Abstract:
Ivane Javakhishvili's contribution to the search for written
monuments on demography, their description, analysis and scientific
evaluation is immeasurable. Based on historical sources,
Ivane Javakhishvili substantiated the traditional character of the
periodical (once every 7 years) population census in Georgia,
studied the specific goals of the population census, the sources
of financial support for the census, substantiated the existence
of the census programme and found the norms of legal punishment for criminals in case of incorrect population census applicable
then; assessed the impact of wars on the territorial movement
of the population of the region and, accordingly, on the
demographic decline; He negatively evaluated the methodology
of 1926 population census based on ethnicity of that time and
showed us its negative results. In particular, the categorization
of Muslims into a separate ethnic group, which included Georgian
Muslims, distorted the ethnic structure of the population,
and gave ethnically diverse regions a reason to implement an
improper educational policy on the one hand, and to violate the
territorial integrity of the country, on the other hand.
