Abstract
I present the exploration of two young Georgian females’ identity construction in turbulent times full of radical social, cultural, economic, and political changes. Episodic interviews were held with them, and the relevant secondary data analysis was conducted for the better understanding of research context. Study is based on the idea that the self is a dialogical and developmental phenomenon. Development is perceived as an irreversible process, which is rooted in the past and oriented on the future. Respondents’ selves develop in-between distinctive social representing processes of Georgianness, which is associated with conservatism, religiosity, and suppression of female sexuality and Westernness, which is related to the sexual freedom, secularism, and individualism. The latter opposition influences decisions on everyday life choices, like how often respondents are obliged to talk with friends and when and with whom are they allowed to have sex. Adaptation to diverse ideas develops through the process of proculturation. Meaning-making processes, which are related to the process of dealing with various contradicting ideas and social representations will be discussed and illustrated. Additionally, wider historical context of the respondents’ self’s development will be considered. Proculturation is contemplated as a self-centered subjective process of adaptive semiotic mediation of familiar and alien ideas. The latter process is visibly revealed during the subjective construction of the particular version of female respondents’ emancipation who reconcile and blend imaginary conservative representation of Georgianness and liberal values to each other. The exploration of respondents’ adaptive experiences reveals the power of human imagination and creativity. I argue that proculturation implies the curvilinearization of human development.
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Notes
Which was first elaborated as a promoter sign in the framework of Jaan Valsiner’s Cultural Psychology of Semiotic Dynamics.
Both names of the respondents are changed in order to preserve confidentiality. Tamar and Nino are the most popular female names in Georgia.
All activities were conducted by the author(s) of this article.
This and other quotations are the respondents’ subjective and stereotypical opinions. The role they play in the self’s development and how they are constructed is subsequently discussed in this article.
A detailed analysis of the historical period of the 1990s or Soviet times exceeds the scope of this article and will be undertaken elsewhere.
The Republic of Georgia.
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Acknowledgments
I want to express huge gratitude to Jaan Valsiner whose suggestions and encouragement has been instrumental for my work. Also, I want to thank Brady Wagoner whose suggestion to refer to the term of alternative social representations helped much in the refinement of the article.
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Gamsakhurdia, V.L. Making Identity, Proculturation In-between Georgianness and Westernness. Hu Arenas 2, 356–377 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42087-019-00062-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42087-019-00062-0