Sociological analysis of the Diaspora on the example of the Armenian people

Agababyan Asmik Robertovna Student, Faculty of Sociology, Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) 119234, Russia, g. Moscow, ul. Leninskie Gory, 1 asmik.agababyan@bk.ru

The Armenian people have a very rich history, in which there have been many wars, violent events, and pain. But despite this, Armenians are considered a great people, strong, preserving dignity and faith. It was Armenia that became the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301. The majority of the representatives of the Armenian Diaspora are Christians, followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church. In order to understand the origins of the Armenian Diaspora, it is necessary to consider the very concept of diaspora. The Armenian Soviet encyclopedia gives the following definition to this phenomenon: "that part of the people (ethnic community) that lives outside the homeland and retains its national features. The Diaspora is formed as a result of forced exile, the policy of genocide (Armenian and Jewish diasporas), as well as as a consequence of certain socio-historical factors" ^{[4, p. 214]}. Thus, representatives of the Armenian Diaspora are characterized by such signs as living in the territory of a foreign state other than the country of ethnic origin. In addition, it is especially important for Armenians to preserve their identity, culture, traditions, and language. Some of the reasons contributing to the migration of Armenians are also noted here: various socio-historical factors, as well as the policy of genocide, which left a big scar on the history of Armenia, the traces of which have not yet healed.

The Armenian Diaspora emerged quite a long period of time ago. According to some sources, its history dates back about 2000 years, other researchers note 1375 as the period of the formation of the diaspora, when the Cilician kingdom fell. Special attention should be paid to the events of the first quarter of the 20th century, which contributed to the forced resettlement of Armenians. As a result of these events, the number of the Armenian Diaspora has increased dramatically. We are talking about the Armenian Genocide. This concept can be understood as the policy of the Ottoman Empire, as a result of which there were mass killings, physical destruction of the Armenian population of the empire, who professed the Christian religion. These events took place in 1915 in the Ottoman Empire, where about 1.5 million Armenians lived at that time. According to various sources, about 1.2 million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman Turks. Subsequently, in 1948, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide ^[1]. Genocide is recognized as a crime that violates the norms of international law ^[1]. Many countries of the world have recognized the fact of the Armenian Genocide. For example, Russia, France, the USA, Armenia, Uruguay, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and a number of other countries.

The Diaspora really plays an important role for Armenia and the Armenian people due to various historical reasons. The Armenian equivalent of the Diaspora is the word "spyurk" (), which was originally called the Armenians who left their historical homeland after the Genocide and lived on the territory of other states ^[6]. These events led to the beginning of the formation of the Armenian Diaspora, although, as already noted, Armenian communities on the territory of other states began to arise long before the events of 1915. The country was attacked many times by other states. However, the Armenians managed to preserve themselves as a people, as an ethnic community with their own identity and culture. Armenian communities also began to arise on the territories of other states in the Middle Ages, when trade relations between the countries were being established. This is how Armenians settled in a number of countries in Europe, Asia, and the Russian Empire. The contribution of the Armenian Diaspora to the culture, science and trade relations of the countries in which the Armenians settled was also important. Another reason for the emergence of Armenian communities in the territories of other states can be considered the collapse of the USSR.

Representatives of the Armenian Diaspora from all over the world are united not only by the idea of recognizing the Genocide, preserving the historical memory of these events. Armenians from all over the world are also united by the Karabakh issue, which is another test and historical pain of the Armenians. The Karabakh conflict is a really complicated issue. This conflict makes itself felt from time to time in one way or another. He reminded himself especially vividly and cruelly in 2020. This issue, of course, has to do with the Armenian diaspora and also contributes to resettlement and migration processes. It is impossible to omit the fact that these trials are experienced not only by Armenians living in Karabakh or Artsakh, in Armenia, but also by the entire Armenian diaspora living in other states. The Armenian Diaspora organized various funds to support Armenia during this difficult period, and sent humanitarian aid. But, in addition, it is important to note that in a number of countries where there are especially many representatives of the Armenian diaspora, they have a certain influence on the policy of the state, on its economy. That is, the diaspora has an impact, as M. Esman noted, not only on its historical homeland, but also on the state in which it lives ^[18].

Within the framework of the sociological analysis of the diaspora, there is a definite need to consider this phenomenon from the point of view of social institutions ^{[2, pp. 131-137; 5, pp. 59-61; 8, pp. 235-240; 9, pp. 330-334; 10, pp. 160-162; 11, pp. 122-129; 12, pp. 62-70, 15]}. The Armenian Diaspora has its own specific organizations, representative bodies and public institutions ^{[3, pp. 69-75; 15, pp. 105-108]}. These social institutions perform important functions, which include the following: socio-cultural, religious, educational, educational, as well as financial and economic functions. Also, these organizations perform a political function, which can be attributed to one of the most important. As part of this function, various public associations and political organizations are engaged in active activities, as a result of which genocide has been officially recognized as an international crime in many countries of the world. These organizations lobby for the interests of the Diaspora, as well as the Republic of Armenia. They have a certain influence on the policy of the state, and there are also situations when statesmen need support from the diaspora, which has a fairly large number of members. We can recall the speech of US presidential candidate Joe Biden in support of the Armenian people in 2020 ^[7].

Thus, social institutions are of great importance and are aimed at preserving and transmitting cultural values and traditions for young people and younger generations. At the same time, the linguistic adaptation of its members in the host State also plays an important role for the diaspora ^[17].

Young people are actively involved in the activities of diaspora organizations. Examples of such organizations include the Association of Armenian Youth of Moscow (AAMM), various university diaspora organizations, ministries of Armenia in different states, ministries of Diaspora and many other social institutions. An important role is played by the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is the center of unity of the Armenian Diaspora in Russia. However, it is worth considering in more detail the university public associations of the Armenian Diaspora, their main goals and activities. The Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) was singled out as one of the leading Moscow universities with a large diaspora association of Armenians The Russian Foreign Ministry. In order to more fully cover the activities of this organization and obtain reliable information, the interview method was chosen. The interview was conducted at a personal meeting with the current Chairman of the Armenian Community of MGIMO (U) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia – Ambartsumyan Sedoy, who is a 4th-year student of the Faculty of International Relations. The purpose of this interview was to identify the signs of the MGIMO (U) Armenian Community as a social institution of the Diaspora. The main tasks were to determine the structure of the Armenian Community, its main areas of activity, to clarify the main functions of the Community, as well as goals and objectives.

Let's proceed directly to the consideration of the data that was obtained as a result of the conducted research. According to estimates, approximately 250 students of Armenian origin are studying at MGIMO (U) in 2019, 20 of whom are citizens of Armenia. The Armenian Community of MGIMO (U) was founded in November 2003 on the initiative of students of Armenian origin. This initiative has received support from the university management. The main goals and objectives of the MGIMO Armenian Community are the following: preservation of Armenian culture, traditions and identity; study of the Armenian language; unity of Armenian youth: building friendly contacts between students; coordination of Community activities, interaction with other diaspora organizations and university associations; holding meetings with famous speakers, conferences and other cultural and scientific events; popularization of the rich and ancient Armenian culture; assistance and support to Armenian students. The Armenian community is not the only national association within the walls of MGIMO (U). There is such a body as the Council of Fellow Countrymen – "associations on national grounds". The Council of Fellow Countrymen unites various national associations: Armenian, Ossetian, Abkhaz, Azerbaijani, as well as representatives of Kazakhstan, Georgia and other former Soviet Republics. The Armenian Community emerged earlier than other national associations of the university and is the largest association. As the Chairman of the Community noted, most of the representatives of the Armenian Diaspora study at such faculties as international law, international Economic Relations and the Faculty of International Business and Business Administration.

Like any social institution, the Armenian Community of MGIMO (U) has a certain structure. The community has both active and passive members. There is also an organizational part of the Community – "the council of people who organize events. Our main person, the president or chairman of the Community." There is a certain procedure for electing the chairman. The Chairman is elected for a term of one year, by election. All representatives of the Armenian diaspora of the university can participate in the elections. You can run for election from the second year of study at the university. The Chairman is determined by a majority vote. Then the chairman organizes a certain team around himself, selects the heads of the so-called "departments", which make up the structure of the Community. Each department performs certain functions. Together with the re-election of the chairman, the representatives of the departments change. There is also the post of Vice President of the Community. The administration of the Community consists of 7-10 responsible representatives of the Armenian Diaspora.

As part of its activities, the Armenian Community organizes a huge number of events. The main ones include: national Cuisine Day, which takes place annually in May, when representatives of the communities present their national dishes; football tournaments are also held, since the Community has its own national team; Easter is also celebrated; dance events are held; well-known speakers who are representatives of the Armenian diaspora are invited; Armenian language courses, lectures are held about the history of Armenia, an exhibition of Armenian artists and many other events were held. I would like to single out the Armenian language courses, which are planned to be raised to a more official level from the autumn semester of 2021, namely, at the end of the courses, a certificate of MGIMO (U) will be issued. The courses are aimed at preserving and learning the Armenian language. There are two training programs: courses for those who speak Armenian, understand oral speech, but do not know how to write or read, as well as courses for beginners from scratch. These courses are designed not only for Armenian university students, but also for anyone who wants to learn the language, even outside of MGIMO. The Chairman of the Community emphasized the importance of these courses, because in her opinion this is another step towards opening a full-fledged department of the Armenian language within the walls of MGIMO.

As for inviting speakers, they are usually chosen by the Chairman of the Community. However, students have the opportunity to participate in the voting. Among the invited guests are such famous Armenian figures from completely different spheres as Narine Abgaryan, Anna Egoyan, Mihran Harutyunyan, Hrant Tokhatyan, Ruben Vardanyan and many other famous personalities. MGIMO (U) was also visited by Serzh Sargsyan, the former President and Prime Minister of Armenia, who has an honorary status within the walls of the university. Political and public figures are invited at the initiative of the University administration. The Armenian Community is also proud of its outstanding graduates, for example, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan.

Representatives of the Community also visit the Armenian Apostolic Church. This usually happens several times a year: on Christmas Eve, Easter, and also on April 24 to commemorate the victims of the Genocide. Also, representatives of the Armenian diaspora of MGIMO (U) have repeatedly visited the Armenian Embassy in Russia. The Community actively cooperates and holds various events together with other MGIMO fellowships. The Armenian Community of MGIMO also actively interacts with other Moscow universities such as MSU, MPSU, MGSU and other universities.

As for the problems or conflict situations that representatives of diasporas may face at the university, in particular, about the relationship between Armenian and Azerbaijani students, then, as the chairman noted, no conflicts can arise, if any moments arise, they are immediately regulated at the stage of origin. The university management strictly controls such situations. Indeed, in October 2020, when the contradictions between Azerbaijan and Armenia escalated, information was published on the official website of MGIMO (U) about the meeting of the rector of the University A.V. Torkunov with students of two diasporas: "The Rector noted that for more than two decades the university has not faced a situation where an external conflict gets so strong emotional reaction among students, and recalled the voluntary commitments of the Azerbaijani and Armenian student communities of MGIMO to reject excessive emotionality, aggression, xenophobia, insults in a situation of political and armed conflicts... The head of the university several times stressed the international character of the MGIMO student community, the unique "diplomatic" identity of the university and urged to strictly follow the socio-political neutrality of MGIMO in the current situation" ^[13].

During the interview, it was also possible to touch upon the period of the Karabakh conflict, namely, the changes that occurred in connection with these events. As it turned out, due to the difficult situation in the historical homeland, it was decided to cancel all the usual events, especially those of an entertainment nature. Many students took part in volunteer activities, collaborated with various foundations, for example, the "Hurry to the Good" foundation. The community also took part in various charity fairs, there were about 3 or 4 of them, fairs were held jointly with other organizers, for example, jointly with the Embassy or with the Pedagogical University. When asked about the condition of Armenian students, about the spiritual decline during the war, the chairman noted that: "There was such a decline. During the conflict, these were mixed feelings, after the end, of course, there was a decline, unfortunately, but again, as for me, all this is natural. I didn't see any collective reflection... but everyone was affected by the conflict, everyone, one way or another, has relatives in Armenia, everyone lived it, experienced it, passed it through themselves, and it affected a lot of people in terms of their emotional state."

However, considering the university diaspora associations of Armenians, it is impossible not to consider the Armenian Student Association of Lomonosov Moscow State University. This issue was also studied using the interview method. The respondents were the Chairman of the Armenian Association – Raffi Arakelyan and the deputy chairman of the Association – Svetlana Petrosyants. The purpose of the interview is to consider the Armenian Student Association of Moscow State University as a social institution of the Armenian Diaspora, as well as to identify its features.

The Armenian Association of Moscow State University (hereinafter referred to as the ASA of Moscow State University) was founded in October 2003 on the initiative of MSU students who "united to carry out cultural, educational, informational and professional activities, as well as to develop and strengthen relations between Armenian students of Moscow State University and other universities, to hold joint cultural events, national holidays, promote the development of international relations." Thus, the main goals and objectives of the association are to preserve the culture of the Armenian people, carry out cultural and educational activities, unite Armenian students of Moscow State University, as well as other universities. In addition, the MSU ASA contributes to the adaptation and socialization of students within the university. It is also worth noting that the opening of the association was attended by the Rector of Moscow State University – V.A. Sadovnichy, as well as the Ambassador of Armenia to the Russian Federation.

The Armenian Diaspora of MSU is quite numerous, it has more than 700-1000 members who are representatives of various faculties of MSU. In addition to the Armenian association, there are other national communities at the university, but there is no body uniting these communities at MSU, but nevertheless the communities interact and cooperate with each other, usually at the level of chairmen, but there are also certain events in which representatives of different communities participate. MSU has the following communities: Azerbaijani, Vainakh, Dagestan, Jewish, Turkish, Circassian, Balkar, Tatar and others. However, one of the most numerous communities is Armenian.

Let's move on to the structure of the association. As the chairman of the association noted: "Every Armenian of MSU is a member of the Association, the Armenian Student Association of MSU." However, there are members who are part of the circle of activists, they are specifically engaged in the organization of projects, offer ideas, recruit teams and organize events. These representatives constitute the "nominal administration". There is no specific official structure in the association, but there are positions of chairman and deputies, and there is also a special working group. Thus, the working group includes, as the deputy chairman noted, "the chairman, the deputy, the heads of projects, the head of the SMM." The Working Group is being updated, new members are being added. The organizing part of the ASA MSU has about 60 members. All members are representatives of the Armenian Diaspora, however, it is not excluded that people with other roots, but who are ready to benefit the development of the Armenian Association, will be accepted into the ranks of the association.

As for the electoral system, the election of the chairman is held by voting, as a rule, this happens at the end of each academic year, but the initiative comes from the chairman. The Chairman has the right to decide whether he continues his activities or whether it is necessary to hold elections. But the opinion of the members in this situation is also taken into account. Only activists who can evaluate the candidates' activities participate in the voting. The Chairman independently selects his deputies. There is no clear division into departments in the association, however, the SMM direction is still distinguished, as well as the international department. The SMM department is engaged in the design of social networks, and the international department establishes contacts with various foreign universities.

At the beginning of the academic year, new representatives of the diaspora are being searched for, who may later become activists. A meeting of first-year students is held annually, at which students get acquainted with the activities of the association. Next, a business game is held, which promotes the unification of students, their cohesion, as well as the identification of new activists. In addition to all of the above, the association holds many other events that contribute to the preservation of the Armenian identity, culture, language, and the preservation of its rich history. Such projects include the book club, which holds its meetings every month, Armenian language courses are held, as well as lectures where students get acquainted with the history of Armenia, as well as with its cities. The activists of the association opened a dance studio, which also contributes to the preservation of Armenian culture. Meetings are also held with speakers who are representatives of the Armenian Diaspora. Another important event is the Day of National Cultures, which is attended by representatives of all national communities of Moscow State University. It is also worth noting that the association continued its activities during the pandemic, managed to quickly master online platforms and hold events in this mode. As for any problems or contradictions between representatives of different diasporal communities, they happen in rare cases and are resolved instantly at the level of the chairmen of the associations.

Of course, communication between the faculties is maintained, since representatives of diasporas are students of various faculties of Moscow State University. However, as the representatives of the association noted, there are more Armenians at the law, Economics and state Audit faculties. If we talk about the international relations of the association, they are quite extensive. The ASA of MSU interacts with a number of foreign universities, with which online meetings are held, questions about the difference of diasporas in different states are discussed. The ASA of MSU interacts with the University of Washington, with the Australian. In addition, the MSU ASA plans to establish a connection with the MSU branch in Armenia. It is also important to note that the MSU ASA cooperates with a number of Moscow universities, including: Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, MGIMO, GUU, HSE and other universities.

During the interview, it was also possible to find out what happened to the association during the Karabakh military conflict. The Chairman noted: "We did not cancel, we postponed, accordingly, some specific events, some additional events on this topic were held, the same charity tournament, it was held after the fact in order to send money for the necessary assistance to Armenia. There is no such thing that we directly stopped our activities, and there was no such thing, we were engaged in our activities, we just redirected it a little...". The Deputy chairman also confirmed: "We were redirected to unite and support each other, because for each of us, as well as for you, it was a sore subject, and we still supported each other." As for charitable activities, the association held a fair together with Gayane's restaurant and a number of Armenian shops. The amount received was sent to Armenia to help the injured people. It is worth noting that the actions and activities were also coordinated with the Moscow State University Administration so that there would be no contradictions. In addition to the charity fair, various volunteer events were held at the Embassy and at other "points". These events helped to establish new contacts, unite young people. A charity football tournament was also held, at which it was possible to raise some money, which was sent to the funds. The tournament was held among the teams of the Armenian communities of Moscow State University, HSE, GUU and the Financial University. As for another important event – April 24, they are also seriously and anxiously preparing for it: "nothing entertaining is being put on at the end of April."

The prospects for development are quite serious, "the association is not going to stop there," as the current chairman of the ASA of Moscow State University noted. There are new plans and ideas. It is planned to develop an international department, a dance studio, there are more interuniversity events, meetings with speakers, it is planned to continue establishing new ties. A lot of work is aimed at the sphere of international relations.  The Association plans to represent Armenian students in Russia. In addition, there are plans related to exchange programs. At the moment, the association cooperates with American universities, with the Australian one, it is planned to develop contacts with Western Europe, Latin America, and Central Asia as well.

In order to find out the main features of the development of the Armenian Diaspora in Russia, as well as to identify some problems, another interview was conducted. The questions in this interview were of a different nature in order to consider the problem of the diaspora from a different angle, based on a person's personal experience. Alexandra Harutyunyan, a 3rd–year student of MGIMO (U), acted as a respondent in this interview. The respondent's age is 19 years old. First, I wanted to know the respondent's personal opinion about what the diaspora is. The following response was received: "a place where people can find their second homeland, because now we are all far from it. We live in Russia, not in Armenia, probably, the diaspora forces us to somehow help it and continue its influence in other countries." To the question "Do you consider yourself a representative of the Armenian Diaspora?" a very unambiguous answer was received: "Yes, absolutely." As the respondent noted, there are "single people" in the diaspora who want to do something, but the student identifies herself with the totality of people representing the diaspora.

You can also mention the reason why this particular respondent was chosen for the interview. Firstly, this student is a representative of the Diaspora. And secondly, what is important, she provided tremendous support to the Armenian people during the Karabakh War in 2020, as well as after the cessation of hostilities. In this interview, this part of the problem was considered, which is directly related to the conditions of development of the Armenian diaspora in Russia, as well as to the problems that it may face. As it has been repeatedly noted, the Karabakh armed conflict united Armenians from all over the world and contributed to strengthening the cohesion of the Diaspora.

As it turned out, the respondent is a member of the Armenian Community of MGIMO (U) and, according to the chairman, is among the active participants of the Community. The student also held the post of vice-president, participated in the organization of events. It is worth going directly to the respondent's activities during a difficult period for all Armenians. The events to support the people began with the organization of humanitarian aid together with my mother. Then the respondent took part in the events held by the "Hurry to Good" foundation, which also consisted in sending aid to Armenia, the work was in a warehouse, the main functions were sorting things.

The motivation of the student to participate in these events was as follows: "... I learned these terrible news that happened in Armenia, I realized that the next day I can't get up and just go about my business. I realized that I had to do something. And so my first thought was that I wanted to personally go to church. I wrote to all the conversations in general that there are Armenians, let's unite, let's go to church and just put a candle. And when I managed to gather about 30 people, I thought that it was not so difficult. And I realized that I kind of needed to do more. And so I went to the foundation, there I realized that there are a lot of guys who think the same way as me, and we spent all our free hours in the warehouse for three months… I felt that I really cared about what was happening to my people, to the depths of my soul, my main motivation was to help those who lost their homes, clothes, and so on, at least somehow." All activities took place at the respondent's own request, on a volunteer basis. After a fairly long period of work in the "Hurry to Good" foundation, the respondent managed to find like-minded people and create his own project, which was called "Help Artsakh". The student also shared during the interview that one of the main goals of the project was to prove to herself that she was able to create a project and bring it to an end. 5 organizers participated in the project, all were students aged 19-20. The activity report was provided on the social network Instagram. This event consisted in collecting letters from children who were left without a home or without relatives. With the help of letters, we managed to find out the wishes of the children about what they would like to receive for the New Year. The team of students collected about 350 letters in Armenian, which had to be translated, each member of the team performed some duties, there was no chief among the students. The team managed to collect about 300 thousand rubles in the end. Each child received his own gift, two of the organizers personally went and presented them to the children. The main goals were realized, it was possible to please the children. In this project, students were supported by some Armenian bloggers who shared their page on Instagram. Gayane Breiova, a successful restaurateur, provided special support to the students. Gayane Breiova created the project "11 friends of Gayane", which consisted in fundraising, namely $ 11 for each preparation of a dish with famous people, the money raised was transferred to the fund "Help Artsakh". The respondent particularly noted Gayane's contribution and assistance in the implementation of their project. The interaction with representatives of the Armenian Diaspora from France, who helped sort gifts for children in Armenia within the framework of the project, was also noted. Despite the fact that the main goals were achieved, nevertheless, the respondent is not going to stop his activities, new projects are already being planned, as well as the continuation of the "Help Artsakh" project. So the student had the idea to personally conduct courses in English and Spanish in Armenia. The Diaspora, in her opinion, should continue its productive existence.

Thus, it can be concluded that the Armenian Diaspora in Moscow is developing quite dynamically.