Central Asian Survey· 2026Q1
Beyond ethnic identity: a transterritorial framework of trauma and belonging
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Muslim Meskhetians in Georgia and the US negotiate identity and belonging through inherited trauma and adaptation, with Georgia presenting linguistic barriers and symbolic exclusion, while the US offers educational and religious opportunities.
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Key points
- Muslim Meskhetians' identity and belonging are shaped by inherited trauma from the 1944 deportation.
- Participants in Georgia face linguistic barriers and symbolic exclusion, complicating belonging.
- Participants in the US experience greater social participation and cultural continuity due to educational and religious opportunities.
- The concept of transterritorial traumatic identity explains the interplay of displacement memory, homeland attachment, and adaptation across different spaces.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
The 1944 deportation of Muslim Meskhetians remains a foundational trauma shaping identity, memory and belonging across generations. This article examines how Muslim Meskhetians negotiate identity and belonging in two contrasting sociopolitical contexts: Georgia and the United States. Drawing on 84 qualitative interviews, two focus groups and document analysis, the study explores how traumatic memory, symbolic attachment to homeland and everyday practices of adaptation interact across generations. The findings show that participants negotiate identity through inherited memories of displacement and their experiences within contemporary social and institutional environments. In Georgia, linguistic barriers, limited recognition and experiences of symbolic exclusion complicate belonging, while in the United States, educational opportunities, religious freedom and community institutions create different possibilities for social participation and cultural continuity. The article develops the concept of transterritorial traumatic identity to explain how memories of displacement, symbolic homeland and adaptation interact in sustaining belonging across remembered, symbolic and lived spaces.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Central Asian Survey, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Philosophy
PhilosophyArts and Humanities