The Diaspora Space and Social Solidarity Among Georgian Immigrant Communities Amid Global Crisis

Abstract

The concept of space is defining and fundamental in geographical science. It refers to various events or processes in a relatively large area and gives it a spatial dimension. The mentioned concept has a multifaceted meaning, starting from the physical location of the place and ending with the political, socio-economic, and cultural functions (Liszewski, 2006, p. 7), e.g., post-Soviet space, diasporic space, emigration/immigration space, tourist-recreational space, virtual space, etc. The post-Cold War changes created a new and different political and socio-economic space. While creating a new democratic state, with confidence in its rapid success, many post-communist societies met this period with great optimism and hope (Castles & Miller, 2003, p. 1). Almost no one thought that the transition period in which the entire post-Soviet space found itself would be uncertain, painful, and long. In order to find a way out of the existing situation, people began to look for new ways, which led many of them to discover/ to discover another reality - the emigration space. Settling in a new geographical environment, along with the positives, also meant dealing with local and other large-scale challenges. The gathering of migrants in the countries of immigration motivated the formation of diasporic associations, or transnational diasporic spaces, with a specific strategy - maintaining permanent ties with their home country. Our project aims to research the Georgian diaspora's solidarity activities during the two global crises - the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The main task is to determine the homogeneity/heterogeneity of the diasporic space, to study the strategies of ethnic associations of Georgians amid the mentioned crises, and to analyze the obtained results. The research subject is the Georgian diaspora and diasporic space, its structure, and the activities carried out by Georgians abroad to help their compatriots during the pandemic and the war period. The target audience is returning labor migrants in Georgia and members of Georgian communities (immigrants) in the USA and EU countries. In addition to the expert and desk research methods, a qualitative research method was used, in particular: the face-to-face in-depth interviews were recorded with members of the Georgian diaspora in Riga (Latvia) (in 2022), while with online interviews, we reached out our respondents residing in other EU countries and the US (in 2021 and 2022). As a research tool, we used four types of discussion plans. This research's scientific theoretical basis is the spatial dimension of transnational social activity (Riaño, 2017; Feist et al., 2013) and the diaspora theory (Safran, 1991).   As researchers indicate (Riaño, 2017, p. 2; Feist et al., 2013, p. 53), the conceptualization of social space relies on two principles: first, space is not an abstract but a tangible category and its existence is impossible without a material base; and second, physical space is not just a bounded area where people do business. It changes and transforms according to the activities of individuals. The relationships formed due to human actions in the material space give the latter a specific content, thus transforming it into a social space. From the 1970s and 1980s, in opposition to assimilation theory, diaspora studies gained prominence (Anteby-Yemini, 2005, p. 262), which described migrants as collectively cohesive groups with strong ethnic traditions. In the era of globalization, the concept of "diaspora," with its definition and content, was connected to transnational migration. As indicated, "diasporas are the result of transnational migration" (Esman, 2009, p. 3; Feist et al., 2013). Social space and diaspora are united in 'diasporic space' (Brah, 1996), which includes political and cultural spaces and where ties of identity and community from one's home country are solid and challenged. Diaspora is a constantly evolving and dynamic institution, not a static organism. Similar separate migration may flow from one ethnic group, and one country can create several diasporic social spaces, depending on where and how they realize their social activity (Harutyunian, 2012, p. 9). In this article, on the one hand, emphasis is placed on the particular social networks – (i) the crisis center and (ii) the mobile groups created in the diasporic space of the Georgian church in America to help fellow compatriots, and on the one hand, on the solidarity action initiated by a small Georgian entrepreneur to help Ukrainian refugees in Latvia. The results of the research showed a high degree of solidarity among the Georgian diaspora in the conditions of the crisis. The greatest global threats have mobilized Georgian diaspora spaces through crisis centers and other socio-economic groups. Showing these significant and much-needed forms of solidarity has saved hundreds of immigrants' lives and provided the best examples of empathy. At the same time, the pandemic turned out to be a factor for return for good only for a very insignificant part of Georgian labor migrants.