Country: Georgia
Group: Armenians
Date Finalized: September 21, 2021
Team: Amanda Nelson (lead), Ann Thomas, Lacey Hurst, Nuri Son, Lauren Poklar
Content Warning: forced relocation, war
Approximate Time Period: 1919, 1991-present
Until recently, Armenians were the largest minority in Georgia (Minority Rights Group, n.d.). They reside throughout Georgia, but have particularly high concentrations in Tbilisi, Samtskhe-Javakheti, and Abkhasia (Hin & Tielkes, 2003). In the last century, Armenians in Georgia have experienced recurring discrimination. In January 1919 during the Armeno-Georgian war, the governor of Tbilisi (Tiflis) declared Armenians living in the region prisoners of war and ordered the arrest and forced march of hundreds of Armenians to Kutaisi (Hovanissian 1971). Since Georgia’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, increasingly overt Georgian nationalism has led to the marginalization of ethnic minorities, including Armenians. This includes making Georgian the official state language when only 5% of Armenians in Georgia spoke Georgian, the ideology that non-Georgians are only “guests” in Georgian territory and that if minorities want equality they should go to their own countries, and a monopoly by ethnic Georgians on positions of power and educational advancement (Starrett 2016). The combination of perceived discrimination and lack of opportunities has led many Armenians to emigrate from Georgia (Starrett 2016; Hin & Tielkes, 2003; Broers 2008). The Armenian population had decreased by about 56% between 1989 and 2002 and declined another 22% between 2002 and 2014 (Starrett, 2016). We rated evidence for forced displacement of Armenians in Georgia as a 2 out of 3.
Sources
1. Amirejibi, R. & Gabunia, K. (2021, June 21). Georgia’s minorities: breaking down barriers to integration. Carnegie Europe. Retrieved September 14, 2021, from https://carnegieeurope.eu/2021/06/09/georgia-s-minorities-breaking-down-barriers-to-integration-pub-84689
2. Broers, L. (2008). Filling the void: Ethnic politics and nationalities policy in post-conflict Georgia. Nationalities Papers, 36(2), 275-304.
3. Hin, J., & Tielkes, O. K. (2003). Ethnic and Civic Identity: Incompatible Loyalties?: The Case of Armenians in Post-Soviet Georgia. Royal Dutch Geographical Soc..
4. Hovannisian, R. G. (1971). The republic of Armenia: the first year, 1918-1919 (Vol. 1). Univ of California Press.
5. Minority Rights Group. n.d. Armenians in Georgia. Minority Rights Group. (2021, February 5). Retrieved from https://minorityrights.org/minorities/armenians-2/
6. Starrett, G. M. (2016). The bumpy road to democracy: success and failure in th integration of ethnic Armenians in the republic of Georgia (Order No. 10138598). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1804413942). http://login.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/dissertations-theses/bumpy-road-democracy-success-failure-integration/docview/1804413942/se-2?accountid=4485