TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE ARMENIAN DIASPORA: CHALLENGES AND POSSIBILITIES
17.06.2013
Vahram Hovyan
Expert of the Center for the Armenian Studies, “Noravank” Foundation
The Armenian Diaspora, which was formed in consequence of the Genocide,
has undergone definite transformations over a period of all these
decades; these transformations were connected with the “demographic”
shifts taking place inside the Diaspora. Acknowledgment of this
transformation is important for both facing the challenges and taking
advantage of the provided opportunities.
The Essence of Transformation
In consequence of the Genocide the Armenian communities were
established in the Middle and Near East countries – Syria, Lebanon,
Iran, Egypt, etc. The groups of Armenians who managed to escape
from the Genocide also settled in the European countries – Greece,
Bulgaria, Romania, France, and other European countries, as well as
in the United States, Canada, etc.
As a result, however, the migration of the Armenians from the Middle
and Near East countries towards the West – Europe, U.S., Canada and
other developed western European countries had been observed. This is
proved by the continuous shrinkage of the number of the people in the
Armenian communities in the Middle and Near East countries against
the background of the continuous growth of the Armenian communities
in the western countries.
Thus, if in 1960s the number of the Armenians in the US was about
250 thousand people1, at the beginning of the 21st century it has
been 1.2 million2. Meanwhile, if, e.g. in Syria, the number of the
Armenians in 1960s was about 150 thousand3, before the recent crisis
their number was 65-70 thousand people4.
In order to make picture clearer and more substantive, in the charts
below the dynamics of the number of the Armenians in the Middle and
Near East countries and some western countries as compared with the
early 1960s is brought.
Table 1 The number of the Armenians in the Middle and Near East
countries
Table 2 Number of the Armenians in western countries with the biggest
Armenian communities
The following main factors further the migration of the Armenians
from the Middle and Near East to the US, Canada and European countries:
1. The higher living standards in the western countries. The Armenians
from the Middle and Near East have started migrating to the developed
western countries in the anticipation of wealthier life since the
mid 20the century.
2. Easy adaptation to the western social and cultural environment. The
Armenians, being Christians, easier adopt European and American
social and cultural habits and, correspondingly, are easier integrated
into these societies than the Muslims. So, the European and American
social and cultural environments, which are closer to the Armenians,
are triggering migration of the Armenians from the Middle and Near
East towards western countries.
3. Dominating Islamic environment. It is to some extent strange to the
Armenians. Despite the secular character of the states and tolerance
towards Armenians, nevertheless, there were no broad political
and civil liberties, which would provide Armenians conditions for
self-actualization. This explains the political passiveness of the
Armenians in these countries.
And the in recent decades the rise of Islam has been observed in the
region. It is proved by:
â~@¢ The 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, where the secular shahdom
turned into religious state (Islamic Republic of Iran);
â~@¢ Being of the pro-Islamic Justice and Development Party at the
helm of the state in Turkey since 2002;
â~@¢ The “Arab Spring” initiated in 2011, in a result of which “…the
nationalist political forces lose their power and are substituted by
radical Islamists”5.
4. Domestic and external collisions. The Middle and Near East
is unstable region which countries are constantly suffering from
domestic and external collisions. The external collisions manifest
themselves in form of wars – Arab-Israeli conflict, Iraqi-Iranian war
(1980-1988), the Persian Gulf War (1990), Iraqi-American war (2003),
etc. And domestic collisions are manifested in form of revolutions,
civil wars, coups and instability in these regions. In this aspect
the 1975-1990 civil war in Lebanon and the 1979 Islamic revolution in
Iran are remarkable. As for Syria, “in the period of 1949-1970 15 coups
took place in Syria”6. And the current “Arab spring” is another fresh
evidence of instability of the Middle East region. Such a “boiling”
situation in the region threatens security and normal life of the
Armenian communities.
One way or another, large-scale migration of the Armenians from
the countries of the Middle and Near East to the western countries
essentially impacts the inner structure of the Armenian Diaspora. The
Armenian communities in the Middle and Near East are gradually thinning
out; meanwhile some Armenians communities in the western countries
are growing and becoming more influential.
Thus, in consequence of the inner transformations, alongside with the
comparatively small Armenian communities spread all over the world,
key Armenian communities in a number of countries – USA, Russia and
France, are getting more influential7.
Challenges and possibilities
Transformation of the Diaspora has both positive and negative
consequences.
The main challenge is the sharpening of the issue of preserving
Armenian identity. It is known that the Armenians in the western
countries are closely integrated into the societies of these countries;
they easier lose such components of their national identity as their
mother tongue, communication, national culture and history, national
self-consciousness, etc. The problem of language is especially acute
because among the Armenians in the US, Canada, France, Russia and
other Christian countries the number of people who speak their native
language is constantly shrinking from one generation to another. And
under such conditions “… their further national identity becomes
unknown and obscure. Losing their language and main features of the
national character and psychology, the national self-consciousness
and acknowledgement of the national interest are gradually dulling”8.
Mixed marriages, which are wide-spread among the Armenians in Russia
and other western countries, are another factor contributing to the
assimilation of the Armenians.
In the countries of the Middle and Near East the Armenians are to some
extent isolated and they differ from the ruling Islamic environment
which broadly encourages preserving of the national identity features
(language, religion, culture, national self-consciousness) and
minimizes the number of marriages with people of other nationalities,
and this cannot be said about the Armenians in the western countries
and Russia. The kindred social and civilization environment, system
of values as well as civil liberties keep Armenian communities and
the societies of these countries open which creates a fertile ground
for convergence and, at the same time, it constitutes serious menace
to the preservation of the national identity.
The existing situation, alongside with the challenges, also provides
some possibilities which can considerably help Armenia and Diaspora.
Among these possibilities, three can be distinguished:
1. Formation of considerable Armenian capital. Western countries and
Russia are among the economically developed countries where economic
stability prevails. This circumstance, as well as ample opportunities
for business activity, allows Armenians spreading economic activity,
acquiring economic capabilities, in consequence of which the main
part of the capital of the Armenian community is formed. It is not
a mere chance that well-known Armenian businessmen are from the
Armenian Diasporas in the western countries and Russia (K.Kerkorian,
V.Hovnanian, A.Abrahamyan, etc.). Though while speaking about capital
we mostly mean financial and economic capabilities, it would not be
out of place also to consider the Armenians who are involved in the
administrative structures, financial and other institutions and who
achieved eminence in the western countries and Russia.
2. Spreading lobbyist activity. The western countries provide their
citizens with broad democratic and civil rights and liberties
for spreading social and political activity. In case of proper
self-organization this circumstance provides the Armenian communities
opportunities to spread lobbyist activity in favour of Armenia and
Diaspora. It is also important that the western countries (US, Canada,
France) and Russia are “heavy-weight” countries in the modern world
in the aspect of economic and military-political influence.
Correspondingly, the lobbyist activity spread in these countries can
be of great importance.
3. Increasing of the intellectual potential. Besides the economic
and military-political influence, the advantage of the western
countries and Russia, as compared to other countries, is the
developed scientific and technical infrastructures. The Armenians,
who received education in these countries and are involved in the work
of the scientific-technical institutions, constitute the intellectual
potential of the Armenian Diaspora, which corresponds to the highest
criteria. It means that the Armenian communities in the US, Canada,
France and Russia are able to prepare skilled personnel in different
branches of knowledge. And proper estimate and efficient usage of
this potential can largely contribute to the development of Armenia.
Thus, as a result of the “demographic” shifts, which take place
in the Diaspora today, on the one hand the problem of preserving
of the national identity is becoming even acuter, but on the other
hand “…the main part of the Armenian Diaspora is centered in the
developed industrial countries with efficiently functioning democratic
institutions”9, which, alongside with high intellectual potential, open
up new possibilities on the way of realization of the nationwide goals.
1 Ô³Õ¡Õ½ÕºÕ¡O~@ÕµÕ¡Õ¶ Õ~M., Õ~MO~CÕµÕ¸O~BÕ¼O~DÕ¡Õ°Õ¡Õµ
Õ£Õ¡Õ²Õ©O…Õ”Õ¡ÕÕ¶Õ¥O~@Õ¶ Õ¡ÕµÕ½O…O~@. Õ´Õ·Õ¡Õ¯Õ¸O~BÕ©Õ¡ÕµÕ”Õ¶
Õ¯ÕµÕ¡Õ¶O~DÕ” Õ¸O~BO~@Õ¾Õ¡Õ£Õ”Õ®, ÔµO~@., Õ~@Õ¡ÕµÕ¡Õ½Õ¿Õ¡Õ¶Õ”
ÕºÕ¥Õ¿Õ¡Õ¯Õ¡Õ¶ Õ°O~@Õ¡Õ¿Õ¡O~@Õ¡Õ¯Õ¹Õ¸O~BÕ©ÕµÕ¸O~BÕ¶, 1962, Õ§Õ” 246
(Gasparyan S. Armenian Communities Today: Outlines of Cultural life,
Yerevan, Yerevan State University, 1962, p. 246 (in Armenian)
2 “Armenian Diaspora” Encyclopedia, Yerevan, 2003, p. 33 (in Armenian)
3 Ô³Õ¡Õ½ÕºÕ¡O~@ÕµÕ¡Õ¶ Õ~M., Õ¶Õ·Õ¾. Õ¡Õ·Õ., Õ§Õ” 246O~I Gasparyan
S. the mentioned work, p. 246
4 “Armenian Diaspora” Encyclopedia, Yerevan, 2003, p. 508 (in Armenian)
5 Syria Surge: Expert says toppling Assad’s
regime would endanger the Armenian community
6 Õ~MÕ¡Õ£O… Ô±O~@Õ¥Õ¡Õ¶, ”ԱO~@Õ¡Õ¢Õ¡Õ¯Õ¡Õ¶
Õ£Õ¡O~@Õ¸O~Bն”-Õ¨ O~G Õ~DÕ”Õ”Õ”Õ¶ Ô±O~@O~GÕ¥Õ¬O~DÕ” (Sago
Arean, “Arab Spring” and Armenians in the Middle East” (in
Armenian)
7 In consequence of migration from Armenia over the post-Soviet period
the number of Armenians in Russia increased up to 2.2 million people.
“Armenian Diaspora” Encyclopedia, p. 457 (in Armenian)
8 Õ~@Õ¡Õ¯Õ¸Õ¢ÕµÕ¡Õ¶ Õ~M., Õ”Õ”Õ¬Õ”Õ½Õ¸O~CÕ¡ÕµÕ¸O~BÕ©ÕµÕ¡Õ¶
Õ°Õ”Õ´Õ¸O~BÕ¶O~DÕ¶Õ¥O~@, ÔµO~@., ÔµO~@O~GÕ¡Õ¶Õ”
Õ°Õ¡Õ´Õ¡Õ¬Õ½. Õ°O~@Õ¡Õ¿., 1994, Õ§Õ” 284 (Hakobyan S., The Principles
of Philosophy, Yerevan, Yerevan State University, 1994, p. 284
(in Armenian).
9Yengoyan A.P., Ideological Bases of Social and Political
Transformations in the Post-Soviet Armenia, Yerevan, RAU, (in Russian)
“Globus” analytical journal, #5, 2013
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