Constructing Memory through Language: Metaphorical and Discursive Strategies in Georgian Media Commemorations of the Abkhazian War
Constructing Memory through Language: Metaphorical and Discursive Strategies in Georgian Media Commemorations of the Abkhazian War

Summary/Abstract: The present paper explores how Georgian online media commemorates the fall of Sokhumi and the loss of Abkhazia during the 1992–1993 war, focusing on the evolving narratives over the past decade. Analysing a selection of commemorative articles published between 2013 and 2025, this study employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) to examine dominant linguistic and metaphorical strategies shaping national memory and identity in post-Soviet Georgia. Four principal themes emerge: collective trauma and victimhood; heroism and sacrifice; national failure and internal blame; and historical destiny and geopolitical determinism. The three-tiered analysis—micro (textual), meso (discursive), and macro (ideological)—reveals how media discourse not only reflects but actively constructs a multifaceted collective memory. Findings indicate a significant ideological shift from affective mourning and victimhood toward introspective realism and strategic pragmatism. Metaphors such as WAR IS A WOUND, GEORGIA IS A MARTYR, and HISTORY IS A FORCE function as powerful cognitive frames that encode competing visions of the past and inform contemporary political imaginaries. The study underscores that commemorative discourse is a dynamic site of memory negotiation, balancing narratives of suffering, heroism, accountability, and geopolitical vulnerability. Future research should further explore marginalised perspectives and digital media’s role in memory politics.

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