MAIN TRENDS IN FOLKLORISTICS AND THE ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING THE FOLKLORE HERITAGE OF THE LIAKHVI GORGE
Abstract
The present work discusses the main theoretical and methodological trends in the development of folklore studies and assesses the role of research on the folklore heritage of the Liakhvi Gorge in the Georgian cultural and scholarly context. The material of the Liakhvi Gorge acquires particular importance as a bearer of regional identity, historical memory, and cultural originality.
Folkloristics, after its formation as a scholarly discipline, gradually developed on the basis of various theoretical approaches. The study of Georgian folklore, in turn, has always been linked to issues of national self-awareness, historical memory, and cultural identity.
The Liakhvi Gorge, as a historically significant region, is a folklore-rich space, where oral texts reflect both everyday life and historical traumas and social change.
At the initial stage of folkloristics, the main goal was to collect folk texts, strengthen national identity, and reveal the “folk spirit” of oral culture. During this period, folklore was perceived as an authentic expression of national identity.
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, a historical-geographical method emerged, the purpose of which was to compare the distribution areas and variants of texts. This approach played an important role in the formation of story typology.
In the 20th century, structural analysis proved decisive in folkloristics. Of particular importance was Vladimir Propp’s morphological model, which determined the functional structure of the fairy tale.
The study of the folklore heritage of a region contributes to the understanding of local identity, the preservation of cultural heritage, and the protection of historical memory.
The material of the Liakhvi Gorge complements the typological map of Georgian folklore, provides opportunities for comparative analysis with other regions, and also creates a basis for interdisciplinary research such as ethnology, anthropology, and linguistics.
The study of the folkloric heritage of the Liakhvi Gorge is particularly important in that it significantly enriches Georgian folklore, preserves cultural memory, contributes to the scholarly understanding of regional identity, and creates a foundation for modern research projects.
Thus, the study of regional folklore is not only a matter of local importance – it is a necessary component of national culture and scholarly self-awareness.
Key words: Liakhvi Gorge, folklore, oral texts, cultural memory, regional identity, structural analysis, historical-geographical method.
