Vernacular geopolitical orientations in Georgia’s contested border regions

This article examines how Georgian citizens living near contested borders with Abkhazia and South Ossetia perceive the European Union (EU) and Russia. While Georgia's EU integration is often framed as a binary geopolitical choice, this study explores how such narratives are experienced in everyday life. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews conducted between 2021 and 2024, it reveals broad support for EU integration alongside ambivalent attitudes toward the EU's role and Russia's presence. These findings highlight how borderland communities interpret and negotiate competing geopolitical influences, offering a grounded perspective that moves beyond elite-driven accounts of foreign policy and regional alignment.