The ‘Myth’ of the Self: The Georgian National Narrative and Quest for ‘Georgianness’

Abstract

This chapter examines the emotionally charged debates in Georgia which have been unleashed by recent attempts to change how history is being written and taught. In December 2008, Simon Janashia, director of the National Curriculum and Assessment Centre at the Georgian Ministry of Education, gave a talk on the new history books at the Centre for the Study of the Caucasus and Black Sea Region (CBSR).¹ This presentation generated intense discussion and passionate responses. One historian teaching at the University of Georgia exclaimed; ‘This is some kind of experiment that they are trying to conduct on Georgia … you are trying to raise global citizens and uproot patriotism in this country … that’s what it is!’ This type of impassioned response is typical for the debate on the new history textbooks. Critics are dissatisfied that someone else has a monopoly on the nature of collective memories which will be instilled.