Post-war Existence in Georgia: After August 2008

Abstract

‘Our greatest glory is not in ever falling, but in rising every time we fall' – these words of Confucius can easily be applied to the post-traumatic experience of a post-Soviet country such as Georgia. Wars represent collective trauma for our country. The 2008 August War was a real shock for Georgia, which has not fully recovered from the civil war. This chapter aims to represent collective trauma as one of the important elements of culture and to analyse responses within Georgian society to collective trauma. Collective trauma is a stressful experience for society and causes important internal changes. This includes the re-thinking of identity, which is often followed by an identity crisis. On the basis of analysis of cultural responses to trauma, such as narratives, monuments and memorials, produced since the War, this chapter attempts to assess the importance of making fear and trauma visible for overcoming its negative impacts.