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Abstract
The repatriation and inclusion of Muslim Meskhetians, forcefully displaced by the Soviet government from Georgia to Central Asia during the 1940s, is still ongoing. In 1977, some Meskhetian families settled in the village of Nasakirali in western Georgia. The Soviet Georgian government built houses for the repatriates in a separate district, referred to as the “Island.” The location acquired a symbolic meaning for Meskhetians. After 40 years of repatriation, Meskhetians still remain “islanders:” isolated from the majority population, speaking a different language, practicing a different religion, and facing different employment opportunities. This study explores the coping mechanisms used by Muslim Meskhetians to sustain themselves and their families and improve their social conditions in a strictly Christian post-socialist country where “Islam is taken as a historical other.” The study primarily asks how employment/seasonal migration in Turkey changed the lives of Meskhetians by adapting their social, cultural, economic, and symbolic capital and became the only viable solution for overcoming social marginalization. The study explores how informality allows social mobility, changes gender attitudes, and helps “islanders” reach the “mainland” by becoming “Halal” – truthful and reliable. The study applies Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of “capital” and “symbolic power” for understanding Meskhetians’ informal economic practices.
Acknowledgements
The author thanks Ketevan Gurchiani and Narcis-Sorin-Marius Tulbure for valuable comments provided during the drafting of this article.
Notes
1 Ombudsman of Georgia, Report 2011, 2015.
2 A process of returning not based on a law on repatriation. This term was coined by nongovernmental organizations working on issues related to Meskhetians.
3 Georgian newspaper Iveria, 6 June 1990.
4 Ombudsman of Georgia, Report 2011.
5 Ombudsman of Georgia, Report 2015.
6 Ombudsmen of Georgia, Report 2015.
7 Lecture by Stephen Jones at the Ilia State University, Georgia, 21 September 2016.
8 The Muslim Adjarians are migrants from mountainous Adjara who settled in Nasakirali beginning in the early 1970s following a landslide and scarcity of land. For more information on Muslim Adjarians see Pelkmans Citation2006.
9 Information was obtained from the local government of Nasakirali, 19 January 2017.
10 Interview with Giorgi, a Meskhetian man, October 2015.
11 The Rose Revolution was a peaceful change of power in Georgia in November 2003. It was preceded by massive protests following parliamentary elections that year.
12 Approximately 10 Meskhetian families live in the first district of village Nasakirali. Their lifestyle is almost identical to those Meskhetians who live on the “Island” settlement.
13 Interview with Zoya, a Meskhetian woman, September 2016.
14 Interview with Giorgi, a Meskhetian man, October 2015.
15 I base my conclusion on interviews with Meskhetians from various age groups.
16 Interview with an Adjarian Dato, September 2016.
17 Interview with Giorgi, a Meskhetian man, October 2015.
18 Their historical residence, the region of Meskheti, was famous for its terrace viticulture.
19 Interview with Irakli, a Meskhetian boy, September 2016.
20 Interview with Iskander, a young Meskhetian man, October 2015.
21 Interview with Avto, a Meskhetian man, October 2015.
22 Interview with Rumish, a Meskhetian man, October 2015.
23 Interview with Giorgi, a Meskhetian man, October 2015.
24 Interview with Ramiz, a Meskhetian man, September 2016
25 Interviews with Beka, a young Meskhetian man, September 2016.
26 Interview with Meskhetian men, October 2015.
27 Interview with Saida, a Meskhetian woman, September 2016.
28 Interview with Zoya, a Meskhetian woman, September 2016.
29 Interview with Ibragim, a Meskhetian man, September 2016.
30 Interview with Zoya, a Meskhetian woman, September 2016.
31 Interview with Nasiba, a Meskhetian woman, October 2015.
32 Interview with Saida, a Meskhetian woman, October 2015.
33 On khaltura, see Gurchiani (Citation2017).
34 Interview with an Adjarian Beso, September 2016.
35 Interview with a Meskhetian man, October 2015
36 Interview with a Meskhetian man, October 2015
37 Interview with Saida, a Meskhetian woman, September 2016.
38 Interview with Giorgi, a Meskhetian man, October 2015.
39 Discussion with non-Meskhetian residents of Nasakirali, September 2016.
40 Interview with Sofia, a young Meskhetian woman, May 2016.
41 Interview with Beso, head of self-government in Nasakirali, April 2016.
42 Interview with the observer of local government elections in Nasakirali, May 2016.