Armenian Diaspora Publications at the British Library

Vahe Boghosian

 

During my time at the British Library working on the Asian and African Collection backlog cataloguing project I have come across a number of thought-provoking printed works in the Armenian Collection. The following post describes three examples which for me highlight the fascinating adaptability and ever changing nature of diasporas. They describe Armenian communities which reached their zenith long ago, and are now seldom remembered, but at the same time they exemplify a willingness to embrace the host culture while remembering and respecting their own cultural roots.

Ethiopia's Armenians: Long History, Small Numbers

Bethan McKernan

The numbers at the St. Georges  Armenian Apostolic Church in Addis Ababa are not adding up. Church records show an average of two funerals a year, but a wedding only every three years and a baptism every five.

“Some people don’t come to church vertically. Only horizontally,” Vartkes Nalbandian said with a laugh.

Vartkes is among a small handful of people keeping Ethiopia’s Armenian community alive. Despite a fall in numbers from a peak of 1,200 in the 1960s to less than 100 people today, the Armenian school, church and social club still open their doors.

“There is more to a community than just statistics. We are proud of the Armenian contribution to Ethiopia. It’s worth fighting for,” said 64-year old Vartkes, the church’s fulltime acting archdeacon since the last priest left in 2002.

But given the shrinking numbers, the fight can feel daunting.

The Phantom Menace

This article in The New York Times (August 15, 2011) by two professors of Georgetown University about unrecognized states deserves some attention. It shows a fresh approach to the problems posed by them, especially under the stubborn insistence of the United States and other countries to stick to the one-sided narrative of "territorial integrity," which, if always followed in history, would have even prevented the Thirteen Colonies from seceding the British empire...

The example of Taiwan shows a way for these "phantom states." Although omitted, the example of Mountainous Karabagh also follows that path. "But transparent government, free elections and a peaceful foreign policy are as vital for phantom states as they are for real ones. If phantom governments behave well, they should be offered a path toward legitimacy by the world’s major powers," write the authors. Karabagh has not only free elections (more transparent than those in Armenia, unfortunately), but also a Constitution, as well as attempts to have a peaceful foreign policy, as much as Azerbaijani provocations do not become a hurdle to it.