Department of Diaspora Studies

Diaspora studies are an inseparable part of Armenian studies. Many Armenian people, leaving their homeland in the Middle Ages, settled in neighboring and distant countries, laying the foundation for Armenian settlements that survived in later centuries, constantly being replenished by groups of Armenians leaving Armenia.

During the years of the Armenian Genocide, hundreds of thousands of Armenians were forced to leave their homeland, on the one hand, renewing the old settlements, and on the other hand, creating many new ones. At that time, the number of Armenians living outside the homeland almost tripled, and the geography of Armenian settlements expanded more than twice. In addition, the Armenian emigration that survived the Genocide was deprived of the opportunity to return to their homeland. These realities are the reason why the Armenian Diaspora is considered a consequence of the genocide. after that, the Armenians who took refuge in foreign countries began to perceive themselves as a part of the Diaspora.

Now, most of the Armenian people live outside their two native states. Therefore, the study of the Diaspora is of great importance for Armenian studies, which completes the research of the medieval, new, and modern history of the Armenian people.

On the other hand, the work of the department is related to the theoretical part of diaspora studies, to clarify the methodological, propositional, and conceptual fields of diaspora studies.

The goals of the Department of Diaspora Studies are:

• To clarify the main methods, principles, provisions, and concepts used in diasporic studies,
• to carry out historical-genealogical and historical-typological comparative studies, comparing the Armenian Diaspora with other diasporas (Jewish, Greek, etc.),
• Study the main periods and developments in the history of the diaspora and the Diaspora itself,
• to study the history of individual settlements before the Armenian Genocide,
• to research the history of the formation of the Armenian heritage abroad and the current state of that heritage,
• to discuss the problems of the formation of the Diaspora after the Armenian Genocide,

study modern Armenian communities,

• To examine the current state of diaspora organizations,
• to study the main diaspora developments at the current stage,
• to study Armenia-Diaspora relations, their developments, and main areas of cooperation,
• to make strategic and situational analyses of the processes taking place in the Diaspora, and the developments of the Armenia-Diaspora relations.