Drobyshensky's careless statement about Georgia touched the emotions of the nation.

The biologization of social issues in the sharp statement of anthropologist Drobyshensky about the construction in Georgia touched the public on social media. At the same time, the scientist's words are not related to his scientific field and do not characterize his level, analysts pointed out. Social media users, in response to comments about the current state of Georgia, suggested comparing it not only with the Soviet past but also with the current state of Russian cities and regions.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the lectures of Russian anthropologist Stanislav Drobyshensky were canceled in Tbilisi after users drew attention to his words that all of Georgia was built during the Soviet era. Drobyshensky himself stated that he was unaware of the cancellation of his lectures in Tbilisi and perceived the refusal without regret. Drobyshensky's words about the construction of infrastructure in the former Soviet republics distort reality and demonstrate imperial chauvinism, commentators on Facebook pointed out. Drobyshensky is wrong when he speaks contemptuously about freedom, noted human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina.

Analysts debated the imperial nature of Drobyshensky's statements

The head of the "Sova" research center Aleksandr Verkhovsky generally agrees with Svetlana Gannushkina's opinion.

"If we judge only by the quotes provided by Drobyshensky, then Svetlana Gannushkina is right. Biologization in social issues is certainly an intellectual failure. But, it seems, there is nothing particularly wrong in the phrases discussed by Drobyshensky. Anthropology is a much broader basis for analysis applicable to modernity (not even counting the anthropology of modernity itself). I can't say whether biological reductionism is more common now than before. Intuitively, it seems that it is rather less common: after all, more and more people understand that this is a bad approach," Verkhovsky said.

Even a non-hostile, just careless statement, if it suddenly goes viral, easily provokes some kind of dislike.

According to him, it is easy to touch national emotions.

"So even a non-hostile, just careless statement, if it suddenly goes viral, easily provokes some kind of dislike," Verkhovsky noted.

Researcher and lecturer of the Boris Nemtsov Program for Russian Studies at Charles University (Prague) Dmitry Dubrovsky believes that the cancellation of performances on such grounds is permissible in situations where such performances are organized by a commercial venue.

"As far as I understand, it was about a commercial venue. But if it were a university, I would say that it is a violation of academic freedom for the simple reason that Drobyshensky is not a specialist in Soviet history, nor in the ethnography of the Caucasus, let alone the history of the Caucasus. He has a completely different, specific topic. Therefore, if people believe that he has no moral right to speak there, that is quite strange. And if people think that after his statement it somehow reflects poorly on his professionalism, that is also incorrect, because it is about a completely different topic," he said.

Such statements are indeed cultural arrogance.

But overall, according to the interlocutor, Drobyshensky's statements strongly characterize what is called cultural racism.

"This is very indicative for a person who studies problems of race in social and biological aspects. And to speak from such a perspective seems to me not only professionally questionable but also questionable from the standpoint of academic ethics. Because such statements are indeed cultural arrogance. I do not claim and do not consider this to be outright imperialism. This is too broad a term that has recently become just an insult," Dubrovsky explained.

As for the trend, in his opinion, there has indeed been a biologization of social issues lately.

"By the way, Drobyshensky is less affected by this. He is probably quite careful overall. I do not always agree with him. But he indeed has much greater expertise in this matter. But in other cases, quite often there is biologization, racialization, when opponents are described as biologically alien or biologically homogeneous organisms. For example, one could say about the discussion of the war between Israel and Palestine or the Arab-Israeli conflict. Quite often, people who consider Israel, so to speak, their homeland, defending it from all sorts of troubles resort to such universalization, generalization of stories that all Arabs are like this, and in general they are kind of an anti-race, forgetting, unfortunately, that they themselves were an anti-race in the misanthropic picture of Hitler," Dubrovsky said.

At the same time, he noted that such things are not observed in expert conclusions.

"Yes, in general, the biologization of social issues arises quite regularly. But in modern linguistic and psychological-psychiatric examinations, they are practically absent because these issues are simply not discussed there. And therefore, this question usually does not arise there," Dubrovsky concluded.

A debate unfolded in the comments about history, Soviet heritage, and the relations between the two countries

The publication about the reaction to the statements of anthropologist Stanislav Drobyshensky garnered 385 comments on the "Caucasian Knot" page on Facebook.

A discussion unfolded between those who support his assessments of the Soviet contribution to the development of the republic and those who consider them historically unfounded and offensive.

Some users called for recognizing the Soviet contribution to the development of Georgia.

Some participants in the discussion believe that the scientist's statements are based on historical facts, and the negative reaction is related to the unwillingness to acknowledge the role of the USSR and the Russian Empire in the history of Georgia.

"And what is the scientist wrong about?" wrote Aleksandr Pulin.

"And what is wrong? He wasn't talking about ancient temples. The republic was subsidized by 70 percent," noted Mikhail Panyukov.

In the comments, claims are made about the significant volume of Soviet subsidies to Georgia. Participants in the discussion use these arguments as confirmation of the republic's dependence on economic support from the union center.

"They were offended by the truth, even if it was said a bit harshly," wrote Sas Kekin.

"I suggest that those who deny the construction of housing during the Soviet period leave this housing," commented Dmitrii No.

Discussion participants refer to the history of Georgia, contrasting its centuries-old state and cultural tradition with notions of the republic's dependence on Russia.

"Georgia is 2000 years old" - wrote Bahram Nurtaev.

"Drobyshensky, before talking about 'stone huts', look at the photos of pre-revolutionary Tiflis - entire streets, houses, urban life," wrote Gia Barnovi.

"This great anthropologist forgot, or does not want to know, that churches have been built in Georgia since the fourth century," noted Mushniko Maia Zarandia.

In contrast to historical claims against the Russian Empire, other discussion participants believe that it was precisely the annexation to Russia that ensured the preservation of Georgian statehood and protection from external threats.

"Yes, Georgia and Georgians survived only thanks to their king Irakli, who crawled to Georgievsk in 1783 to ask Catherine to save them," wrote Oleg Bobylev.

"Let them be grateful to the Russian Empire and the USSR for statehood and integrity," declared Yunus Gaynetdinov.

Comparison of the current state of Georgia and Russian regions

In response to statements about the development of Georgia, commentators suggest comparing it not only with the Soviet past but also with the current state of Russian cities and regions.

"Drobyshensky should take a trip beyond the MKAD a couple of times. There aren't even stone huts there, and this is now, in the 21st century. Compared to the outskirts, Georgia is a first-world country," wrote Varg Veum.

The facades of many houses in Tbilisi need repairs.

"It's worth comparing Finland with Karelia to understand what's what," suggested the same user.

"My Israeli friends were recently in Georgia. They really like it there. It's a cheap country compared to Israel. Beautiful nature, delicious food. But according to them, it's a poor country. The facades of many houses in Tbilisi need repairs," wrote Eugene Kulakov.

He also drew a parallel with Russian cities in the 1990s, noting that back then, both in the center of Moscow and St. Petersburg, many houses looked significantly worse than they do now.

Accusations of political bias

Some discussion participants link the scientist's statements to the political situation in Russia and suggest that public assessments of history may be influenced by existing ideological attitudes.

"He lives in a system where everyone shouts about the greatness of Russia, how can he speak, they will cancel it in the Russian Federation otherwise, he needs it, it's his job," wrote Sasha Tikhun.

"The reactionary liberal regime will never forgive him for criticism," wrote Vakhtang Kentchishvili.

A separate topic is the decision to cancel Drobyshensky's planned lecture in Tbilisi. Some commentators believe such a reaction is justified, while others think that the organizers and participants of the discussion gave excessive importance to private statements.

"Honestly, I don't care at all what a narrow-profile specialist said in a private conversation. It's amusing to see how a couple of phrases were extracted from the conversation to inflate a ,” wrote Mariya Loshadkina.

Drobyshensky was invited and then canceled by the books bar Auditoria, which belongs to Russian emigrants. The mass Georgian audience has no idea who Drobyshensky is and what he said wrong.

Some commentators point out that the invitation and subsequent cancellation of the performance were related to a specific venue, not necessarily to the mass reaction of the Georgian audience.

"Why is all this presented under the sauce of 'Georgians were offended and canceled'? Drobyshensky was invited and then canceled by the books bar Auditoria, which belongs to Russian emigrants. The mass Georgian audience has no idea who Drobyshensky is and what he said wrong," wrote Mariam Nizharadze.

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