Language, Gender, and Subtle Power: Gaslighting and Micromachism in Georgian Academic Discourse

Abstract Book of the 8th Global Conference on Women's Studies

Year: 2026

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Language, Gender, and Subtle Power: Gaslighting and Micromachism in Georgian Academic Discourse

Sopio Totibadze

ABSTRACT:

This sociolinguistic study examines the discursive expressions of gaslighting and micromachism in Georgian academic discourse. The research is based on 126 responses collected through online questionnaires distributed within Georgian academic settings. The study aims to understand how these phenomena are conceptually understood and linguistically expressed, as well as their presence in everyday academic interactions.
The analysis shows that respondents have a relatively high awareness of gaslighting, often describing it as a form of psychological manipulation through discursive strategies such as denial of events, reinterpretation of facts, blame shifting, and the delegitimisation of interlocutors’ perceptions. Participants’ narratives suggest that such practices frequently occur in hierarchical academic environments, where authority figures may use linguistic mechanisms to invalidate students’ arguments, minimise their concerns, or shift responsibility in ways that undermine their memory or judgment. In contrast, micromachism appears less clearly conceptualised but is generally associated with subtle gendered communicative practices, including interruptions, dismissive evaluative comments, stereotypical remarks, and the discursive marginalisation of women’s contributions.
The findings further suggest that these linguistic practices are rooted in wider cultural ideologies related to gender roles, authority, and intellectual competence. Overall, the study highlights how everyday communicative patterns can reproduce and normalise subtle gendered power asymmetries within Georgian academic institutions.

Keywords: Academic discourse; Gaslighting; Linguistics; Micromachism; Power