Perhaps understanding a concept demands a detour away from rigid definitions, choosing instead the fidelity of keeping it company.
The project takes its name from a Georgian postposition _თან (_tan), signifying proximity or being with something. In the Georgian language, _tan does not stand alone; it binds itself to a word.
Through _tan, we try to apply this literal closeness to our approach to concepts. That is, interviews we conduct can be seen as an attempt to spend some time with particular concepts and share this time with thinkers who navigate them. Hence, the objective is proximity rather than absolute clarity.
We publish concurrently in English and Georgian. Interviews with Georgian thinkers are held in Georgian and translated into English, while the reverse applies to international scholars. One to two interviews are released per month, to resist digital overconsumption and maintain the quality of both the interviews and their respective translations.
Conversations are held face-to-face or online, yet they are preserved exclusively as written text. In a digital landscape saturated with video shows and podcasts, tan intentionally favors such format. We believe that engaging with a written text, especially with an interview, is an entirely different undertaking that should by all means be preserved.
Stay with us.
