National Unity and Gender Difference

How are gender differences evolved, sustained and embedded in social and political structures of gender regimes and how they vary across cultures and times are long-term questions of the humanities, social, cognitive and biological sciences. Music is a universal form of collective and individual identity. The book examines traditional polyphonic song performances in Georgia, Caucasus, as a marker of national identity and unity. However, dominant gender ideologies and power relationships have shaped the different ways in which women and men traditionally approach singing. While individual women have practically challenged patriarchy and redefined gender roles in Georgian music and society, symbolically, at the level of value system, men are still seen as central to Georgian traditional polyphony. The book sheds light on the ways in which gender differences are "performed" (to use Judith Butler's concept) and should be especially useful for gender and feminist scholars, ethnomusicologists and music experts, ethnographers and anthropologists, students of Georgian and Caucasus cultures, and anyone interested in related topics.