National memory in exile: The case of the Georgian émigré community, 1921–2018

Abstract

This paper investigates the construction and role of national memory in exile through the intersection of nationalism and memory studies. Building on descriptions of the Georgian émigré memory, its comparison with the Soviet Georgian identity and its travelling trajectory, this study illustrates the potential of subaltern national exilic memory. My research data on prominent Georgian émigrés are juxtaposed with a recent historical study of the internal diaspora of prominent Georgians in the Soviet Union. This is a story of postcolonial intellectuals and nationalist elites who acted as a carrier group in 1921, advocating internationally against the suffering of Soviet Georgians. Exiles produced an alternative account, comprised of four counternarratives, to that of the Soviet Union. These identified narratives constitute a stored memory that became an available past for Georgia. The safeguarded émigré memory was negotiated, recovered, used for centennial celebrations in 2018 and finally reintegrated into the national body.