Фактор диаспоры в контексте модели общеармянской идентичности: между нацией и государством

Abstract

Research on the Armenian diaspora take a special place in the modern Armenian studies. Approximately 70 per cent of ethnic Armenians live outside the modern Republic of Armenia. Preservation of the Armenian identity within the diaspora is declared as a priority objective. At the same time, the diaspora is perceived as a strategic resource for the development of the Armenian statehood. Meanwhile, there is practically no comprehensive research on this topic. Accordingly, certain myths exist about a unified Armenian diaspora, however, in reality it is more accurate to refer to it as a plethora of Armenian communities in different countries of the world that vary in many ways and are rather fragmented due to their lack of institutionalized unity. This article aims to study the communities of the Armenian diaspora in all their diversity with the objective to reveal the socio-political portrait of these communities. The analysis especially focuses on the institutions within the Armenian diaspora in order to identify their role in the functioning of these communities in general and the preservation of Armenian identity in particular. The main aim is to comprehend the unity between the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian diaspora through examining the place and role of modern Armenian statehood in the models of self-identification of diaspora communities. To this end, the authors study the available literature on the topic, as well as specific empirical material, namely in-depth interviews with experts in the Republic of Armenia and the results of an extensive sociological poll “The Armenian Diaspora Survey” conducted across various communities of the Armenian diaspora. The study concludes that there is a common cultural and linguistic Armenian identity, which does not extend to include civil, political, and – currently – confessional components.