Nestani Ghambashidze

The generation that emerged in Georgia from the 1860s onward was committed to defending Georgian national identity and aspired to see Georgia, while preserving its traditional values, take a dignified place among the countries of Europe. The nineteenth century in Europe began and was characterized by the emergence of a new ideology—liberalism. The term “liberalism” came into use in 1812; it derives from Latin and denotes freedom. Liberalism originated in England and opposed the traditional monarchical order, particularly the tendency of monarchs to combine secular authority with functions associated with spiritual power. John Locke’s liberal thought, expressed in his Two Treatises of Government, challenged this tendency and maintained that individuals possess the freedom to pursue their own happiness.

Liberal thought rests on several fundamental values: the equal right of different opinions to exist; self-ownership deriving from human freedom; and the protection of individual dignity. Particular attention should be paid to the liberal approach to the equality of women and men. The ancient world did not recognize human equality, and for this reason it has been argued that liberalism could have developed within a Christian intellectual environment. This provides grounds for considering certain fundamental principles of liberalism in relation to aspects of the Christian worldview.

In the second half of the nineteenth century, the issue of equality between women and men became increasingly prominent in Europe. At that time, women faced serious restrictions in education, employment, public expression, political participation, and other areas of social life. In Britain, debates over women’s status and rights became particularly significant. One of the first prominent advocates of women’s political rights in the British Parliament was John Stuart Mill. On 20 May 1867, he proposed granting women the right to vote in the House of Commons. His initiative astonished many members of Parliament and was even met with ridicule. In 1869, Mill published The Subjection of Women, in which he argued that the historical longevity of women’s subordinate status could not serve as justification for its continuation. He also discussed the lack of rights enjoyed by married women and emphasized women’s ability to perform a wide range of occupations. Mill’s work attracted considerable attention and was translated into numerous languages.

The increasing public activity of Georgian women can also be observed from the 1860s onward. At the time, the principal space in which women could express their views and introduce them to the wider public was the press. Periodicals such as Mnatobi, Tsiskari, and Droeba raised the issue of women’s emancipation and contributed significantly to shaping the intellectual orientation of Georgian society. The new generation sought to participate in the process of “Europeanization” while preserving national values.

Contemporary discussions emphasized the need for fundamental reform in women’s education and greater participation in civic life. Georgian public thought increasingly called for women’s intellectual abilities to be developed on an equal basis with those of men and for relations between the sexes to be founded on equality and mutual respect. The question of women’s emancipation thus introduced new perspectives into Georgian society, politics, theatre, literature, and family life.

Keywords: Georgian women; emancipation; liberalism.