The intensely emotional rhetoric and overreactions of Russians and Georgians in their recent war has puzzled outside observers. It is not that the belligerents lack rationality. Humans see the world through cultural lenses that have a particular cut; we all carry pre-rational patterns of action that come to us “naturally,” and with origins that are long forgotten or taken for granted. What sociologists call “habitus,” the English proverb “Once a priest, always a priest” captures nicely (if a bit too categorically – fortunately, cultural patterns typically contain contradictions and can change over time). By highlighting the key sources of Georgian habitus, we can try to better understand Georgia’s hate/love relationship with Russia and see how the wheel might yet turn. […]
Memo #:
40
Series:
2
PDF:
PDF URL:
http://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/assets/docs/pepm_040.pdf
