SUMMARY:

Responding to the article by Harsha Ram, Ghia Nodia shares his understanding of the phenomenon of Georgian traditional feasting (the supra) as a cultural mechanism vis-à-vis the complex dynamics of political modernization, nation-building, and imperial domination. Nodia proposes to distinguish between “nativism” and “nationalism” as two forms of self-conscious local identification. Whereas nationalism insists on the sovereign subjectivity of a local community, nativism is performative in its manifestation of the local particularity: the former prioritizes the ability of a community to define its own cultural and political agenda, and the latter values the meticulous reproduction of local authenticity (traditional rituals, etc.). According to Nodia, the supra is the pinnacle of Georgian nativism. As such, it can be used as a vehicle for a truly nationalist mobilization, but otherwise can serve as a tacit or explicit endorsement of imperial power. From the perspective of the imperial metropolis, nativism presents a convenient way to co-opt national elites into the imperial political project, which explains a tolerant and even enthusiastic attitude toward forms of local authenticity such as the supra.