Ephemeral Diversity: Georgia’s Small Peripheral City Akhaltsikhe as a Changing Religioscape

Abstract Following a series of state-driven reforms after the Rose Revolution, the Georgian provincial city of Akhaltsikhe became a symbol of multiculturalism. The city’s previously forgotten, or rather hidden, layers of religious and cultural diversity were reconstructed, or even “invented,” almost overnight due to the new political framework and context. However, contradictions emerged between the city’s conceived and perceived spaces, particularly regarding sacred sites of various religious groups. This study critically examines whether post-Soviet Akhaltsikhe, framed as a space of diversity, genuinely reflects multicultural policy and practice. Using case studies and analyzing the city from the perspective of the production of space, this paper explores how under a policy of declared multiculturalism, a space with diverse religious identities is mastered and transformed into a monocultural space.