Economic Foundations of Traditional Lifestyle and Modernity in Georgia
Authors: Shavianidze David , Ghavtadze Giorgi 
Published: December 2024

We present for discussion the issue of economic relations between community and the individual and the corresponding position (“more or less well being”). This time, we will discuss the issue of the economic relationship between the community and the individual and the corresponding state ("more or less fulfilled existence") by analyzing the ethnographic materials found in Samtskhe-Javakheti, in particular, in the villages of Adigeni municipality (Adigeni, Zarzma, Kakhareti, Lelovani, Zanavi, Ude, Aral). , according to which, "people's politics" is confirmed as the name of economic and other practical activities that bring "economic wealth". The art of creating names and terms is a kind of natural characteristic of the inhabitants of the ethnos. It works especially when the need for it is dictated by the prevailing situation of the nation, economic and living needs. Here we will find that terms of economic content were created and gained a foothold among the population, regardless of their ethnic, religious affiliation, or other differences. This was the case in Samtskhe-Javakheti as well, as in a group of multi-ethnic communities quite different in this regard. This is confirmed by the research of ethnographic-existing and economic condition-determining means-approaches. The same can be said about the situation within a specific nation or ethnic group, which was influenced by the economic and social processes taking place in the country. In Samtskhe Javakheti as well, the situation similar to the one described above was, in fact, determined by the way of life of the Catholics, Orthodox and Muslim (in particular - Adjarian) Georgians, members of the local community, saturated with common self-awareness, worldview and the resulting beliefs and traditional knowledge. Within the framework of the presented work, another conclusion was made - regarding "the search for the possibility of getting more easily", which was characteristic of all nations, always. materials describing the relevant actions, terms-toponyms telling about the socio-economic situation ("avoidance", "settled", "ghazal", "I took the car", "party members", "the leader had the money in his hand", "medical knowledge"...) It is widely sought in Samtskhe-Javakheti. It became possible to make interesting conclusions regarding common "goods" created by joint efforts and shared responsibility, which were created by motivated actions with national, mental, social, or humanitarian components. Each member of the community had an equal (or, proportional to his contribution to the common cause) right and access to similar goods, which produced quite powerful economic results and, in fact, created a synergistic effect within the local community. Reliable ethnographic materials reflecting the reality leave a huge space in terms of economic research. In the future, the authors intend to collect and analyze historical-ethnographic materials, which will give us significant results for the expansion of the possibilities of understanding the processes taking place in the modern global world from a national-traditional point of view and "translating" them into the reality of Georgia.