The Social and Cultural Stories of Ajarian Women in the Black Sea Context

Abstract

The Black Sea region, as a geopolitical and cultural crossroads, embodies multilayered civili­zational trajectories in which tradition and modernity, East and West, and Christianity and Islam intersect in diverse and dynamic ways. Within this landscape, Adjarian women emerge as distinctive socio-cultural actors who preserve, reinterpret, and transform experiences intimately connected to identity, memory, and narratives of power.

This paper employs a historical methodology and incorporates the personal accounts of Adjarian women across different generations. The study seeks to explore women’s narratives through the prisms of religion, family, education, and public roles, thereby uncovering their implicit struggles with gender stereotypes, cultural heritage, and the shifting dynamics of social transformation.

These narratives function not merely as illustrations of regional history but as active components sha­ping the multilayered civilizational map of the Black Sea. The voices of Adjarian women, positioned at this crossroads, offer new analytical perspectives for understanding the gendered and cultural dimensions of the region.