The Center for Cross-Cultural Religious Studies at the YSU Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences Research continues carrying out the project "Characteristics of the Religious Life of Immigrants in Contemporary Armenia" (code: 25RG-6D123), funded by the Higher Education and Science Committee of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia.
According to the project's calendar plan, a delegation from the YSU Faculty of Theology visited the Federal Republic of Germany from March 23 to 30 to exchange experience and familiarize themselves with the work of institutions dealing with migration issues in Germany. The delegation, led by Acting Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Project Head, Associate Professor Pargev Barseghyan, held its first meeting in Hamburg. During the meeting with Academic Advisor Matthias Greite and staff member Mahnal Suru of the Federal Agency for Civic Education, the German approach to migration policy was briefly presented. Project Head Pargev Barseghyan and researcher Mariam Abrahamyan presented the work carried out in Armenia within the framework of the project, as well as the specific features of the religious life of immigrants.
The research team then visited the Faculty of Theology at the University of Münster, where they met with the project's international partner, Professor Regina Elsner. The current activities outlined in the project's calendar plan were discussed. Priority was given to the preparation and publication of articles based on the work already completed, while further efforts were planned to continue fieldwork with immigrants and prepare new publications.
Meetings were also held at the University of Münster with the Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Professor Oliver Dyma, and other distinguished professors of the faculty. The discussions focused primarily on prospects for future cooperation and joint programs between the University of Münster and Yerevan State University. As a result of the productive and constructive discussions, an agreement was reached to further deepen cooperation between the two institutions and to implement specific exchange programs for students and faculty members within the framework of Erasmus+ and other initiatives. The possibility of launching joint research projects was also considered, and it was decided to take practical steps toward expanding cooperation starting from the next academic year.
In the following days, the delegation also met with representatives of the Armenian community and the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Germany, discussing the characteristics of the religious life of Armenian immigrants in Germany and the potential application of this experience to research on immigrants in Armenia. The group visited the Armenian church primate's office in Cologne and met with Yeghishe Vardapet Avetisyan, as well as prominent representatives of the Armenian community in Hamburg.
The research activities are ongoing. The agreements reached and experience gained in Germany are expected to give new momentum to the project.
