted over a period of twenty-one months. Data collected through participant observations and interviews will not only help generate new knowledge pertaining to the above-mentioned questions, but will also produce a number of new questions and research agendas in this relatively unexplored field in the region.

Project Leader: Lela Chakhaia

Duration: September 2011-August 2013

Labor Culture and Religious Discourse in Different Communities of Georgia. Institute of Social Studies and Analysis, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University


The goal of the project is to establish a correlation among religious values, work ethics and economic behavior in Orthodox and non-Orthodox (in particular Catholic and Protestant) Christians and Muslims. Sociological research among Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant Christians, and Muslim groups living in Georgia will be conducted in order to establish a link between religious values and economic behavior.

We can assume that religiosity (in particular, identification with Orthodoxy) can be an influential moderating variable in the process of attitude formation toward work in Georgia. Moreover, it is important to understand functional and dysfunctional attitudes toward work of those professing other faiths (in particular, Catholicism, Protestantism or Muslim faith) in Georgia. This project intends to conduct a comparative analysis.

The research will examine the following questions:
• Are any attempt made to formulate an explicit doctrine for a model of acceptable economic behavior for an Orthodox Christian within the Orthodox Church?
• Consequently, do other religious institutions create an alternative model of economic behavior, and if they do, to what extent is it adaptable to Georgian society, i.e., what is the likelihood that this model will become a source of social tension in certain regions / communities?
• What impact do the values of different religious institutions have on the actual economic behavior of believers, especially on their attitude toward work?
• Is there any conflict or, contrariwise, agreement (at least latent) between profane and sacral values specifically in the context of attitude toward work (economic behavior in general)?
• Do attitudes and dispositions of believers in rural and urban communities differ with regard to their attitude toward work?

Qualitative sociological research in rural and urban communities of Georgia will be conducted, using a case study methodological approach with the following specific methods: content-analysis, expert interviews, focus groups and in-depth interviews.

Research will progress through the following stages:
1. Content -analysis and expert interviews;
2. Determination of research topic indicators (designing research instruments);
3. Preparation work for conducting focus groups and in-depth interviews;
4. Carrying out field work – focus groups and in-depth interviews;
5. Presentation of research results and final report.

Project Leader: Iago Kachkachishvili

Duration: September 2011- August 2013

Coping with Marginality and Exclusion: Can IDP (Internally Displaced Person) Communities Successfully Integrate into Mainstream Urban Societies in Georgia?


After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, alienation and marginalization among citizens became a serious problem in all post-Soviet cities. In Georgia, this general problem has been aggravated by an influx of internally displaced people (IDP). These individuals form a distinctive group in Georgia’s urban society today, a group that differs from “mainstream” social groups in terms of its identity, networking, mobility, residential and place-making patterns.

The proposed research will explore social and spatial barriers to inclusion of IDP groups in “mainstream” urban societies across a variety of urban contexts throughout Georgia. The study will investigate the role social networks, informal and formal institutions, and spatial practices play in assisting or impeding coping strategies used by IDPs to adapt to the challenging circumstances of their everyday lives and integrate into mainstream societies. These issues will also be analysed within the context of adopted legislation and policies, strategies and practices of various institutions involved in this field.

The study has scientific merit in that it will afford an opportunity to apply and contribute to a number of theories and foundational work in: 1) social capital, networks and mobility; 2) the conceptual developments of social resilience, including those pertaining to “persistent resilience” as currently advanced by the University of Birmingham; 3) “multiple economies,” which include formal and informal economic practices; and, 4) “right to the city” and post-socialist city—critical geographical perspectives on socio-spatial practices.

The empirical part of the research will be based on data collection and analysis from nine case study areas—the eight cities with the largest IDP population and one newly-formed IDP settlement. Research methods will include: semi-structured interviews and focus groups with IDP communities and government officials; social network analysis; analysis of media and official documents (including statistical data); field observations; and, GIS (spatial) analysis of residence locations, including time series.

Project leader: Joseph Salukvadze

Duration: September 2011 – September 2013

Dispositional and Attitudinal Predictors of National Identity. Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University


Studying the forms and constructs of social identities remains crucial to understanding people’s behavioural and cognitive responses on different social stimuli. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union people have faced social, political and economic challenges that tremendously affect their perceptions and attitudes. Collective identity has been redefined, raising the need for a better understanding of how people perceive themselves in this new reality, created after 1991.

The present research explores dispositional and situational factors that contribute to the construction of national identity, one form of collective identity. On the one hand, national identification is influenced by public discourse and political debate, and on the other hand, by personal attitudes and traits.

The goal of the proposed research is to determine the effects of (1) cultural constructs of self-identification, (2) patriotic / nationalistic attitudes, and (3) dimensions of religious belief systems on national identity representation in individuals. The study plans to address the following research questions:
• Do cultural orientation and personal attitudes predict the representation style of national identity? And if so, which one of these two is the more robust predictor?
• Whether personal attitudes, such as those due to religious beliefs or patriotism/nationalism contribute to national identity representation? And if so, how?
• How are individualism and collectivism related to the representation style of national identity?
The study will enable us to draw an empirical picture of cultural and citizenship representation in Georgia, and to understand the roots of citizenship representation by linking this to cultural dimensions.

Project Leader: Maia Mestvirishvili

Duration: September 2011-August 2013