Whose ethnicity matters? The gendered trajectories of mixed families in the Georgian-Abkhaz war and its aftermath

Violent ethnic conflict frequently takes place in regions with high levels of social integration among local populations. Yet few scholars have taken a close look at the trajectories of those most intimately connected: the intermarried and their children. This article asks: how do ethnically mixed families position themselves in violent ethnic conflict and what is the role of gender in this process? Drawing on the life stories of women from Georgian-Abkhaz mixed families in the war over Abkhazia, it explores how the intersection of ethnicity and gender can shape the trajectories of the intermarried and their children. Families in which the husband was Abkhaz and the wife Georgian were more likely to stay in Abkhazia than the other way around. This was linked to patrilineal and patriarchal family structures which positioned the wives on the side of their husbands’ family and was further strengthened through the husbands’ military involvement. This enabled them to continue their lives in Abkhazia while limiting their ability to express their Georgian identity. Yet, while intermarriage did not necessarily weaken ethno-political boundaries, the article also attests to the ways in which the women resisted ethnic antagonism, acting as everyday peacebuilders within the microcosm of the family.