International Academic Conference: “The Armenian Diaspora In The Russian Federation”
Source: http://ysu.am/calendar/en/1464867729
The Department of Diaspora Studies of the Yerevan State University, in cooperation with the Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian foundation, is organizing an international academic Conference entitled “THE ARMENIAN DIASPORA IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION”.
The conference will take place in Yerevan on October 13-14, 2016.
The rationale of the conference: Despite the large number of Armenians in Russian Federation (RF), this community is one of the less researched among the scholars of the Armenian Diaspora, especially compared to the communities that comprise what is usually considered the “traditional” Armenian Diaspora. Often the Armenian community in RF is portrayed as less organized and the identity of Armenians in Russia assumed to be in greater danger of assimilation. Even the possibility of applying the term “diaspora” to Russian Armenians is debated.
However, there is some scholarly research on Russian Armenians, mostly undertaken by Russian academics. These works discuss the Armenian community in the context of national/ethnic minorities of Russia, portraying it as one of the well-organized deterritorialized ethnic minorities in the Federation, with a more or less sustainable diasporic structure.
Despite the increasing number of academic publications about Russian Armenians, there is nevertheless a lack of systemized discussion of the contemporary period of the Armenian Diaspora in Russia. The conference will provide much needed venue for such a discussion, fostering new research and expanding our understanding of the subject matter.
More specifically the aim of the conferenceis more specifically to discuss the contemporary period of the Russian Armenian Diaspora with an emphasis on such subjects as the organizational structure of the Armenian communities, the challenges of identity preservation, the role and relations with the Republic of Armenia. The conference also aims to consolidate existing academic research as well as promote dialogue between the scholars from Armenia and abroad.
Themes of the conference:
- Armenians in the RF in the contemporary period: an overview
- The organizational structure of the Armenian communities in the RF
- Comparison of the “New Diaspora” and “Traditional Diaspora”
- Relations with the Republic of Armenia
- The issue of identity among Russian-Armenians
- Armenian educational and cultural institutions in the RF
- The role of religious institutions, especially the Armenian Apostolic Church, in the Russian Armenian Diaspora
The working languages of the conference will be Armenian, Russian and English.
Certain papers from the conference presentations will be published.
To apply, please send a proposal of 300 words (title, abstract) and a short biography of the presenter to the Scientific Committee of the Conference by 30 July 2016 to the following e-mail: [email protected]. Successful applicants will be notified by 15 August 2016.
Accommodation and travel expenses of selected foreign participants can be covered by the organizers of the Conference. If financial assistance is requested, please mention the need in the application.
For further information please contact [email protected], tel.: (+374) 99 55 66 65, Arman Yeghiazaryan/ The Department of Diaspora Studies of Yerevan State University.