The Taste of Agency: Cooking, Gender, and Social Change in Georgia

This book explores the evolving role of women in Georgian society through the lens of food and cooking. Drawing on ethnographic research in Ozurgeti, it reveals how domestic practices serve as powerful expressions of female agency. From the 19th century to the post-Soviet era, Georgian women have used food to navigate socio-economic crises, reshape family structures, and preserve cultural identity. The book combines feminist anthropology and food studies to challenge assumptions about women’s roles in traditional societies. By focusing on everyday acts of sustenance, it offers a nuanced view of how women actively shape both private and public life. A vital contribution to gender studies, anthropology, and post-Soviet research, this book enhances our understanding of food as a site of social change.

Natallia Paulovich is Assistant Professor at The Maria Grzegorzewska University, Poland. Her research explores post-Soviet gender dynamics, with a focus on Georgia and Belarus. She has published in Slavic Review, Anthropology of the Contemporary Middle East and Central Eurasia, and the Journal of Caucasian Studies.