An important field-ethnographic expedition was held recently at the end of the current academic year of 2023-24. The expedition was held under the auspicious guidance of the Georgian Research Centre of the Faculty of Humanities of the Akali Tsereteli State University.
The program’s participants include the “Bachelors” of the Faculty of Humanities majoring in history, Georgian language and literature, archeology, and tourism. It also includes the “Master’s students” in history with a specialization in Georgian history. The expedition worked on the principle of living on the ground.
On this occasion the expedition participants recorded materials depicting the ethnic history, material and spiritual culture, traditions, and customs of Georgians in Adigen, Adigen village, Lelovan, Kakhareti, Zarzma, Zanav, Ude, and Aral.
The main objective of the expedition included:
- Collection of materials depicting ethnic history, material, and spiritual culture, traditions, and customs preserved in the memory of Georgians “museum-archive” and the methods to transfer these cultural things to the next generations as well
- Enhancing students’ interest in national cultural heritage, Increasing motivation among students, expressed in students’ attitude to work
- Better management, improvement, and development of research work for both that is students and scientists as well
- Preservation and development of the Georgian mentality and ethnopsychology, ensuring readiness to adapt innovations to the traditional ethnic-cultural culture
- Availability for scientists of linguistically-historically-ethnographically interesting material collected during fieldwork
The expedition’s scientific head was an ethnologist, Associate Professor Davit Shavianidze, and Associate Professor Luiza Khachapuridze.
The participating students showed great interest during the expedition. They came to know many new and exciting facts about the rural Georgian cultures and values, traditions, etc. On the other hand, the students also interacted extensively with the rural population of the country’s different regions. The event organizers apprised the students about the significance of preserving heritage and cultural values for future generations.
As per these organizers the cultural values of a country, region, or place can be preserved only if the people of that particular area are concerned about this and play their role actively in this direction.
