The historical transformation of identity of the Abkhazian Muhajirs, living in Adjara

Abstract

  The article represents an empirical study of the ethnic mentality and family-household stereotypes of the Abkhazian Muhajirs, living in the territory of Adjara. In the historical context, there can be traced the main reasons that affected the mass withdrawal of Abkhazians from their places of residence. Involuntary resettlement, first, to the Ottoman Empire, and afterwards, to Adjara, as well as the settling new places and the process of interaction with the local population are significant both in historical and sociocultural aspects. Having settled in Adjara, the Abkhazian Muhajirs brought with them elements of their cultural specifics, simultaneously absorbing the traditions and customs, carried by the autochthonous population. In spite of the fact that the Abkhazian Muhajirs experienced difficult historical changes, they could have preserved the national customs and traditions, tested throughout centuries, as well as the common Abkhazian ethnocultural identity.