Georgia in-between

Religion in public schools

Bibliographic Data

ID11046207
AuthorsKetevan Gurchiani (0000-0002-9974-1049, Ilia State University, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume45
Issue6
Pages1100-1117
Publication date2017-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNationalities Papers (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-5992 • E-ISSN: 1465-3923
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1080/00905992.2017.1305346
OpenAlexW2618284815
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited40

Based on ethnographic fieldwork in a Georgian village and supplemented by a range of interviews and observations from different parts of Georgia, this paper explores the creative presence of religion in public schools. In 2005 and in line with the strong secularization and modernization discourse, the Georgian parliament passed a new law on education, restricting the teaching of religion in public schools and separating religious organizations and public schools; nevertheless, mainstream Orthodox Christianity is widely practiced in schools. The paper aims to show how Georgians use religious spaces in secular institutions to practice their identity, to perform being “true Georgians.” At the same time, they are adopting a strong secularization and modernization discourse. By doing so they create a new space, a third space, marked by in-betweenness. The study uses the theoretical lens of Thirdspace for analyzing the hybridity, the in-betweenness of practices and attitudes inherent for politics, religion, and everyday life of Georgians

Christianity · Georgian · Mainstream · Modernization theory · Pedagogy · Political science · Politics · Public space · Public sphere · Religious education · Secularization · Social science · Sociology · Gender Studies · History · Law · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development · Religious Education and Schools

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