I. The historical background of the Armenian Diaspora
Under King Tigran the Great1, the Armenian empire was one of the most powerful in Asia,
stretching from the Caspian to the Mediterranean Seas. However, throughout most of the
country’s long history, the Armenians have been invaded by a number of empires and have been
subjected to mass emigration. This has resulted in establishment of different Armenian
communities worldwide, which are known to us as a strong and powerful Diaspora. Under
foreign rule, Armenians have become both cosmopolitan as well as strong defenders of their
culture and tradition. Continuous life in foreign countries has led Armenians to develop traditions
that accommodated the societies and cultures they lived in while preserving their ethnic and
cultural identity.
The emigration of Armenians from their country has been taking place for the last 1,500 years
(Redgate, 01). At the beginning of the 11th century, continuous invasions and migrations reduced
the Armenian population in the nation’s historic homeland on the Armenian Plateau, resulting in a
large number of Armenians moving to Russia, Europe, and India. While most Armenians
remaining in historical Armenia under the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century were peasant
farmers in eastern Anatolia, others resettled in Constantinople, Smyrna, and other cities in the
empire (Country Studies, n.d.). In the 19th century, the political tensions in the Ottoman Empire
put the security of the Armenians at a higher risk. After a short time, the Young Turk government
massacred and removed the vast majority of Armenians from the eastern Anatolian provinces. The
Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks is the primary reason why today’s majority
of Armenians live outside their homeland.
An Armenian Diaspora has existed throughout the nation's history and has been rather influential
since the country’s independence from the Soviet Union. There are a total of ten million
1 Tigran the Great was a king that ruled the largest Armenian Empire in its history. Ruling just before the time of Christ, his empire stretched from the Caspian shores of today’s Azerbaijan, to the Mediterranean shores of today’s Israel (The Armenia Encyclopedia, 05).
Armenians living in the world, of whom only about 3,000,000 live in Armenia, about 120,000 in
Nagorno-Karabakh2, and sixty percent live outside the country. Significant Armenian
communities are located in the United States, the Russian Federation, Georgia, France, Iran,
Lebanon, Syria, and Canada. There are also a number of Armenian communities in other parts of
the world.
In this research paper I am going to investigate the causes of the establishment of the Armenian
Diaspora, how it spread throughout the world, and present-day Armenia-Diaspora relations. I will
describe the efforts that the Armenians make to preserve their heritage by educating and
motivating younger members of the Diaspora. I will also investigate how the Armenian Diaspora
maintains its unity through churches, schools, political parties, charitable organizations, and
publications in the Armenian communities of different countries.
A. Causes of Diaspora before World War I - Migration of the Armenians from their country
occurred in variety of forms, being either voluntary or forced, by way of deportation and
extradition, across states and continents. Emigration was caused by economic, religious and
political factors. The Greeks, Romans, Persians, Byzantines, Mongols, Arabs, Ottoman Turks, and
Russians conquered Armenia over the centuries. “Already in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, during
the reigns of Persian Sassanian Kings Ardashir and Shapur II, the first recorded mass deportation
of the Armenians took place” (Melkonian, 02). The mass migration increased significantly in the
7th-14th centuries, due to the fact that the country was invaded by Arabs, Seljuk Turks and
Mongols. Following the migration to Cilicia3 in the 10th-11th centuries, Armenians were able to
settle and reach high levels in society, and thus laid a basis for the establishment of the strong
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. In later centuries, the economic, political, and cultural influence of
the Armenians increased in the Ottoman Empire. Also, Armenians realized that by uniting their
2 Nagorno-Karabakh is a region of Azerbaijan that declared itself an independent Republic on 10 December 1991. The region is predominantly populated by Armenians and is under ethnic Armenian military control (Wikipedia, 06).3 Cilicia is an independent Armenian Kingdom during the early second millennium with a large Armenian population until the Armenian Genocide. The final expulsion of Armenians from this Mediterranean coastal region was carried out by Mustafa Kemal’s forces (The Armenia Encyclopedia, 06).
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efforts they would have a stronger say in the society. Because of this, the Turkish population
started to feel that soon the Armenians would outgrow them. Therefore, during the First World
War, the Ottoman Turkish authorities made a decision to permanently end the activated national
liberation movement which had grown among the Armenian people. “To uproot this movement,
the Turkish authorities during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II4 commonly known as "the
bloody Sultan" organized massacres resulting in deaths of 300,000 Armenians in Western
Armenia and other parts of the Ottoman Empire in 1894-1896” (Melkonian, 02).
As a reaction to anti-Armenian tensions within the Empire, Armenians sought to start strong
political movements. The three influential political parties of the late 19 th early 20th centuries, that
played a strong role in everyday life of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, were the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutiun), the Hunchakians, and the Armenian Democratic
League (Mouradian, 95). The Dashnaktsutiun party was formed in 1890 in Tiflis (present-day
Tbilisi), Georgia and later moved its headquarters to Trepizond5. The main goal of this party was
to liberate Armenia from the Turkish domination. The Hunchakian political party was established
in 1887 in Geneva, Switzerland. Although the Headquarters was based in Geneva, this party
(being the first socialist party in Turkey and Persia) played a strong role in the local defenses of
Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. Being secretive in their activities, the Hunchakian party
believed in revolt against the Turks, and in having a free Armenian state (Mouradian, 95).
Established in 1885, the Armenakan party later known as the Armenian Democratic League
(Ramgavar) was established in Van6, whose members believed in the armed self-protection of
Western Armenians. Although these three traditional political parties had separate mandates, they
had one common objective to ensure well-being of the Armenians.
4 In 1876, Sultan Abdul Hamid became king of the Ottoman Empire. In 1878, he dissolved the national parliament and was set as the head of affairs. He was a very tricky despot and a blood-thirsty dictator, under whose rule the condition of Armenians became more deplorable and frightening than ever (Our Ararat, 05).5 Trepizond is a city in northeastern Turkey.6 Van is the capital city of Urartu (ancient country in southwest Asia) and an important commercial center in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (Mouradian, 95).
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B. Causes of Diaspora - The Armenian Genocide –The Armenian genocide was the first
genocide of the 20th century, organized by the Ottoman Turkish government against the
Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. The genocide was centrally planned against the entire
Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire. It was the intent of the Turks to eliminate the
Armenian Christian population. Additionally, various Turkish ideologists propagandized
promotion of Pan-Turkism through the media that would lead to the establishment of a powerful
empire stretching from Anatolia into Central Asia, populated exclusively by Turks.
Having very few civil rights compared with the Turks, Armenians lived under fear that massacres
would break at any time for any reason. After the massacres of Armenians in 1895 by Abdul
Hamid, the following decades of persecution and smaller rounds of massacres put the entire
Armenian community in great jeopardy (Hartunian, n.d.). The Armenians were subjected to
deportation, expropriation and starvation. A large Armenian population was forcibly removed to
Syria, whereby the vast majority was sent into the desert to die of thirst and hunger. The decision
to carry out genocide against the Armenian people was made by the political party named the
Committee of Union and Progress in the Ottoman Empire, known as the Young Turks. This
government was mainly ruled by three powerful authorities, Mehmet Talaat, Minister of the
Interior in 1915; Ismail Enver, Minister of War; and Ahmed Jemal, Minister of the Marine and the
Military Governor of Syria (The Armenia Encyclopedia, 05).
When World War I broke out, the Young Turks gained an opportunity of the chaotic situation to
fulfill their desire, which was freeing Turkey of all Armenians. About one and a half million
Armenians perished between the years of 1915 and 1923. An estimated two million Armenians
lived in the Ottoman Empire before World War I, and over a million of them were deported in
1915. Hundreds of thousands were murdered, many died from starvation and epidemics in
concentration camps. Those Armenians who lived along the periphery of the Ottoman Empire
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were able to escape to the central provinces of Turkey (Dadrian, 95). Those living in the East
moved towards the Russian border as refugees. Also, in 1918, the Young Turk regime started a
war in the Caucasus, where some 1,800,000 Armenians lived under the Russian command.
Advancing through East Armenia and Azerbaijan, they also carried out systematic massacres, thus
resulting in added tens of thousands of more victims in between 1920 and 1922. Eventually, by
1923 all of Asia Minor and historic Western Armenia was cleared of its Armenian population. All
the Armenian communities located in this part of the world were completely destroyed.
Turkish massacres set no limits in destroying anything that was Armenian. A survivor of the
Armenian Genocide remembers,
…During 1920, 1921, as a child of 5 to 6, I witnessed an Armenian church in which there were 2,000 Armenian men, women and children taking refuge. The Turks surrounded the church and poured kerosene all around and set the church on fire, ready to shoot anyone who came out of the building. The Turks went to the extent of cutting off the hands of children and letting them bleed and yell themselves to death. They buried children alive in ditches in the desert, and they drove thousands of Armenians in death marches until they dropped dead or were shot dead... (Hartunian, n.d.).
The Armenian genocide is still called “the unremembered genocide” for several reasons. Firstly,
the world thought the First World War was a war ending all other minor wars, hence the western
powers felt that the Armenian tragedy should be minimized and not talked about. Secondly, the
majority of Armenians were so deeply hurt in their hearts and souls, that they were not even able
to speak out what happened. Only in 1965 did they finally begin to proclaim to the world that this
horrible act had taken place (Hartunian, n.d.). And thirdly, the Turks found it very convenient to
deny the genocide and state that a civil war had taken place, affecting both sides. They still
continue denying the genocide, as recognition of it would lead to responsibility of returning lands,
property, and an official apology.
However, despite Turkey’s denial, the international community condemned the Armenian
genocide. Even in May 1915, Great Britain, France and Russia warned the Young Turk leaders
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that they would be held responsible for the crime they had committed against humanity. In the
United States, following these terrible acts, there was a strong reaction from the public related to
the mistreatment of the Armenians. Relief efforts were made in order to save the lives of those
Armenians who had survived but were living in miserable situations. The governments of the
United States, Great Britain, and Germany sponsored publication of numerous accounts and
reports. However, despite the anger of the international community related to this sensitive issue,
no significant actions were taken against conduct of the Ottoman Empire (Dadrian, 95).
Moreover, no steps were taken that would require the post war Turkish governments to make
compensation to the Armenian people for their human and material losses. Even today, despite the
fact that there is great deal of documentary evidence, Turkey does not wish to admit the genocidal
intention of these massacres. The results may yet impel the civilized world to show greater
concern for the depth of the anguish that has been tormenting generations of Armenians. In its
turn, the more educated layers of the Turkish society should face these facts of history and should
try to raise public awareness and thus convince public-at-large to come in terms with it. It is only
now that the international community has officially recognized its genocidal character officially.
In June of 1987, the European Parliament, declared the Turkish massacres of World War I to be a crime of genocide under the UN Convention on Genocide, and stipulated that Turkey, among other conditions, must recognize the genocide before the Parliament would favorably consider Turkey’s application for membership in that body. The European Parliament labeled Turkey’s refusal to do so an insurmountable obstacle to consideration of the possibility of Turkey’s accession to the [European] Community (Dadrian, 95).
In a number of ways, Armenians all over the world have been proclaiming the Genocide to the
world. A popular Californian band, System of a Down7, comprising four Armenian musicians,
continually promotes awareness of the Genocide through organizing annual concert tours
dedicated to the memory of innocent victims. The Armenian Genocide is a main theme of Atom
Egoyan’s film “Ararat” produced in 2002. One of the most famous literary works concerning the
7 System of a Down (sometimes referred to as SOAD, or System) is a very famous rock band, which was formed in 1995 in California. The name of the band was inspired by a poem written by band member Daron Malakian entitled "Victims of a Down" (Wikipedia, 2006).
7
Armenian Genocide is Franz Werfel's “Forty days of Musa Dagh”, published in 1933 (Wikipedia,
06). All these efforts are directed at official recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey.
II. The Armenian Diaspora in the Old World
A. Armenians in the Middle East - In the section below, I will present the Armenian
communities in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran. The socio-economic conditions of the
Armenian immigrants in these countries were very dire in the first years of their resettlement.
They lived in towns and villages with the most minimal facilities. It was extremely difficult for
them to adjust to new realities, given that all of their belongings were left behind. They had to
start new lives in foreign countries. The Armenian communities in the Arab world received a
large percentage of the survivors of the massacres. Armenians settled in Egypt, Greater Syria,
Mesopotamia8, Sudan and Ethiopia.
Most of the Armenian survivors of the massacres settled in Syria, primarily in Aleppo. This has
become one of the most active Armenian Diasporas in the twentieth century. The Armenian
schools, churches, centers, and hospitals in Syria inspired Armenian communities in Beirut,
Baghdad, Jerusalem, and Amman during the second half of the twentieth century with their unity
and common vision. Later on in the century, the number of Armenians increased to 100,000, thus
making Syria one of the largest Armenian communities in the Arab world. In Aleppo, there are
over 40,000 Armenians (Bournatian, n.d.). There are also a large number of community-sponsored
events organized by Armenians. The community in Damascus has also grown in the last quarter of
the 20th century and new businesses have been established.
The Armenian presence in Lebanon during the Ottoman period was minimal; however, there was
a large influx of Armenians after the Armenian Genocide of 1915 (Wikipedia, 06). Arriving as a
8 Mesopotamia refers to the region that is now occupied by modern Iraq, eastern Syria, and southern Turkey. The name comes from the Greek words ‘between’ and ‘river’ - referring to the area between the Tigris and the Euphrates (Wikipedia, 06).
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result of massacres in Turkey, the Armenians of Lebanon have been a very important community.
In the second half of the twentieth century, the 75,000 Armenians living in Lebanon were granted
minority civil rights by the government, thus enabling them to elect their own members of
parliament. By 1974 there were over 200,000 Armenians, who opened numerous Armenian
churches, schools and well-known educational institutions including the Haigazian College.
Living in a foreign coutnry, Armenian immigrants endured many difficulties and had to adapt to
the Arab lifestyle. They grouped and established Bourj Hammoud - or the Armenian quarter of
Beirut - and Anjar, where an Armenian community exists to this day. Even during the years of the
Lebanese Civil War, grouped in Bourj Hammoud and Anjar, the Armenians did their best to
remain neutral. However, the war had a negative impact on the lives of Armenians, hence
thousands of them left Lebanon in search of peace and a better life in North America, Western
Europe, and elsewhere (Wikipedia, 06).
Egypt became one of the areas where the Armenians settled in the Arab world until the mid-
twentieth century. The leader of Armenians in that country was Boghos Nubar, the son of Nubar
Pasha9. Armenians had a significant role in the functioning of the Egyptian government. They also
created numerous businesses which significantly helped Egypt become a major Armenian center.
Schools, churches and newspapers guided the lives of some 40,000 Armenians. The in-country
political restructuring of the Egyptian president in 1956 compelled many Armenians to migrate to
the countries of Europe, as well as Australia and the United States of America. Today, there are
only 5,000 Armenians living in Egypt, mainly in Cairo.
The Armenians in Iraq arrived primarily in the 1920's and settled in Baghdad, Mosul, and Basra.
Armenians had an active involvement in business and trade in the beginning of the twentieth
century. Though the Armenian population in the country grew up to 35,000 at one point, at
9 Nubar Pasha is an Egyptian statesman of Armenian descent who was instrumental in the negotiation of important treaties with the European powers and in the division of authority between Egyptian and British administrators (Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.).
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present there are less than 10,000 Armenians in Iraq (Bournatian, n.d.). Following the recent
military intervention in Iraq, many Armenian families left their homes and moved and settled
either in Armenia or in other countries with Armenian communities.
Iran has been a major center of Armenian life in the Middle East comprising a population of
200,000 people. The arrival of Armenians in Iran dates back to the beginning of the 17th century.
In 1603, Shah Abbas10 moved around 30,000 Armenian residents of Van, Kars, Alashkert,
Manezkert, and eight other towns and villages to Isfahan. Shah Abbas had the following
intentions: (a) to use the Armenians in the development of the country’s agriculture and industry;
(b) to introduce higher-quality carpets to the international market using Armenian weavers who
had the skills to make this happen; (c) to westernize the country and enter into an era of
understanding among the people of different religions and nationalities (Bashiri, 99).
Following the massacres of 1895-1896, Armenian refugees moved to northwestern Iran. Later, the
Russian Revolution of 1905 drastically affected northern Iran and, in 1906, Iranian liberals and
revolutionaries, together with many Armenians, demanded a constitution there. Despite the fact
that the document was signed by the shah, his descendant dissolved the Maflis [Parliament]. Only
in 1909 did the revolutionaries force the ruler to renounce some of its sanctions (Bournoutian,
n.d.).
Also, thousands of Armenians migrated to Iran during the genocide. The Armenian Iranians were
very influential and active in the modernization of Iran during the 19th and 20th centuries. After
the Iranian Revolution, many Armenians immigrated to Armenian Diasporan communities in
North America and Western Europe. There are an estimated 300,000 Armenians in the country at
10 Shah Abbas ruled Iran from 1571 to 1629, he was the most eminent ruler of the Safavid Dynasty, also known as Shah Abbas the Great (Wikipedia, 06).
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the time of the Revolution in 1979 (Country Study and Guide, 1987). Today, Armenians are Iran's
largest Christian religious minority and are mostly populated in the cities of Tehran and Isfahan
Jolfa (Wikipedia, 06). Though Armenians do not face obstacles in practicing the Christian faith in
Iran, to protect their own culture, they prefer to live separately from Muslims and limit good
relations with the local population mostly to business (Chauffour, 05).
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenian-Iranian diplomatic relations were re-
established and this led to a new stage of relations between the two countries. Recently, many
Armenians have considered moving to Yerevan or to Shoushi in Nagorno Karabakh after having
obtained a University degree in Iran. For those who continue to consider Iran their second home,
an Armenian daily newspaper “Aliq”, published in Tehran, and the US-published “Asbarez”
remain good sources of information about the homeland (Chauffour, 05). Armenians also
maintain their own schools in the country.
B. Armenians in Europe - Initially, the Armenian immigrants in the developed countries of the
West lived in especially difficult conditions. Because of their lack of good labor skills and poor
knowledge of the local languages, the Armenians were only able to provide poorly paid hard
manual labor. The local populations were not familiar with Armenians and named them ‘Asiatic'
people. It was the hard work and determination of the Armenians that helped them earn their full
rights. Those Armenians who received an education in Western countries soon joined the middle
and upper classes of the societies and enjoyed good respect from the locals. Among them were
entrepreneurs, civil servants, scientists, professors, and professionals.
The Armenian citizens of Western democracies were further integrated into the society [the European] after so many of them fought valiantly on the battlefields of the Second World War. Some 10,000 Armenians fought on the British and French sides each against the Nazi Germany and its Axis allies. The Armenian population of France, Greece, and Bulgaria joined the ranks of Resistance in the Nazi-occupied regions of their host countries (Melkonian, 02).
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However, it has been very difficult for Armenians to preserve their ethnic identity because of the
strong influence of Western culture upon them. The first wave of Armenian immigrants did their
best to become fully integrated into their new societies, seeking to adapt to their new lifestyles
(Melkonian, 02).
Through the influx of Armenians to Europe from Russia and the Ottoman Empire, the already-
established Armenian settlements became larger, and new centers were also created. Among the
Italian cities where Armenians had communities, Venice was a place with significant Armenian
presence, due to the Mekhitarians Armenian Educational Institution of San Lazzaro and their
Murad-Raphaelian Armenian School on the main island (Bournatian, n.d.).
France accommodated many Armenians who arrived after the genocide. Those Armenians who
originated from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and European Turkey and who received an education in
France remained in France during the 1930s. At present, the French- Armenian community is
estimated to be around 250,000, and is one of the most influential Armenian communities in
Europe (Bournoutian, n.d.). As of today, there are over thirty Armenian churches in Paris and
other cities including Marseilles, Lyon, and Nice. The Armenian schools, institutions and
newspapers maximize their efforts to maintain the strong ties with the Republic of Armenia. “The
French-Armenian community has produced artists such as Charles Aznavour, Carzou, and Jansem
and scholars such as Sirarpie Der Nersessian. The widely-respected scholarly journal Revue Des
Etudes Armeniennes is published in Paris” (Bournoutian, n.d.). These French Armenians maintain
a great deal of Armenian pride.
The Armenian communities of Belgium and Holland experienced Europe's world wars firsthand.
According to Bournatian,
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During the First World War, many Armenians, who were still Turkish citizens, left Belgium for Holland to escape the German onslaught and from fear of being sent back to Turkey to be drafted. Most returned after the war and a chair in Armenian studies was established in the University of Brussels in 1931, with the famed professor Nicholas Adontz as its first chair holder (Bournoutian, n.d.).
More Armenians came to Holland from Iran, Turkey and Lebanon later in the 1980s. They were
able to reopen the Armenian Church in Amsterdam, which had been closed in the 1850s. The
present Armenian community in Belgium and Holland comprises 10,000 people (Bournoutian,
n.d.).
Presently, there are also Armenian communities in Austria, England, Germany, Scandinavia, and
Switzerland. A total number of six churches and numerous cultural centers serve around 50,000
Armenians living in these countries. As early as in the seventeenth century, a few Armenians lived
in Austria. The first coffee-house in Vienna was reportedly established by an Armenian
(Bournoutian, n.d.). Moreover, in the sixteenth century the Armenians that settled in England
established an Armenian press in London.
The previously large and powerful Armenian communities of Eastern Europe have mostly become
very small. The formation of first Armenian communities in Poland, specifically by the Black Sea
and in Ruthenian towns, had commercial reasons. Prospering, these communities attracted more
newcomers from Armenia, which resulted in a large Armenian population in the Ruthenian
territories of Poland in the mid 14th century. They were engaged in trade with the East and
manufacturing of Eastern goods such as oriental carpets, rugs, jewelry, and ornaments
(Amirowicz, 99). While in the 18th century, many Armenians reached the living standard of the
Polish middle class, the 19th century became a turning point in the life of Armenians in Poland. In
this period, the country put forward a strategy of Polonization, aiming at destroying differences
between Polish Armenians and Poles. Due to this, most present Polish Armenians currently define
themselves as Poles of Armenian origin. Nevertheless, they still try to preserve their Armenian
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identity by involvement in several Armenian cultural organizations. Also, Polish Armenians have
helped new Armenian immigrants who started migrating to Poland in view of finding employment
there. The number of the latter group varies from tens of thousands up to 200,000 while the Polish
Armenians are estimated to range between 5,000 and 10,000 (Amirowicz, 99).
The Armenian communities of Romania and Bulgaria received many emigrants from the
political disruptions in Russia and Turkey during the period of 1915-1922. After World War II,
the communist regime shut down most of the private enterprises that were owned by the
Armenians in Romania. These circumstances forced a large number Romanian Armenians to
depart for Western Europe and the United States, while a considerable number of Bulgarian
Armenians moved to settle in Soviet Armenia (Bournatian, n.d.). After a short while, they also
began to leave for Europe and the United States. At present, the Armenian Diaspora in Romania is
estimated to be 5,000 people, who live primarily in Bucharest, Constantza and Tulca. In Bulgaria
the number of Armenians reaches 30,000. Most of them live in Sofia and Plovdiv.
Cyprus has a large Armenian community which was established during the period between 1895-
1922. The present-day Melkonian Educational Institute, located in Nicosia, has a long history. It
was founded in 1926 to accommodate and educate orphans of the Armenian genocide. Moreover,
the Melkonian Institute hosted a large number of students from Lebanon which left during the
country’s civil war (Bournoutian, n.d.). After the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, the
Armenian community was strongly affected as most of the Armenian settlements in Nicosia, as
well as the school and the church, fell into the Turkish-conquered side of Cyprus. After the
invasion, most of the Armenians fled to the West, leaving only a community of 2,000 members
from an estimated 15,000.
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Before 1895 there were only some 500 Armenians in all of Greece, however over 150,000
Armenians arrived after the genocide. After the Second World War, many Greek Armenians
moved to Armenia, United States, and Western Europe. The present Armenian population of
Greece stands at 10,000 (Bournatian, n.d.).
There is still a small Armenian community, centered around a 14th century church in Lvov, which
maintains its Armenian lifestyle in Ukraine. Following the world wars and the communist
regime, the once strong Armenian community in Hungary became very weak and eventually
disappeared.
C. Armenians in the Post Soviet States – In the section below, I will speak about the Armenian
Diasporan communities in the Russian Federation and Georgia. The Armenian Diaspora in Russia
stands out among the Armenian communities. During Soviet times, the word “diaspora” was not
used when describing the Armenian communities in different Russian cities. This was due to the
fact that the territory was not perceived as a foreign land. Only after the collapse of the Soviet
Union did members of Armenian communities in Russia start seeing themselves as members of
the Diaspora. Members of the Armenian Diaspora in Russia did not strive to build a traditional
diaspora, which is the kind mostly based on a collective memory of a past genocide, religious
beliefs and/or the attempt to establish a diasporic identity preserving a group’s language, customs
and traditions (Oussatcheva, 03). Instead, the Armenian Diaspora within Russia is more occupied
with legal, political, and economic affairs to strengthen its ties to the homeland.
However, there is competition among Diasporan organizations resulting in the absence of one that
might bring together all the activities within the Armenian Diaspora. The explanation for this is
that the community consists of different social and intellectual layers, which do not have close ties
with each other due to differences between their experience and wealth status. Three communities
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within the Armenian Diaspora in Russia can be distinguished. These are: (1) the “old” members of
the Diaspora who came to Russia before the collapse of the Soviet Union and who adapted to life
in Russian cities11; (2) the successful businessmen from the wave of legal immigration in the
1990s; and (3) the immigrants of the 1990s without legal status, respectable jobs, good housing,
and often living on the edge of being involved in criminal and illegal activities (Oussatcheva,
2003). This group migrated to Russia during the time when Armenia’s economy was fully
collapsed and they had no employment opportunities. Leaving families behind, the third group of
immigrants aimed at providing for their family needs as much as possible. And since it would not
have been feasible to make a good living with low salaries they were receiving, some thought that
illegal activities would reward them more money. These illegal activities included different kinds
of fraud, money laundering, and other corrupt activities.
In view of these three different layers within the Armenians in Russia, it seems impossible to
speak about this Diaspora in terms of being a unified community with common interests. Despite
the above, Armenians have done everything possible to expand the life of their community in
Russia. A number of language courses have been created, Sunday and secondary schools have
been established, chapels and churches have been built, and newspapers, magazines and books
have been published. In Moscow alone, there are more than 30 Armenian organizations of various
types, from cultural to economic and political. Armenians are active in all sectors of social,
political and cultural life in Russia. This is proven by the fact that Armenians have been members
of the State Duma (Parliament), the Senate, and have also occupied ministerial-level posts in
Russia. There are also many Armenians operating various businesses, who maintain strong ties
with their homeland. A number of locally based Armenian newspapers and monthly magazines
are published throughout Russia, and a few periodicals have nationwide distribution
(Oussatcheva, 2003).
11 It is worth mentioning that, while living within Soviet Union, the Armenians did not feel the need to organize and establish themselves, and members of the Diaspora were mostly occupied with the preservation of their culture and religion, in opposition to the Soviet policy of erasing national differences (Oussatcheva, 2003).
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Though life in the Armenian Diaspora in Russia is much more active and diverse now than during
the Soviet era, it still does not have very strong political, financial, and organizational potential.
This is explained by the fact that the effort to unite under a common idea is not strong enough
among Armenians in Russia. However, with considerable support from the Armenian Diaspora of
the West, there is indication that the organizational and financial growth will accelerate. Despite
their diversity and isolation from each other, the Armenian organizations and unions in Russia are
considered to be an essential tool in the development of Russian-Armenian relations. In 1999 a
new Armenian organization emerged within the Diaspora in Russia – the Union of Armenians in
Russia, which aims to consolidate cultural, educational, legal, and defense issues, as well as play
key roles in maintaining and improving Armenian-Russian relations (Oussatcheva, 2003). In
recent years, the Union of Armenians in Russia has proven to be an organization capable of
helping Armenia in a number of ways. I do believe that in several years, this Union will further
enlarge its scope of activities and achieve higher goals.
Armenians constitute the largest ethnic minority in Georgia. They make up 8.1 percent of the
country’s population. According to official statistics, the Armenian population in Georgia stands
at 248,900. However, unofficial data indicates that the number of Armenians in Georgia is as high
as 400,000, of whom 120,000 live in the city of Tbilisi, and another 160,000 people live in
Javakhk12. Also, it is said that approximately 50-60,000 inhabit Abkhazia13 (Hakobyan, 04).
Though Armenians used to have a strong influence in the country’s life, they presently feel unsure
about their future in Georgia. Their primary concern is to fit in; to succeed, for example, they have
to change the Armenian suffix of a surname to a Georgian one. “It costs five lari (about $2.50) for
an Armenian to become a “Georgian”. For that amount a Vardanian, for example, can become 12 Georgian region with the largest Armenian population. Javakhk was part of Great Armenia until 387 AD (The Armenia Encyclopedia, 06).13 A self-proclaimed republic of 8,600 km² in the Caucasus. It is a de jure autonomous republic within Georgia, but is de facto independent of Georgia, although not recognized as such internationally (Wikipedia, 06).
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“Vardanishvili”. It is not an unusual practice, since many Armenians find it easier to get along in
Georgian society with a Georgian name” (Suleymanyan, 2004).
This makes Armenians feel inferior to the local population. As opposed the present situation of
Armenians in Georgia, they had a stronger role in the society in the 18 th and 19th centuries, when a
large number of wealthy Armenian industrialists and merchants made essential investments in the
country’s economy. This is proven by the fact that the city of Tbilisi was based on Armenian
architectural ideas. The involvement of Armenians in Georgia’s political life is not high though.
There are only six Armenians in the present-day Parliament of Georgia, and all of them have
originated from Armenian-populated districts within the country. The vast majority of Armenians
living in Georgia are employed in small and medium-sized businesses. According to Hakobyan,
there are 15 Armenian churches throughout the country, of which two are located in Tbilisi.
The present-day Armenian population inhabits a great deed of space in the Georgian area of
Javakhk. It is said that Javakhk is the world’s third Armenian land after Karabakh and Armenia.
About 95 percent of the people in this region are Armenian (Ishkhanyan, 04).
III. The Armenian Diaspora in North America
After the massacres of 1895-1896, many Armenian families traveled to America and by 1900 their
numbers reached 15,000. Between 1900 and 1916 about 70,000 Armenians, primarily middle age
skilled and literate men who had left their families behind to seek better opportunities, immigrated
to the United States (Bournatian, n.d.). In 1924, around 23,000 Armenians arrived in North
America. In later years, the number of Armenian immigrants who came primarily from Turkey
was over 100,000. Another wave of Armenian immigrants arrived in mid 20 th century from
Europe and the Middle East. In the 1970s and 80s about 80,000 Armenians from Soviet Armenia
came to North America (Bournoutian, n.d.). The deteriorating conditions of the Armenian
population following the 1988 earthquake in the country resulted in another large migration of
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Armenians to North America. There are at present around one million Armenians in the United
States and 100,000 in Canada, giving North America the largest concentration of Armenians
outside the former Soviet Union.
A. Armenians in the United States of America - The early immigrants to the United States
settled in the urban, industrial centers of the East coast, primarily in New York, Massachusetts,
Connecticut, and New Jersey. Another smaller cluster of them inhabited cities of Detroit, Chicago,
and Cleveland. Only a few Armenians, who did not follow the example of the majority at end of
the nineteenth century, settled in the San Joaquin Valley in Central California, where they
primarily engaged in farming and grape-growing. The largest Armenian settlement of this area
was the City of Fresno. For near half a century, the Fresno Armenians were not well accepted by
the local people (Bournoutian, n.d.). Most likely, the local residents were not willing to see the
Armenians develop and live better than themselves on their land. And, although discrimination
reached high levels in some places, it did not discourage the will of Armenians to improve their
standard of living. After all, the Armenians had lived through much worse. Nonetheless, the
Fresno Armenian community was strong enough to further expand and even attract new
immigrants.
The first two generations of Armenian immigrants faced various challenges and had to work very
hard to be able to establish themselves in the new land. Being rather conservative in nature, most
of the Armenians kept their old customs and traditions. However, some tried to readjust to the
new realities in a shorter time. Being very hard-working people, the Armenians saved money to
bring their families to the United States and establish small businesses. Having high literacy rates
and self esteem to further enhance their skills, many Armenians succeeded in achieving a higher
standing in society.
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During recent years, the majority of Armenians migrating to the United States has tended to settle
in and around Los Angeles. The reason for this is because the Los Angeles area, especially the
city of Glendale, feels like another Armenia to them. Having in mind that Armenians in a foreign
land may face numerous challenges, they prefer staying together to be able to support and care for
each other. With a number of Armenian schools and businesses operating in Armenian and a high
level of Armenian being spoken nearly everywhere in the area, the immigrants do not feel the
need to learn English, as would be required in other parts of the country. A few years ago, a wave
of Armenians traveled to the United States as tourists and decided not to return to their homeland,
looking for employment opportunities in the states. For that purpose, Los Angeles became the
most preferred area for them.
The city of Glendale hosts the largest Armenian population in the United States. It has the highest
percentage of residents of Armenian descent, most of whom arrived during the last two decades.
Armenian families have lived in the city since the 1920s. However, immigration intensified in the
1970s, when Armenians were forced to leave Lebanon, Iran and even the then-Soviet Republic of
Armenia, due to political tensions in their host countries. Hence, in a city with a total population
of 200,000, the Armenians make up nearly 85,000; moreover, about 40 percent of the students in
Glendale Unified School District are Armenian (The Armenia Encyclopedia, 05). Despite its size
though, the population is highly diverse. Wealthy second and third generation Armenian
Americans live in wealthy neighborhoods, while recent immigrants inhabit the lower-income
quarters and complain of difficulties in achieving their high expectations in America, especially
with limited English skills.
The table below indicates the breakdown of the Armenian population in the United States in
particular and the world in general. The present Armenian population of 10,000,000 worldwide is
distributed as follows:
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Present Day Armenian StatisticsArmenians Worldwide: 10,000,000
Armenians in the United States Armenians WorldwideUSA - 700,000
East Coast:New York - 100,000 (15%) Armenia - 3,800,000
Boston - 100,000 (15%) Russia - 2,500,000Detroit - 70,000 (10%) Middle East - 1,000,000Chicago - 70,000 (10%) USA - 700,000West Coast: Los Angeles Europe – 520,000Fresno - 280,000 (40%) South America - 360,000Other - 70,000 (10%) Australia - 70,000
Canada – 50,000 Other – 500,000Source:http://www.chgs.umn.edu/Visual___Artistic_Resources/Armenia/Present_Day_Armenian_Statistic/present_day_armenian_statistic.html
By the third generation after the Genocide, American Armenians had produced numerous doctors,
lawyers, engineers, and academics, as well as successful entrepreneurs. Armenian politicians,
sports figures, composers, actors, artists and authors such as Alan Hovhannes, Rouben
Mamoulian, Arshile Gorky and William Saroyan created a sense of pride among the new
generation of American Armenians (Bournoutian, n.d.). Following the re-emergence of the
Republic of Armenia in 1991, the Diasporan Armenians of the United States have enhanced their
ties with the homeland through establishing industries, and educational and health institutions in
Armenia. A number of churches, schools, associations, academic and cultural societies,
magazines, newspapers, as well as active and influential organizations, of different types have
become an indispensable part of Armenian life in the US.
B. Armenians in Canada - The first Armenian settlements in Canada date back to the 1880s. The
first Armenian to settle in Ontario is believed to have been Garabed Nergararian in 1887, in Port
Hope. Most of the Armenian immigrants of the late 19th century migrated from the various regions
of the Ottoman Empire. They worked in the factories of Brantford, Hamilton and St. Catharine’s,
and many are believed to have worked on the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway
(Bournoutian, n.d.).
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Similar to many others immigrants of this period, the Armenians had no intention of settling
permanently in Canada; their specific goal was to earn enough money to support their families
back at home, and after becoming financially secure, to re-unite with their families. However, as a
result of the increasing cruelties in the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians in the late 1890s
and early 1900s, the majority of the Armenian immigrants were obliged to change their reasons
for being in Canada and had to look for possibilities of getting permanent settlements and bringing
their families to join them. During the beginning of the 20 th century, the number of Armenians
who migrated to Canada stood at 1,850 (Bournoutian, n.d.). Hence the period of the end of the 19 th
century and beginning of the 20th century can be characterized as a period of laying the foundation
of the Armenian community in Canada.
The Armenians formed political parties and village associations to maintain their ties with their
families in the homeland. American and Canadian missionaries were also of high importance in
spreading American culture in Armenian settlements through building missions, schools, colleges,
orphanages, and hospitals in the areas densely populated by Armenians.
It is noteworthy that the Canadian immigration laws put a number of restrictions in place related
to admitting Armenians to Canada. As Bournoutian points out, the two basic regulations that did
not encourage larger numbers of Armenians from getting into Canada before 1914 were medical
examinations and minimal money qualifications. Despite all of this, those Armenians who were
lucky enough to be accepted into Canada took the jobs they were offered. Most of them settled in
Brantford, Hamilton and St. Catharine’s and they worked either in factories, or farms, or railway
construction, or engaged themselves in seasonal public works. A large number of Armenians were
recruited from American industries to come to Canada as unskilled laborers in the expanding
foundries of southern Ontario. Others ran coffee houses, barber shops, grocery stores or
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confectionaries or developed their professional skills as carpenters, carpet weavers and repairers
(Bournoutian, n.d.). As is obvious from this, the Armenians were rather industrious and stuck to
their main goal of helping their families back at home. They primarily lived in the same
neighborhoods, enabling them to remain with their own people, eat national food and share news
from back home. In addition to their main goal of supporting their families back at home, the
Armenians were very concerned about the education of their children. They established
independent village educational associations, and through various local fund-raising campaigns
were able to provide for building school facilities as well as pay the salaries of the teachers.
The spiritual needs of the Armenians in Canada were met by itinerant priests that were sent from the American Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in New York. Armenian Mass and sacraments were held in an Anglican Church which was the closest Christian establishment to the Armenian Apostolic Church as far as theological similarities are concerned (Bournoutian, n.d.).
Today there are many Armenian organizations that their aims are to preserve and promote the
Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural, and humanitarian programs (AGBU,
06),so the Diaspora can continue to further its efforts to have a prosperous homeland.
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Punoi Louena Nuellari
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