The main aim of this study is to investigate the dynamics of social cohesion in Georgia with considerable ethno-cultural and rising socioeconomic diversity. In order to develop a complex view of the phenomenon, we will begin with the analyses of urban social change in a socio-historical perspective. At the first stage of the empirical study we will measure, the main patterns of social cohesion (affiliation/isolation, insertion/exclusion, participation/passivity, acceptance/rejection, legitimacy/ illegitimacy, and equality/inequality) based on the available data set to identify the dynamic of cohesiveness in Georgian society and provide – for the first time – nationally generalized conclusions. At the second stage, we will focus on particular characteristics and specifications of the phenomenon in four urban settings, among them ethnically heterogeneous small cities.

Principal investigator: Oliver Reisner