Georgia through the Eyes of the Georgian Heavy Metal Musicians - A Country of Cultural Crossroads

Abstract: The subculture of heavy metal has often been perceived as a counterculture to the leading mainstream cultural expressions and paradigms. In the light of globalization the heavy metal culture has spread to far off places around the world from its origin in the West. The Georgian heavy metal culture began developing in the last two decades since the fall of the Soviet Union, when new influences and ideas penetrated former Soviet states. My objective in this thesis is to study the heavy metal subculture in Georgia though a holistic perspective to understand the greater influences and leading paradigms that have permeated Georgian society in the last two decades and how the Soviet ideas and attitudes have had to accommodate to modern Western influences. The different spheres I have analyzed in Georgian society are the Georgian identity, nationalism, Christianity and the Georgian view on homosexuality through the eyes of the Georgian heavy metal subculture. All of these aspects are of importance in understanding the Western and the Eastern influences upon the Georgian society. As a theoretical framework I will use theories of globalization and the meaning of a subculture as a counterculture to leading paradigms.