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Paper short abstract

This paper explores how techno clubs in the post-Soviet context can acquire social and political meaning, using Bassiani in Tbilisi as a case study. It draws on interviews and ethnographic observations.

Paper long abstract

Named after the Battle of Basiani, a historical reference associated with struggle but also braveness, the club Bassiani in Tbilisi already carries political resonance in its very name. Techno clubs in the post-soviet space are often discussed as spaces where social change and political meaning intersect, particularly in contexts shaped by post-socialist transformations and political tensions. Using Bassiani as a case study, this paper examines how a nightlife venue can become socially and politically significant beyond its function as a space for music and leisure. Bassiani has gained international visibility since the 2018 police raids and subsequent protests, frequently being framed as a symbol of progressive culture. Based on qualitative interviews with individuals connected to the club (including founders and attendees) and ethnographic observations conducted in Tbilisi, I analyze how political meaning is produced through narratives, symbols, and everyday practices around the club. Rather than treating political significance as a fixed category, I approach it as a process that emerges through public representation, collective memory, and the social experience of nightlife. By focusing on Bassiani, the paper contributes to broader discussions about how nightlife spaces in Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet context can become meaningful places for a generation that seeks cultural and personal freedoms, negotiates questions of gender and belonging, and positions itself within a contested political landscape marked by repression and geopolitical tensions. The case of Bassiani highlights how cultural venues can function as infrastructures of visibility and value-making, shaping social worlds that resonate beyond the dancefloor.