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HAIA

Proceedings of the Institute of
Archaeology and Ethnography

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2017 , № 2

CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Title pages

I. IDENTITY AND NATIONALISM IN PUBLIC SPACES

Fehlings S.R., Armenian History in Urban Everyday Life,
HAIA, 2017, № 2, p. 10-41.

The paper discusses why history matters for Armenians, and shows in which ways historical accounts are used to make sense of current everyday life. Referring to Eliade’s (1963) and Malkki’s (1995) concepts of “myth” and “mythico history” it is explained how historical accounts are used as “moral and cosmological ordering stories”, which provide guidelines for behaviour and action.

There are two topics that dominate these “ordering stories”: the so­called “sense of antiquity”, and the “sense of tragedy”.

The “sense of antiquity” manifests itself in a pursuit of the roots of the Armenian ethnic group and culture. The “sense of tragedy” is linked to the bloody history of persecutions, massacres and martyrdom. This paper explores how these two topics, in combination with historical accounts, function as a moral index, and how they transform into a hierarchical system of values. Interestingly, the hierarchy of historical accounts seems to have its roots in a very Soviet understanding of “modernization” and “progress”. History thus is a combination of both, culture­specific leitmotifs and an Armenian interpretation of historical materialism. While the leitmotifs make up most of the content of the “moral and cosmological ordering stories”, the Soviet interpretation of evolutionism provides a hierarchy of these stories ordering them along a pseudo­chronology of progress.

Melkumyan H.L., From Memory to Nationalism? The Soviet and Post-Soviet Memorials in Rural Daily Life,
HAIA, 2017, № 2, p. 42-64.

The forming of national belonging is a continuous process, most ofien supported by oral stories or narratives. The space of identity is also discussed as a lived up environment of the national and the nationalism. One may also encounter formulation, assessing nationalism as formative in relation towards the social environment, in which it occupies a fixed symbolic and designated space. I will discuss the everyday reproduction and the utility of the signs of identity, their daily exercise in or by the baring community Michael Billig considers as banal nationalism, because in this case the signs and symbols of identity are utilized customarily, as elements granted or obtained in numerous occa­ sions of everyday life and thus contrasting those with ideologically motivated founda­ tions.

Koti, Nerqin Bazmaberd and Gandzaqar villages are the three local communities in Armenia in Tavush and Aragatsotn regions which are taken as three cases to research. I am focusing on tendency how local landscapes are shaped to introduce symbols of local or national identities in Post ­Soviet period. In the soviet to post ­soviet transitional period the everyday life of community is being changed as are being changed the local, state and national identity signs and symbolic means, transforming the entire identity landscape.

While observing the construction of identity in rural environment and the corresponding manifestations of the everyday nationalism, a line between two levels – local and national – must be drawn. I am suggesting three instances of appearance of these two levels in daily life, which may coincide, may be similar and may be diverse.

Grigoryan E., Eurovision Song Contest as a Stage: Performing Identities, Nationalism and Politics,
HAIA, 2017, № 2, p. 65-92.

The purpose of this article is to understand whether the Eurovision Song Contest as an initially planned project to shape the common European identity serves its objective. To address this question, the paper considers the developments of the contest throughout its enlargement history towards the East.

The multidimensional nature of the contest required a multidisciplinary methodological approach, combining ethnomusicology, performance and media studies. To address the role and perceptions of the ESC in Eastern Europe and South Caucasus, several case studies have been conducted, with a primary focus onconflicting countries. The ESC in this article is represented as a manifestation of banal nationalism, a term suggested byMichael Billig who argues, that modern nationalism has an ‘unnoticed’, seemingly harmless nature, hidden in peoples’ everyday practices. The paper addresses nationalism in the ESC as a ‘bottom-up’ process coming from the people, as opposed to ‘top- down’ nationalism coming from the elites or individual professional composers.

According to my research, the ESC has become more divided throughout its enlargement history, and has turned into a stage of many identities. This divisiveness is being expressed throughnationalism and politics involved in the contest. The former is a result ofcompetitive nature of the contest and existing conflicts between the relatively new participant countries, while the letter is mainly a result ofregionalized voting system.

II. SOVIET DAILY LIFE

Manukyan L.H., Living in Deficiency: Female Clothing Practices in Yerevan in 1970-80s,
HAIA, 2017, №2, p. 93-116.

Clothing practices as inseparable part of people’s everyday culture become important topic to investigate especially in the context of soviet official ideology. Clothing in daily life was under official surviliance in USSR. How did the state organise clothing issues and what was the reaction of people? What and how people prefered to dress and how did they obtain them? In my paper I try to examine those questions. Two type of clothing tendency will be presented based on what the interlocutors mainly mentioned.

Those were so called “fabrichni” (factory made) and “imprtni” (imported) clothes. The “fabrichni” clothes will be presented as non preferable type of clothing, while the “imprtni” as mostly preferable ones. In this context the practice of sewing and weaving dresses will be described and analysed on the one side as a way of obtaining imported clothes by imitating /sewing them, on the other side as a way of representation of an individual creativity. Finally, the official discourse on clothing will be discussed and compared with the meanings people gave to their daily clothing.

III. DIASPORA AND NATIONALISM

Ponomareva E.Y., Native Tbilisians or Diaspora: Negotiating the Status of Armenians in Tbilisi,
HAIA, 2017, № 2, p. 117-141.

According to contemporary ethnographic studies on the Armenians of Tbilisi local Armenians by and large perceive themselves as natives of Tbilisi rather than a diaspora community (Mkrtchian 2009: 305; Vardanyan 2006: 97). The data I collected in Tbilisi also confirms that perpetuation of the narrative on “Armenian Tiflis” constitutes an important element of Armenian identity for a majority of research participants. During fieldwork conducted in Tbilisi in 2015-2016 I encountered another trend in self-percep-tion and self-representation as a diaspora community that, as I argue in this article, is a contemporary phenomenon and has been gradually gaining momentum among some Armenians in Tbilisi in the recent years. I explore both the structure of these narra- tives and their possible sources, including actors within and outside of the Armenian community and the tensions between an Armenian minority and both the Armenian state on the one hand, and the Georgian society on the other that are both created and perpetuated by these competing narratives. The article is based on fieldwork materials, Armenian and Georgian media sources and scholarly works.

Barseghyan S.S., The Role of Armenian Press in Reproduction and Dissemination of Ethnic and Cultural Values in the Diaspora,
HAIA, 2017, № 2, p. 142-151.

Ethnic media is played an important role among the Diaspora’s traditional organizations created for preserving ethnic identity. The history of the Armenian Diaspora communities’ formation was accompanied by creation of a press. It was not only contribute to preservation and dissemination of ethnic and cultural values, but also played a significant role in everyday life of immigrants, in ethnic communities’ consolidation and self­organization process. In the current globalized and technological era ethnic media could assume a greater role to establish transnational communication network between homeland and diaspora communities and to form common system of values.

The aim of presented article is to show the role of ethnic media in the preservation of cultural and ethnic identity, in the processes of reproduction and dissemination of values. The article examines following research objectives:

  • Determine the impact of press on ethnic and cultural identity;
  • Evaluate the role of press in reproduction and dissemination of the ethnic and cultural values;
  • Find the special and general (local and global) ethnic values, symbols, myths and ideas spreaded by press.

The article examines comparative analysis of three ethnic press in Los Angeles (“Asbarez”), Tehran (“Alik”) and Moscow (“Noyev Kovcheg”). The study was conducted through content analysis method and included six years (2005­2010) publications of three periodicals.

IV. WAR AND FORCED MIGRATION

Ghazaryan Sh.V., The Importance of Armenian Language in the Process of Integration of Armenian Refugees from Azerbaijan in Republic of Armenia,
HAIA, 2017, № 2, p. 152-162.

The majority (81%) of deported Armenians from Azerbaijan from Azerbaijan in 1988- 92s, used to live in big cities of Azerbaijan and 70% of them had high or vocational education. Their basic language is Russian and they accept it as their mother tongue (education at school, university etc.). The importance of Armenian language knowledge for social-cultural integration in Armenian society of Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan is the key discussion in my paper. I will focuse on the communication difficulties with locals in Armenia, how they could overcome language issues, how they could find work and what kind of policy was organized by authorities to help them overcome language issues.

The integration first of all is a legal process, whereby refugees are granted a progressively wider range of rights and entitlements by the host state. Second, local integration can be regarded as an economic process. For in acquiring the rights and entitlements referred to above, refugees also improve their potential to establish sustainable liveli-hoods, to attain a growing degree of self-reliance, and to become progressively less reliant on state aid or humanitarian assistance. Integration is also a social process, enabling refugees to live among or alongside the host population, without fear of systematic discrimination, intimidation or exploitation by the authorities or people of the asylum country.

The research was done in Artcakh and Shirak dormitories of Yerevan. Qualitative and deep interviews were done with elder than 55 years old people from Baku.

Grigoryan H.G., From The Armenian Genocide to the “4-Day War ”Cultural Factors of Violence Legalization,
HAIA, 2017, № 2, p. 163-183.

From the 2nd to the 5th of April of 2016 along the contact line of Nagorni Karabakh were executed military operations (also referred to as “The 4-Day War”), during which the soldiers of Azerbaijani army violated a number of international conventions, which are aimed at prevention of military crimes, exclusion of such kind of violence and establishment of humanism. Particularly, they behead the soldiers NKR defense army, tortured their bodies, amputated, including cutting off the ears of elderly peaceful villagers.

Putting aside the political and military importance of “The 4-Day War” I am going to discuss in the article means of violence implemented by the Azeri soldiers by drawing parallels with the violence recorded during the Armenian Genocide, as well as during the previous stages of the Armenian-Azerbaijani war and considering the latter in the context of the culture of violence. The comparison between the violence and tortures in particular of the Armenian Genocide and of the Armenian-Azeri conflict is conditioned by the fact, that the above mentioned violence, according to Armenian press, social debates and official speeches are very typical to the style of “Islamic Republic”, identified with “Turkish method” or “Turkish violence”. Besides, Turkish and Azeri nations were identified as well. This phenomenon was interesting for the fact, that this or that kind means of violence got the status of “affiliation” in official and social discussions.

Meanwhile, it is important that such kinds of brutalities are usualy common to genocide or genocidal acts. It also has parallels to other genocidal acts in Kosovo, Bosnia, Sinjar, Rwanda and in ongoing contemporary genocidal acts, when the enemy is targeted by its ethnicity.

I introduce in the article the typography (main similarities) of Turkish-Azeri “culture of violence” in the context of the Armenian Genocide and Armenian-Azeri conflict by taking into consideration the testimonies found in the memoirs and reports of the foreign officials, survivors and witnesses. Without excluding the universality of means of violence discussed in the article, I have tried to introduce through Turkish-Azerbaijani example the cultural factors by which they are legalized and periodically reproduced in those societies.

Tanajyan L.A., Social-Professional Features of Integration of Syrian-Armenian Immigrants in Armenia,
HAIA, 2017, № 2, p. 184-194.

Several emergency situations occurring in Diaspora, which lead Armenian’s immigration to Armenia, determine the importance of study of their adaptation and integration in Armenian society. In recent years in a consequence of the Syrian conflict a large number of Syrian Armenians migrated to Armenia. In this context the study of their adaptation gets importance.

Having a job, shelter and accordance of new socio­environmental features to migrant’s ethno social treats are the main conditions for surviving in new environment.

That’s why the features of Syrian Armenian’s socio­professional integration are the main treats of adaptation in new environment. These features depend on the indicators of gender and age, family status, working activity etc.

The purpose of this article to reveal some features of social­professional integration of Syrian­Armenians in Armenia.

The main issues of the article are following

  • To find out working employment of Syrian­ Armenians in Armenia and Syria
  • To compare their current and previous working activities: find out some general and specific aspects
  • To find out the impact factors of social­professional integration of Syrian­

The work is based on the results of etnosotsiological research of the problems of Syrian­ armenians integration and adaptation in Armenia. The study was implemented by three research methods ­ focus group, expert interview and standardized interview. In this article there are used the results of standardized interview.

Nersisyan S.A., Network Relations among Syrian-Armenian Immigrants in Armenia Immigrants in Armenia Ester Khemchyan,
HAIA, 2017, №2, p. 195-211.

Moving to the new social environment demands mobilization of efforts from the migrant for overcoming the problems which resulted by moving. It accrues a number of unavoidable processes, therefore a migrant chooses a certain way of adaptation and self-organization.

It is important to study promoting or, on the contrary, hindering factors of adaptation, to find out the mechanisms of functioning of self-organization and adaptation of an ethnic group in the new environment. In this casesocial relations act as a factor of adaptational behaviour in new environments and perform role of regulators of self-organization of ethnic group.

This report aims to examine the network relationship as a key factor of adaptation of moved ethnic group into new environments.

For that purpose following issues are brought out.

  • to point the role of the network relations in the ethnic group’s adaptation
  • to Identify the degree of involvement of Syrian-armenians in the social environment of Armenia
  • to compare the level of their social involvement in the national organizations of Armenia and Syria.

The work is based on ethno-sociological research of Syrian-armenian immigrants from Siria to Armenia, who immigrated during last three years. The research has been implemented by 3 methods (research-focus-group poll, expert interview and poll with formalized questionnaire).

ARCHAEOLOGY

Hovsepyan R.A., Archaeobotanical Sampling: Instructions for Fieldwork,
HAIA, 2017, № 2, p. 212-216.

Archaeobotanical investigations give data on plant economy and environment of the past. Those data are obtained predominately via study of plant macro-remains separated from cultural deposits of archaeological sites. The current article provides a short outline of archaeobotanical investigations and instructions for archaeobotanical sampling of cultural sediments during archaeological excavations. These instructions are for the excavating archaeologists and students, who are not always familiar with the methods of archaeobotanical sampling, but are required to do that work.

Petrosyan A.A., Methodology for the Study of Stone Artefactsfolk Tales of Armenians in the Antioch Region,
HAIA, 2017, № 2, p. 217-237.

For the analysis of the early stages of human history, the research of the stone tools, the technique and technologies of knapping is important. In the process of distinguishing of the stone industry of different epochs, the privilege was mainly given to the typological aspect until the 30s of the last century. In 1950, the work by remarkable French archaeologist François Bordes about the stone industry technology, typological issues of the Upper and Middle Stone Age stone industries was published (Bordes 1950). Based on the evolution theory, Bordes suggested a list of the Lower and Middle Paleolithic where he differentiated 63 types for the stone tools made on flakes, which, in their turn, were divided into four groups. The creation of such typological system was an important achievement especially for the research on the stone industry of the Middle Paleolithic. The system of Bordes was criticized, especially by some Anglo­Saxon authors, who tried to contradict a new method of analyses, which never was widely used.

Developing the method offered by Bordes in 1953, Denise de Sonneville­Bordes and Jean Perrot offered a list of 92 types for the Upper Paleolithic stone tools; here the uniformity of standards is emphasized.

In the future, some other, different lists for the typology of the stone industry were also suggested, which were mainly related to the research on the Upper Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic ­ Mesolithic stone industries (Broglio & Kozlowski 1983).

The most flexible and widely accepted system for the Upper Paleolithic stone industry is still considered the one offered by George Laplace in 1964 (Laplace 1964). That system is used also for the characterization of later industries. Later Laplace did several changes in his system, differentiating six types according to the retouch on the tools (Laplace 1968).

As a new approach in the research on stone industry afier the one offered by Laplace, publications by the French researchers are considered. Here an attempt to summarize all­existing approaches in the typology of the stone industry is done (Inizian el al. 1999).

Azizyan A.R., Remarks on the Rare Ornaments of Kura-Araxes Ceramics of Armeniareligious Context of Newly Built Churches,
HAIA, 2017, № 2, p. 238-348.

The article is about the rare decorations of the pottery existed in the Early Bronze Age culture. Certain examples are known from Aragats, Karnut, Harich, Mets Sepasar, Shengavit, Shirakavan, Jradzor, Fioletovo, and Keti archaeological sites. The ornaments of this unique specimens are made with grooves and reliefs, by pressing­dimpling, also by smoothening and painting. These ornaments present on jugs, jars, bowls, plates and other types of vessels. Among the series of studied ornaments, there are fragments of a lip of wide­mouthed pot discovered in Shirakavan, which are decorated inside with a subject matter image; this is a unique specimen known so far. The deep­groove method and freestyle performance of the above­mentioned subject image remind deep­groove­ carved rock art existing in the region. The same decoration can be compared to the images on the Late Bronze Age belts. Supposedly grains, particularly cereals were stored in such wide­mouthed jars. The supposition about grains storage is supported by the pictogram­subject of the container, which may be interpreted as the arrival of spring.

Grigoryan A.L., The History of Investigation of Antique and Medieval Sites of the Sotk Region,
HAIA, 2017, № 2, p. 248-263.

The article is devoted to the history of investigation of Antique and Medieval period sites of the Sotk region and particularly to the results of archaeological excavations and surveys of recent years. Since 1906 to 2015 over a dozen expeditions realized archaeological and culture­historical researches in the region which demonstrate the significantly increasing knowledge towards its history and culture. Those researches have shown that the region being situated in the crossings of important commercial route, was a strategic center, which promoted to its economic and cultural growth.