Identities in the South Caucasus: Still Salient and Contested

Abstract

This chapter considers personal and group identities in three South Caucasian countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia – by analyzing the scarce literature from social sciences, predominantly psychology. National, ethnic, and religious identities can be considered the most salient in the South Caucasus, while gender and personal identities as less salient. The salient group identities are contested and threatened, while personal identities are more adapted. Studies conducted in this underrepresented part of the world demonstrate a rapidly changing social, political, and economic context, characterized by contradictions and creating grounds for multiple tensions in personal and social identities, such as between security and openness, or exploration and decision-making, among many others. Studies from this part of the world have potential to contribute to international research not only with new, generalizable findings but also with valuable input for the modification of the existing theories.