nishan hagop's Zombie America

The Grass is Always Greener… A Look at the Motivations Behind the Republic of Armenia’s Current Population Shuffle

nishan hagop — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:43:22 +0000

1. Introduction
2. Historical Background
2.1 Citizens of the Republic of Armenia
2.2 The Armenian Diaspora
2.2.1 Refugees of the Near East and the Formation of the Modern Armenian Diaspora
3. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
3.1 Reasons/Foundation for Emigration by Republic of Armenia Citizens
3.1.1 Satisfying the Physiological and Safety Needs
3.2 Reasons/Foundation for Emigration by Diasporan Armenians
3.2.1 Satisfying the Love Needs and Beyond
4. Impact on Armenia
5. Armenia on the World Stage

1. Introduction

In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow took a look at the forces behind human motivation, a determinant of human behavior. Maslow states, “while behavior is almost always motivated, it is also almost always biologically, culturally and situationally determined as well.” (371) Maslow classified his findings into five individual areas/stages of human needs. It starts with the base: physiological needs as food, water and breathing, that are often times instinctively met. Until the previous stage is met, an individual cannot move forward. Being unable to move ahead a stage limits an individual’s ability to realize or at least achieve the goal of a well-rounded individual who is creative, self-confident, motivated, moral, respectful and loved.

“It is the common experience of anthropologists that people, even in different societies, are much more alike than we would think[.] Our classification of basic needs is in part an attempt to account for this unity behind the apparent diversity from culture to culture. No claim is made that it is ultimate or universal for all cultures. The claim is made only that it is relatively more ultimate, more universal, more basic, than the superficial conscious desires from culture to culture[.] Basic needs are more common-human than superficial desires or behaviors.” (Maslow 389)

While not indicative of a single group, Maslow’s findings may be used to identify and understands characteristics and actions of individual groups. Using Maslow’s theory, coupled with Armenia’s historical background, this study will look at two distinct groups of Armenians and their motivations behind their contribution to Armenia’s population shuffle. Increasing members of the Armenian Diaspora are turning to the Republic of Armenia for meeting their life’s potential, whereas as most citizens of Armenia see it as a wasteland with no future. The remnant shell of Soviet Republic glory. Both groups view the population shuffle as necessary for the survival of not just themselves but the future generations as well, and feel inclined through their relatively recent history as a refugee people. This should offer an image of Armenia’s current status and hopefully a glimpse into its future. It is important to familiarize oneself with the status of other nations, especially one as old as Armenia, as each is a part of our collective human history. Learning from the experiences of different peoples and cultures is the only sure way to move ahead and improve upon the human experience.

Both the citizen of Armenia and the Diasporan Armenian are driven by the need to survive. For the Diasporan, the survival of their Armenian-ness (culture, language, history, etc.) is of the utmost importance. For the citizen of Armenia, their need is for the physical survival of themselves and/or their family. Previous generations of Diasporan Armenians encountered the same need for change, the need to look elsewhere for a better life. For that reason, they emigrated from their host countries (often in the Near/Middle East) and immigrated to the United States. Neither group may be considered more Armenian than the other. The Diasporan’s ability to place Armenian-ness at the top of the needs that must be met is but an indicator of their place on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The citizens of Armenia are a mere stage away from that. Their time for the importance of Armenian-ness shall come after they have met their needs outside the borders of the Republic of Armenia.

The cycle of non-sedentary life for Armenians, regardless of variation in culture, is a remnant of countless centuries lived without a country to call their own. If one were to overtly simplify the status of modern Armenians the world over, it may be said that existential forces pressed the “reset” button on their existence. Leaving these Armenians to build themselves up again from nothing. So, it is not just the individual Armenian that must progress Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, but the collective Armenian people as well.

2. Historical Background

Armenians have inhabited the earth since time immemorial (the period of time before humanity’s written history). They have existed in almost abject seclusion made evident in their glinted presence in the annals of time, thanks to a history peppered with long periods of foreign invasion and rule. Outside influences, centuries ago, forced differing waves of Armenians to search elsewhere for peace and tranquility. This resulted in the formation of communities of Armenians beyond the unseen boundaries of the Armenian’s ancestral lands, the Armenian Diaspora. The Armenian Diaspora can be found wherever one can find at least two Armenians living together, embracing shared experiences and a culture of generations past. William Saroyan, a second-generation Armenian-American from Fresno, California and celebrated American writer, once said:

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia. See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” (Bakalian 4)

Unfortunately, dispersion of the Armenian people and resulting creation of Diasporan communities across the globe has left Armenian culture and society splintered. Armenians cannot be classified into a single group. An Armenian from the communities of Iran is different from an Armenian from the United States. Several communities of Armenians developed in separate environments rooted in various aspects of Armenian history. Though none is more glaring than the division of the Western Armenian Diasporan communities with that of today’s Republic of Armenia. One group, the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, is much smaller in comparison to the larger Armenian Diaspora. Despite this difference in population numbers, a larger number of citizens are choosing to emigrate from Armenia in search of a better life for themselves and families. In tandem to that, a small yet growing percentage of Diasporan Armenians is choosing to repatriate to Armenia, that have no physical ancestral connection to apart from the historical/cultural. These groups choose to either emigrate or repatriate in accordance with their personal needs.

2.1 Citizens of the Republic of Armenia

During the 19^th century, the lands the Armenians inhabited, extending from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, were divided up and parceled out amongst the empires of the time. The Russo-Persian War of 1828 ended with Persia ceding much of its Armenian lands to the Russian Empire. Then in 1878, the Russo-Turkish War culminated with the Treaty of San Stefano, giving control of the Western Armenian lands to the Russian Empire. However, shortly after the Treaty of San Stefano, a Congress was held in Berlin and the empires Great Britain and Austria interfered, resulting in the bulk of Western Armenia returning to Ottoman Turkish rule. In 1920, the Armenian lands remaining within the boundaries of the Russian Empire would make up the Soviet Republic of Armenia. The borders and descendants of which make up today’s majority population of the Republic of Armenia. (“Armenia”)

It has been a mere twenty-one years since Soviet Armenia declared independence from the USSR and became a democratic Republic. This is not a step the Armenians within the Republic were ready for. A nonexistent Soviet Union meant no infrastructure for basic needs. Armenian citizens were left with no gas to heat their homes, and entire forests were cut down to provide basic heat necessary for survival. Though many still lost their lives to the harsh winters of the early 1990s. This coupled with other natural and violent disasters left the young republic with no much room for foresight.

In 1988 Armenia suffered a devastating earthquake that left 25,000 dead with close to half-a-million homeless. At that time, Armenia was also entangled in a war with its neighboring state, Azerbaijan, over the status of Artaskh/Nagorna-Karabagh; a historically and predominantly ethnic Armenian enclave that in the 1920s was ceded to Azerbaijan by Joseph Stalin. Calls for independence from the Azeri state resulted in anti-Armenian pogroms by the government, resulting in hundreds of deaths and further displacement of Armenians in the region. The war with Azerbaijan continued until a cease-fire accord was signed in 1994. With resumption of war remaining ever-present, the issue is far from settled. (“Armenia”)

Constant changes in the political landscape of the Republic of Armenia leaves the citizens with yearning for normalcy and security not found in their immediate surrounding.

2.2 The Armenian Diaspora

The concept of a diaspora is not unique to the Armenian people; in fact, not much of the human experience is unique to one group. What is a diaspora? Any people who actively identify themselves with a specific ethnic or cultural background outside their “homeland” are considered part of a larger diaspora. Many diasporas are found in the United States, including but not limited to those of Irish, Jewish and Trinidadian background. However, when discussing the diaspora of the Armenians, the term takes the empirical form of Diaspora as it is not describing a subset of a people but the majority.

2.2.1 Refugees of the Near East and the Formation of the Modern Armenian Diaspora

When Armenia is spoken of in today’s global climate the events of the late 19^th and early 20^th century are, unfortunately, what come to mind. The Ottoman Empire, the Young Turks and the transitory government of the Republic of Turkey that followed in 1923 orchestrated the massacre and deliberate genocide of the Armenian people. The survivors, refugees from their ancestral lands, were scattered to the wind, but took root in whatever country would have them and laid the foundation for most of today’s Armenian Diaspora that can be found stretching from Japan to Los Angeles. Though found in these different corners of the globe today, the history and experiences are the same.

“Traumatized and dehumanized, some of the victims miraculously survived. Poor and unwanted, homeless and stateless, they had nowhere to go[.] Prohibited from returning to their homes in Turkey [on ancestral Armenian lands], some remained confined to refugee camps or orphanages for many years; some managed to set down new roots in the country of first asylum, usually in the Middle East[Lebanon, Jordan and Syria] or the Caucasus[Georgia, Northern Iran]; others migrated to Soviet Armenia to build up that struggling nation; and still others resettled in a third country, any country which would give them refuge[.] This diaspora, dispersed throughout the world, grew and expanded[.] Survivors went wherever they could find a safe haven and moved whenever the immigration doors were opened.” (Kaprielian-Churchill 4)

As refugees, they set about to make a home for themselves in these new adopted lands. In doing so, they kept alive the Armenian culture. Without the land to call their own, it is what kept them from total assimilation. Instead of assimilation, over the next 100 years they integrated themselves into the societies of their adopted lands. Maintaining their Armenian culture through self-funded churches, schools, cultural centers and compatriotic associations. (Bakalian 184)

3 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

As identified by Maslow, the Physiological needs are often met by instinct alone. Though the need for food and water is one that many groups still look to fulfill as evident in the current humanitarian disasters seen in areas of Africa (Sudan, Uganda), Afghanistan and the occupied territories of Palestine.

During the Republic of Armenia’s initial years, these needs failed to be met and drove many to emigration. For the Diasporan Armenian, these needs are what drove many to seek refuge in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide. These basic physiological needs have since been met, and these groups have progressed to sating the later stages of their needs. Their reasons for the respective needs of repatriation and emigration are identified in specific stages, and are not dictated by the entirety of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

3.1 Reasons/Foundation for Emigration by Republic of Armenia Citizens

“Emigration, as well as its characteristic scope and structure, always reflects the inner nature of society and then extent to which political, socioeconomic and national problems have been solved.” (Shevtsova 241)

It is an accepted fact that more Armenians inhabit the Diaspora than the reported 1.25 – 3 million living in the Republic of Armenia (RA). The difference in the reported number of Armenia’s population is because no officially-reported and agreed-upon figure exists. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union’s infrastructure and the RA’s independence in 1991, large numbers of the population have left the country both legally and illegally. Government census figures will falsify actual numbers to present Armenia as more affluent to foreign investment than it actually is. (Sardar)

The reasons for emigration from Armenia come down to a single concept, “Hope.” Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, citizens of the RA, whether on a temporary or permanent basis, have left the Republic in search of that.

Due to its close proximity, many Armenians head to Russia where labor jobs are plenty. The Russian government takes steps to ensure a steady inflow of migrant workers. This inflow of workers to Russia puts a drain on Armenia’s population but this is not a concern for the citizens of Armenia whose goal in life is to secure stability for their families. (Yeghiazaryan)

The Russian government inadvertently contributes to Armenia’s population drain through what is known as the “Russian Compatriots Program.” It is open to all Russian-speaking citizens throughout the landscape of the former Soviet Republics, now known as the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) of which Armenia is a member state. This does not limit the number of applicants as Russian was the default official language of the Soviet Union and the CIS continues to foster the growth of the Russian language amongst its populace. Evidence of this may be seen across Armenia where much of the country’s signage, both government and commercial, is written in Cyrillic.

The Compatriot program provides the means to help resettle a family in areas of Russia that have suffered from population loss since the fall of the Soviet Union; ironic when this program contributes to large population loss in the more economically-unstable nations of the CIS. According to the details provided by Eurasianet.org, participants sign a two-year contract, are assigned a job (with options ranging between nurse to construction worker), given a place to live and receive a lump sum of $4,000-$8,000 as stipend. (Grigoryan)

This migration of citizens of Armenia for the purposes of labor is nothing new, nor are the reasons for it. In the 1960s through the 1980s, high levels of inequality in the social-economic development of the Soviet Republic of Armenia drove many to find opportunities in the other Soviet republics, now members of the CIS (Jijyan). Even today, with an independent and democratic republic, most of its citizens do not enjoy a high quality of life. They look to whatever means necessary to escape to place where they have been led to believe a better life awaits them. With unemployment reported at 6.9% (unofficial numbers put the actual rate well above 15%), it is no wonder that 39% of 1,000 Armenians surveyed in a gallop poll in August 2011 expressed a strong desire to live permanently in another country (Grigoryan). After all, “the grass is always greener on the other side.”

There is a statistical figure floating around, from the US-funded agency Counterpart International, stating that if emigration numbers of RA citizens do not subside and continue on their current trend; in the year 2047 there will be only one person left in Armenia. (Sardar)

3.1.1 Satisfying the Physiological and Safety Needs

“For the man who is extremely and dangerously hungry, no other interests exist but food. He dreams food, he remembers food, he thinks about food, he emotes only about food, he perceives only food and he wants only food. If the physiological needs are relatively well gratified, there then emerges a new set of needs, which we may categorize roughly as the safety needs. Again, as in the hungry man, we find that the dominating goal is a strong determinant not only of his current world-outlook and philosophy but also of his philosophy of the future. Practically everything looks less important than safety. A man, in this state, if it is extreme enough and chronic enough, may be characterized as living almost for safety alone.” (Maslow 376)

The Armenian citizen contends with a tumultuous financial situation. In 2010 the cost of living was nearly double of what it was in 2005. The cost of food had risen 25% between 2009 and 2010. Some economists “are sure that the inflation, is in fact, even higher, accusing the National Statistical Service [responsible for the figures] of presenting an unrealistic image of inflation in Armenia, which, in its turn, gives authorities an opportunity to present an unrealistic economic growth.” The falsification of these statistics is done to maintain a low minimum wage. (Abrahamian)

Recent emigration by RA citizens is almost entirely motivated by the need for safety. Between December 1988 and 2001, an estimated 800,000 citizens have left the country. The first wave of emigration was a direct result of the earthquake that hit the north of the country in 1988. Some 200,000 left the RA in search of food and shelter, at a time when the country did not have the resources to care for its citizens’ most basic needs. A second wave occurred soon after the earthquake; war with Azerbaijan erupted in the Armenian enclave of Nagorna-Karabagh, and between 1989-1990 some 170,000 ethnic Azeris living in Armenia emigrated. About 360,000 ethnic Armenians from Azerbaijan took refuge in Armenia, only to emigrate to Russia or the USA shortly after. The third wave of emigration started with Armenia’s independence in 1991. A deterioration of living conditions, the collapse of the Soviet-managed energy supply and severe economic crisis as the direct contributors. These could not be avoided as the country was in transition; after seventy years as part of the Soviet system, the country had to reform itself as an independent republic. This third wave was an extension of the RA’s growing pains. Between 1991 and 1994, an estimated 475,000 ethnic Armenians emigrated. The economic troubles continued that trend of emigration until 2001. (Yeghiazaryan 3)

Since 2001, the rate of emigration has declined but not entirely subsided. The current wave of emigration may be attributed to several factors, including the continuing economic crisis. Another source claims that some 1.1 million Armenians have emigrated since independence, their financial predicament being the strongest motivator. (Grigoryan)

Any emigration statistics found after 2001 are questionable. The Republic of Armenia has done little to improve the infrastructure necessary for a proper census. The task is left to several NGOs found within the country, such as the US-funded Counterpart International. (Yeghiazaryan 12)

3.2 Reasons/Foundation for Emigration by Diasporan Armenians

The Diasporan Armenian varies in character depending on the region each hails from. The majority of the Armenian-American Diaspora is made up of refugees from the Armenian communities of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Armenia, Lebanon and Syria. It is arguably the most popular and active of the Diasporas. Although true that America has been home to an Armenian community since the first Armenian established himself in the Jamestown colony; it did not gain prominence until the 1980s when the United States, particularly Southern California welcomed waves of Armenian immigrants from the Diasporas of Syria and Lebanon.

The Near-Eastern Armenian communities were, since even before the Armenian Genocide, bastions of Armenian culture. They contributed intellectuals and artists to the Diaspora of the United States. The faculties and curriculum of many of the Armenian schools found in Southern California are an extension of these communities. (Bakalian)

It is in this Diaspora that one finds the polar opposite to the emigration trend found in the Republic of Armenia. The Diasporan Armenians have taken the same “grass is always greener on the other side” mentality but applied it to the RA. Their hope is not one of financial security. Their concern is rooted in another, the far greater threat of assimilation and loss of Armenian-ness. It occurs when integration into a host society goes too far. It is the threat of assimilation that many a Diasporan Armenian wishes to curb when choosing to repatriate to the Republic of Armenia.

Among those wishing to repatriate to Armenia are a small subset of youth that have taken the title of “Khent”(English: Idiot/Fool) to describe themselves. It is taken from a novel of 1880 by the Armenian author Raffi, attributed with awakening the Ottoman Armenian populace of the 19^th century and ushering in a period of self-determination; only a “khent” is brave enough to stand up and fight for a brighter future.

“Khent” is the Armenian equivalent of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”, inspiring these youths, deemed “khents”, to take it upon themselves to relocate to Armenia. Where they start to create a new life for themselves; forming a community that hopes to buck the trend of assimilation. They come from a new generation whose parents, themselves looking for a better life, emigrated from the Near East (Lebanon and Syria). Their families are often part of the American middle-class that can afford to meet the basic physiological needs of its children. These young “khents” are an exception to theory identified by Maslow:

“These exceptions are the ones that involve ideals, high social standards, high values and the like. With such values people become martyrs; they give up everything for the sake of a particular ideal, or value[.] People who have been satisfied in their basic needs throughout their lives, particularly in their earlier years, seem to develop exceptional power to withstand present or future thwarting of these needs simply because they have strong, healthy character structure as a result of basic satisfaction. They are the ‘strong’ people who can easily weather disagreement or opposition, who can swim against the stream of public opinion and who can stand up for the truth at great personal cost. It is just the ones who have loved and been well loved, and who have had many deep friendships who can hold out against hatred, rejection or persecution.” (Maslow 388)

3.2.1 Satisfying the Love Needs and Beyond

“If both the physiological and the safety needs are fairly well gratified, then there will emerge the love and affection and belongingness needs[.] Now the person will feel keenly, as never before, the absence of friends, or a sweetheart, or a wife, or children. He will hunger for affectionate relations with people in general, namely, for a place in his group, and he will strive with great intensity to achieve this goal.” (Maslow 381)

The Love Needs are a large part of why Armenians from the Diaspora have chosen to repatriate. For them “the absence of friends, or a sweetheart, or a wife, or children” is replaced with an absence of compatriots. Diasporan Armenians feel an almost instinctive need to surround themselves with other Armenians.

Armenians of the Diaspora have always longed for a physical Armenian nation. The last four generations of Diasporans have almost always peppered their homes with images from ancient Armenian illuminated manuscripts, metalwork frames of the Armenian alphabet and, at the center of it all, Mt. Ararat. If a single symbol were to unite the Armenians under the cause of repatriation, it would be Mt. Ararat. In the Bible, it is where Noah’s Ark landed. For the Armenians, it is where the seeds of the Armenian people and nation were planted by Noah’s own sons. Since time immemorial the borders of Armenia have shifted and disappeared, the Armenian people have both thrived and languished countless times over centuries, but the mountain is still there. Unfortunately, Mt. Ararat does not lie within Armenia’s current borders. It rests behind the Turkish border, along with 90% of Armenian lands. But that does not deter Diasporans. (Bakalian)

If one should ever find themselves on a connecting flight to Yerevan from Paris, London or Moscow they will notice a sizable number of Armenians. If the plane should be landing in Armenia during daylight hours, you will notice many of those Armenians gravitate to the windows. Why? For their first glimpse of Mt. Ararat. And upon landing, a smaller number of those Armenians may sneak across the border into Turkey to climb that mountain, to reach its top, and to plant an Armenian flag at the peak.

This of course accomplishes nothing. Though for the individual Armenian from the Diaspora it helps fill a deep void. A void caused by a separation from the homeland. A void they seek to fill by way of repatriation. These are the “khents” as mentioned above, they are those who will cross the river first.

4. Impact on Armenia

“The unregulated outflow of the educational, scientific, and cultural potential has reduced Armenia’s intellectual potential and undermined the opportunities for socioeconomic, scientific-technical and cultural development.” (Jijyan 63)

It is for these reasons that most, if not all, Diasporans see repatriation as the salvation of Armenia. Only, they are not necessarily aware of the impact their presence is having on the social and economic levels of Armenia by introducing a new middle class. Particularly in the capital of Yerevan, an increased number of Diasporans equates to an increase in upper-middle to upper class members of Armenian society. With these financial classes comes a high level of expectations in the goods and services made available to the people.

“The Armenian Diaspora has strongly influenced economic and human development in the Republic of Armenia. It is one of the main generators of foreign investments, but its own share in total direct investments apparently remains below expected[,] possibly because the Armenian economy still does not provide sufficiently competitive and attractive investment climate from the standpoint of the Diaspora.” (Jijyan 126)

Economic leaders in Armenia are not dim to the belief that the Diaspora equals money. Every year Yerevan sees a new crop of bars and nightclubs opening, catering specifically to the Diasporan market. How so? In March 2012, a new nightclub opened up in central Yerevan; they have deemed it “Bourbon Street.” This name should of course be foreign to anyone unfamiliar with the culture of New Orleans’ nightlife. The signage for the establishment is in English, as is the menu. They are not alone in this trend, as many storefronts in Armenia are using English, much to the chagrin of the Armenian language.

While the Armenians of the Diaspora are making great sacrifices, they remain unaware of the larger influence of their presence. During the spring and summer months in Armenia, those of the Diaspora who have not yet made a decision to repatriate, take the small step of vacationing in Armenia. Their presence certainly adds to the economic well being of those in the tourist and nightlife profession, but many of Armenia’s citizens are left facing a difficulty in accomplishing the most basic of their daily tasks. For in these months the streets are filled with taxi cabs and buses, to the point where what was once a twenty-minute commute to work for a citizen, is now closer to an hour. Of course this is not a direct result of actions by Diasporans, but their mere presence is enough to send any available driver on to the streets in search of a fare.

The ultimate conclusion of the trans-national population shuffle of Armenians is a re-unification of Armenian culture and society. Many believe that the Armenian Diaspora is a temporary construction, necessary in the transition of the Armenian people from refugees to inhabitants of a land called Armenia.

5. Armenia on the World Stage

Certain factors of the global climate could impede the satisfaction of needs for both the Diasporan and citizen of Armenia. The need to move across the earth’s landscape is an instinctive need of humanity not bound by borders. Since its inception, the European Union (EU), home to a multitude of cultures and diasporas, has embraced the notion of trans-nationalism. A citizen of France is no longer just a citizen of that country but of Europe as well. The border divisions of Europe are not as strict as they once were in the mid-20^th century. They’ve instead given way to Europe’s desire to satisfy the overall needs of its citizens. Europe’s long history of war and border disputes amongst its countries may add to the need for commonality amongst its citizens.

Trans-nationalism has allowed the citizens of Europe a sense of economic security, something they would have lacked if limited to the borders of individual cultural bases. The Armenians too disregard the limitations of their surroundings and seek out the satisfaction of their most basic needs. Only, the European idea of trans-nationalism entails the notion of globalization which is detrimental to an Armenian’s preservation of Armenian-ness, and they are not the only group dealing with the adverse effects of these developments. Similar to the Armenians, Israelis must contend with maintaining their individual culture in a global climate that pushes for the globalization of cultures.

The Jewish citizens of Israel are descendants of or repatriates themselves. Like the Diasporan Armenian they have met their basic needs outside Israel and return to a cultural homeland to progress further up Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. For these Israelis, moving to Israel entailed an “intuitive factoring-out of lower-order concerns and a focus on issues of autonomy, achievement and responsibility.” (Adler 447-448)

Globalization entails many benefits, especially for the economy, but it also pushes for a homogenization of cultures akin to the effects of assimilation. This contradicts with an Armenian’s central need of preserving their Armenian-ness. Citizens of the Republic of Armenia are justified in looking outside Armenia to meet their most basic needs. Akin to the Armenians of the Diaspora, it may take at least a generation or two for the citizens of Armenia to reach a position on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to complete the move back to Armenia. For the Diasporan Armenian that is already at the stage of repatriation, it remains important to be aware of the impact their presence has in Armenia. On top of the sacrifice of repatriation is the responsibility of making Armenia not just a home for themselves but the citizens of Armenia as well. Their achievements will only help progress them further up Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, attaining the qualities of the ideal member of society with level of self-actualization.

Works Cited

Abrahamian, Gayane. “Inflation: Cost of Living in Armenia Nearly Twice as Much as 2005″ ArmeniaNow, 7 Sept. 2010. Web.

Adler, Seymour. “Maslow’s Need Hierarchy and the Adjustment of Immigrants.” International Migration Review, Winter 11.4 (1977): 444-51. Print.

“Armenia.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web.

Bakalian, Anny P. Armenian-Americans: From Being to Feeling Armenian. New Brunswick (U.S.A.): Transaction, 1993. Print.

Grigoryan, Marianna. “Armenia: Russian Guest Worker Program Highlights Population Drain.” EurasiaNet, 25 Mar. 2011. Web. Mar. 2012.

Jijyan, Vrej, and Vardan Gevorgyan, comps. Migration and Human Development Opportunities and Challenges Report 2009 ed. United Nations Development Programme. 2009. Print.

Kaprielian-Churchill, Isabel. “Armenian Refugee Women: The Picture Brides, 1920-1930.” Journal of American Ethnic History 12.3 (1993): 3-30. Print.

Maslow, A. H. “A Theory of Human Motivation.” Psychological Review 50.4 (1943): 370-96. Print.

Wikipedia Image: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Digital image. Wikipedia. 18 June 2009. Web.

Sardar, Alex, Robert Avetisyan, Antranig Kasbarian, and Elizabeth Chouldjian. “Homeland and the Diaspora: From Challenges to Solutions.” Lecture. ANC Grassroots. Los Angeles, CA. 26 Nov. 2011. YouTube. Armenian National Committee of America, 18 Dec. 2011. Web.

Shevtsova, Lilia. “Post-Soviet Emigration Today and Tomorrow.” International Migration Review, 26.2 (1992): 241-257.

Yeghiazaryan, Armen, Vahram Avanesian, and Nelson Shahnazaryan. How to Reverse Emigration. Publication. Ameria, 2003. Web. Mar. 2012.

ROCKY (1976):an extension of the American Dream, a reflection of the individual

nishan hagop — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:08:20 +0000

Before we begin, it’s important to clarify which ROCKY is being discussed. There are three:

ROCKY, the character: There are people out there who’ve never even seen one of the ROCKY films, but ask them who Rocky is and they’d be able to give you the basics, he’s “the Italian Stallion”, “a boxer”, “the guy who saved America from the Russians”, “I think he sold me Brisk iced tea once”.
This is a case of a character evolving beyond the confines of its initial creation. As a character, Rocky has taken on a life of its own. There are countless caricatures, Jim Carrey used an impression of Rocky to help launch his own comedy career.

ROCKY, the movie franchise: There are six ROCKY films in all. Not all audiences have seen every film. Maybe they’ve only seen the one where Rocky fights Mr. T. Or maybe they hold fond memories of watching Rocky, a boxer, take on Hulk Hogan, a professional wrestler. Mention ROCKY and most everyone will recall the fourth film where he took Ivan Drago, the physical manifestation of the USSR, single handed.

ROCKY, the original Screenplay & Film of 1976: This is unique from the rest of ROCKY canon and is the focus here. It’s unique in that it is an extension of the American Dream, as envisioned by the immigrant class of the late 19th- early 20thcentury. And in 1976 it was a reflection of the individual, the writer and star Sylvester Stallone.

ROCKY, as it appears here in all caps, will from here on out will refer to the film and screenplay from 1976. And one more thing, it’s not a boxing movie. It’s a love story.

It begins as all things should; with a crescendo of trumpets. The title, ROCKY, scrolls across the screen, white letters on a black screen. Opening on a image of Jesus Christ, the only image of religion in the film, overlooking two boxers duking it out in the church arena. This is a bottom of the barrel bout, put together by the local church to provide some entertainment to the drunks and undesirables of 1975 Philadelphia. The winner walks away with $40, a woman yells after him, “you’re a bum!”.

Rocky Balboa is fresh in his thirties, he spent the better part of his youth and its latter years devoted to the boxing discipline, training in the local gym of Mick, a fighter long past his prime. Rocky is angry young man; not angry at anyone specific, but at his self-doubt and realized stagnation in life. When the film introduces the audience to the gym, it’s made clear by the number of bodies training that Rocky isn’t the only one looking for a way out of the slums of Philadelphia with the help of a pair of gloves. Because a way out is what Rocky needs. His day job is that of a thumb-breaker on the docks, a collector for a local Italian “businessman”, a loan-shark. In the evenings, he goes back to his single room apartment; photos of his youth and parents frame the mirror above his dresser, a poster of former boxing champion Rocky Marciano rest above the fireplace. Marciano is a figure whose success Rocky Balboa hopes to emulate. Above Rocky’s bed is a crucifix, but it’s tucked away behind a bronzed children’s shoe. If anything, its serves as relic to his bygone youth.

While the audience is introduced to Rocky’s world, so too are they introducing to the character of Adrian, a shy young woman who works at the local pet store, where Rocky likes to stop by and purchase food for his turtles and play with the store’s resident dog, Butkus. Adrian is the sister of Rocky’s only friend Paulie, a 2nd/3rd generation Greek-American who works at the local meat processing plant, barely scraping by and looking for a way by way of working for Rocky’s same loan-shark. Rocky looks at Paulie as family, and insists that the loan-shark’s line of work is not for Paulie. It’s also Rocky’s way of protecting Adrian, who he romantic feelings for. Paulie, aware of this, pushes for them to get together. It takes some time, but eventually the two shed away their layers and find solace in their relationship.

Meanwhile, the boxing champion of the world, Apollo Creed has a championship bout scheduled in honor of America’s Bicentennial. Only fortune(luck) didn’t shine too kindly on him or the fight’s promoters as the original opponent is deemed unfit to fight and they must rush to find a replacement. So they do what any sensible person would do, they pick an opponent at random. Fortune shines on Rocky Balboa as his name is picked, Apollo Creed liked his nickname, “The Italian Stallion”.

It’s around this time that the ROCKY enters familiar territory. Its structure as a boxing movie is revealed as the film takes us through the staples of the genre. In one of the film’s more famous images, Rocky greets his morning with a fresh glass of raw eggs. His trainer Mick, who was hesitant at first because of his belief that Rocky had squandered his talent and future by not going the distance with his potential, at one point ties the laces of Rocky’s shoes together in a bid to strengthen his stance. All this is paired with the montage.

The montage has become a staple of any sports movie, arguably as a result of ROCKY’s prominence in American Cinema. A series of inter cut scenarios set over a selection of inspirational/hard-hitting music. ROCKY set the standard with its sequence of Rocky training in the gym and jogging in the mornings. Easily the most recognizable image from ROCKY is of the character running up the 72 stone steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Rocky fails on his first attempt, grasping his sides in splitting pain. But at the tail end of the training montage, he leaps up the stairs and as the music hits its apex, Rocky raises his arms in victory. Now he’s in a physical condition to take on the boxing champion of the world. All it took was 3 minutes of a pop song, if only the mental preparation was as easy.

Though he may find himself physically ready, in the film Rocky has a difficult time believing he can win on the eve of the his bout against the champion. Adrian wraps her arms around Rocky. This interaction comforts him and the camera pushes in-

ROCKY
I can’t beat him

ADRIAN
You worked so hard

ROCKY
It don’t matter, I was nobody before

But it does matter, and later in that same scene we finally know what kept Rocky going.

ROCKY
It really don’t matter if I win this fight,
all I wanna do is go the distance.

There’s nothing pushing Rocky forward except his desire to be better than where he was at the start of the film. The championship isn’t important, its the feeling of accomplishment that is.

And so, as all sport based films go, ROCKY descends deep into the boxing genre for the final act of the film. This portion of the film is forgettable at best, it adds nothing to the film apart from taking the audience to the eventual conclusion and has no substance to speak of and could have driven the film into forgettable territory. Only, Rocky doesn’t win. Rocky goes “the distance”, he’s still standing after the final bell. But boxing’s a professional sport and it comes down to the points, who landed the most successful hits on their opponent; and in that regard Apollo Creed retains his championship. This would faze most sportsmen, but not Rocky.

Trainers, reporters and fans crowd the boxing ring, each wanting a piece of Rocky and his new found fame. None of this concerns Rocky though; He’s unsatisfied, the fight may be over, but there’s no peace for him, not yet. Like a child, Rocky wails out Adrian’s name. It’s not until Adrian makes her away into the ring. It’s not until he sees her that Rocky finds his peace. And blocking out the pandemonium around them-

ROCKY
Adrian! Hey, where’s your hat?

ADRIAN
I love you.

ROCKY
I love you.

ADRIAN & ROCKY
I love you.

They embrace, inseparable. The movie fades out with them repeating the final line to each other, “I love you”.

The original movie poster for ROCKY is a silhouette image of Adrian & Rocky, walking hand in hand. For ROCKY, the boxing movie angle is secondary. The boxing genre is a blueprint and in ROCKY the genre is defamiliarized to serve as a vehicle for a love story. Ah yes, the love story. ROCKY isn’t about Rocky’s rise to fame and wealth, certainly the movie franchise did go that route later, but ROCKY is something more. ROCKY’s focus is on the finding and the strengthening of the connection between Rocky & Adrian.

When Rocky first invites her into his apartment, Adrian looks over the family photos that frame Rocky’s mirror and stopping over one, asks if those are his parents. He nods and tells of how his father didn’t think Rocky would amount to anything in life and gave him the advice of focusing on the body and forgetting the mind. For Adrian, it was her mother who said she didn’t have much of a body or looks so she should build up her mind instead. One compliments the other, but in the context of ROCKY’s creation, the two halves are one in the same.

Sylvester Stallone, the writer and star of ROCKY, was born in New York in 1946. His mother, a second-generation immigrant of Russian Jewish & French descent. His father, a first-generation immigrant from Italy. To the immigrant generations of his parents and those who came before them, America was a safe haven. They were part of or sprung from the largest wave of immigration to the United States (in 1907 alone, over 1.2 million immigrated to the US). The numbers were so great that in 1924 the United States enacted the Immigration Act of 1924, effectively freezing all immigration to America from Europe, the Near-Middle East and much of Asia. Though built on a foundation of immigrants, America wanted nothing more to do with them. But why so many?

Many of the peoples who immigrated to the United States were escaping something. For many Europeans it was the rise of fascism that drove them away. The Bolshevik revolution of Russia, and subsequent creation of the USSR, drove many peoples to America escaping persecution (Russian Jews made up a large number). From the Near-Middle East countless people escaped massacres at the hands of Ottoman Turks and the German forces that supported them; these numbers were made up of Assyrians, Greeks, Armenians, peoples from the Balkans and refugees of the First World War. These peoples of different backgrounds all came to America with a single purpose in mind, to realize their American Dream.

APOLLO CREED
If history proves one thing. American history
proves that everybody’s got a chance to win.

The American Dream is different for each individual. But if you’re a part of or descended from the already identified immigrant group, there the linkage of a common understanding of it. It’s moves against the idea of people as a commodity, it focuses on the uniqueness of the individual. In this understanding of the American Dream, the individual makes their own way in life, they create their own opportunity. Waiting around for divine intervention is no way of realizing your goals, its self-determination and perseverance that will find you success.

ROCKY’s ideas and demonstration of the American Dream is reminiscent of the Italian Humanism that found prominence in the 15/16th Century, the time of the Renaissance. Like in Humanism, Religion has no role in ROCKY. In ROCKY success is found through self-determination and perseverance. ROCKY further postulates that fortune plays a big role in success, as outlined by the works of Humanists such as Petrarch & Boccaccio. If not for Apollo Creed happening across Rocky’s nickname “The Italian Stallion” in a book, ROCKY would not exist. Why? Because if not for the fortune that shone on Sylvester Stallone that moment from the film is reflecting, there would be no ROCKY.

Much of ROCKY is a reflection of Stallone’s life; his fears and regrets, his doubt and above all, his success. In 1976, when ROCKY was released, Stallone was, like Rocky, in his early thirties and had only just found success.

Stallone began pursuing an acting career in his twenties hoping to find success in entertainment. After all, previous immigrant generations had done the same with Hollywood itself being founded by Jewish immigrants from Russia and Germany. He’d acted in a few small pictures that failed to find a release and so difficult was his career at the beginning that one night he found himself sleeping in a bus terminal, at wit’s end he noticed a casting call. It required him to appear nude & fornicate on screen. Stallone did it for a paycheck. The film didn’t find release until after the success of ROCKY, capitalizing on Stallone’s success, it was released as the pornographic movie “The Italian Stallion.” So like the character he would later embody, Stallone set about making his own way in life, but it’d take another 5 years.

ROCKY
Had to show that I can do it [...] that I’m not a bum!

Already inspired by Rocky Marciano, another Italian-American, Stallone was watching a 1975 boxing match between Muhammad Ali & Chuck Wepner when further inspiration struck. Going home that night after the match, Stallone would spend three day and twenty straight hours writing and completing the screenplay of ROCKY. This was to be his way out, ROCKY was Stallone going the distance and taking his shot. Hollywood loved the screenplay, Stallone had a hit on his hands and he knew. The money came pouring in alongside suggestions for who should play the role of Rocky. Stallone wanted to play the part, after all he wrote it for himself, but since he was unknown in Hollywood, producers refused and instead offered him higher sums for the screenplay. At this early stage in the career of Stallone and the story of Rocky, Greed did not prevail. Stallone took a smaller paycheck on the screenplay so he could star.

A running theme through ROCKY is Patriotism, independent from the American Dream. In 1976, when the film was released in the US, the country was celebrating its Bicentennial. This is made with Apollo Creed classifying the championship as a Bicentennial bout “in honor of America’s birthday” and equating his knocking out his opponents to that of the cracking of the Liberty Bell. ROCKY wears its Patriotism on its sleeves and its set apart from the American Dream because in this film it pushes an ideology independent of what the American Dream was to the specified immigrant class. Rallying the public under the stars & stripes was not ROCKY’s original intent, until the sequel.

ROCKY, the movie franchise would soon find itself acting as an ideological state apparatus in employ of the US. It was not the first film to do so as the US government famously did so in WWII with its employment of Hollywood directors like Frank Capra and actors like Elvis Presley & John Wayne. It was the Cold War after all, and America needed a strong image to stand behind, something beyond the outdated Uncle Sam. ROCKY filled that role and soon began its decline.

ROCKY
They don’t remember you. They remember the rep!

ROCKY found great success when it was released, beating out TAXI DRIVER, NETWORK, ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN & NETWORK(all considered seminal films in not just American cinema, but cinema worldwide). But what was once a single film that encapsulated love, purity of desire and the American Dream soon found itself as the Hollywood movie franchise devoid of all that made the first film great. The purity of Rocky’s desire to only go the distance and realize his full potential found itself shifted to a want for the boxing championship (power & money). This even echoes Stallone’s own course in life. Where he was once described by the film critic Roger Ebert as the next Marlon Brando for his acting ability, Stallone soon became(and still is) the butt of many a joke, turning his success into a money making machine. If you were to find yourself in major American areas during the 1980-1990s, you’d have had a difficult time in escaping the images of Stallone plastered on Billboards, McDonald’s meals, action figures, Brisk ice tea commercials, T-Shirts, dietary supplements and anything else he could sell the licensing rights of his likeness to. Was the individual at fault here? This is not an E! True Hollywood Story. But we do have to ask ourselves, is fame good? Are those who found peace in the realization of the dreams independent of fame and wealth better off than the individuals who are only satisfied with attaining fame & wealth. It’s important to think of ROCKY (1976) independent from its future progression. And as a reflection of Stallone it should be kept free and in context of the early seventies.

In much the same way that there’s so much of Stallone in ROCKY that it’s hard to ignore; There’s much of my own past as a 4th generation Armenian-American in ROCKY’s conveyance of the American Dream that at this point all objectivity must be thrown out the window. Much of what was looked at in ROCKY is my own response to the material. My great-grandfather arrived on steamship from Armenia by was of Marseilles in 1907. Like the immigrants before him and the millions that were to follow, he too was greeted by the Statue of Liberty, with her arm in the air, a beacon to the masses that they’ve made it, they are now safe. And he too found himself in America, alone and without work. But instead of giving up, he persevered. Living on the streets of New York, he made his gains in life by first selling apples from a wheelbarrow. It was only through his hard work, devoid of divine intervention, that he would find love in America in woman whose parents had escaped the Great Famine of Ireland of the mid-19th century, they too hoping for safety and salvation in the United States.

American Cinema and the visual arts as a whole thrive off the connections they establish with their audiences. My relationship to ROCKY as an audience member is no different. And where previous generations would once look to the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of safety, salvation, accomplishment and the American Dream; I and others of my generation look upon the image of Rocky standing atop the 72 stone steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art with his arms raised in much the same way.

In his first interactions with Adrian, Rocky tells her that when he makes it, they’re “gonna stick this face on a stamp.” They did. You can now find Stallone’s face on stamps worldwide.

Armenia’s Hindered Advancement of Women

nishan hagop — Wed, 04 May 2011 00:02:51 +0000

Part 1

In Armenia, atop a hill overlooking the center of the capital Yerevan stands Mother Armenia. Defender of the Armenian nation, she straddles a broad sword in her hands, a shield at her feet. A relic of the bygone Soviet era, the 167-foot monument of copper and tuff (basalt) is the female personification of Armenia. In Armenian history the woman has been the safeguard of Armenian culture, language and the nation (Zazyan). But to a majority the Armenian woman is nothing beyond an idealized concept with no such regard paid to her as an individual. The achievements and fruitful history of Armenian women are all but non-existent in common Armenian history. The heroes gallery of Armenia’s gloried past is, like current Armenian society, dominated by men. The streets and civic centers of modern Armenia are populated with monuments to the male heroes, intellectuals and artists of history, those the government deemed deserving of adulation because of their contribution to Armenians. The concept of the Armenian mother may be sacred to Armenian society, but the woman as a person is relegated to the sidelines. In the 1850s, the journalist Stepan Voskan wrote, “The homeland is in the heart of women”. In reality, the homeland (as well as the Diaspora) is in the hands of the men. Armenian women must look to themselves for strength and collectively rise up to overcome their retarded stature in Armenian society...

During the Soviet era, the government created an environment where Armenian women were given equal and free access to education and employment without limitation. Apart from the political sphere, women were able to prevail in the spheres of education, public health and culture (Zazyan). The lack of female presence in the societal spheres of the modern Republic of Armenia shows no evidence of this previous Soviet advancement in establishing women as equals. Modern Armenian men and women alike are bombarded with image after image of women as sex objects and targets of sexual conquest. This is reaffirmed time and time again with media and advertising projected through television, internet and the billboards that populate the highways and social centers of the country. This objectification has an adverse effect on women’s self confidence and sense of place. It creates a false and misguided model of reflection for young women and stymies the progress towards equality as they are conditioned to expect nothing more from or for themselves. An increasingly skewed vision of women as objects of desire develops and the public, male and female alike, is ultimately conditioned to treat women accordingly. Women are also adversely conditioned into thinking along similar lines, discounting the ability and achievements possible by women, themselves and otherwise; in some cases to the point where women too become the aggressors in violence against women (as was the case with Zaruhi Petrosyan).

In November 2010, a young woman working with the Women’s Resource Center in Armenia had a sour encounter with a male taxi driver. It stands as evidence to the male public’s regard for the opposite sex. Women in Armenia are cautioned to not ride in the front seat of a taxi, especially not on their own. She was in a hurry and ignored caution:

Almost immediately the driver began to talk to me, asking me what my name was, where I was from, if my father lived in the area, if I had any brothers or sisters, and what my phone number was […] aside from a couple of head nods, I kept quiet. It wasn’t before long that the driver pulled out a piece of paper with his phone number on it and told me to call him, an offer in which I sternly declined. He then began to touch my thigh and then my face and neck. After assertively telling him “NO” and removing his hand from my body he instructed “not now, later.” Clearly it wasn’t enough that I said no, nor was it sufficient that I was assertive in my statement. I instructed him to stop the car and told him that I wanted to get out, a declaration in which he quite casually chose to ignore, and instead began to put his hands on me again. I can’t say I wasn’t scared, but I can say that I did not come off that way. After aggressively slamming on the dashboard, raising my voice, and pointing my finger in his face, he did stop the car. I quickly got out, and without paying.

No woman should feel afraid when they are alone in a cab with a man, or anywhere for that matter. It is not up to a man to dictate whether or not I should feel uncomfortable and certainly not acceptable for a man to put his hands on me without my consent. It is also not right for a woman to have to sit in the back of a cab to be safe from sexual or verbal harassment. A man should NOT feel entitled to do what he pleases with a woman under any circumstances, it is not his right. (Women’s Resource Center, “Taxi Harassment”)

Hers is not an isolated incident. It is such a common occurrence that in December 2010 a boutique taxi service was introduced to the streets of Armenia. Pink Taxi offers a no-smoking ride for women and couples, men are only allowed when riding with children. This is no solution. It is but a band aid placed on the overall struggle women face in Armenia.

Abuse and violence towards women is a common occurrence and the victims are expected to remain moonch (silent) on the matter. Women who admit to being victims of domestic violence often did so only in private. In 1998, a survey conducted among a hundred women found 80 admitting (in private) to being victims of domestic violence (Women’s Rights Center). However, after October 1, 2010, the majority could no longer remain silent and surveys would no longer suffice. On that day, twenty year old Zaruhi Petrosyan died at the hands of her husband and mother-in-law, a victim of domestic violence. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back; across the global Armenian nation there was a public outcry from women and men alike to stop the violence against women prevalent in Armenian society. Socially aware Armenians took to the streets to protest this violence, the silent killer of Armenian women, public awareness had increased on a global scale. The Armenians of the world made it known to the countless victims that it’s not okay to remain moonch, that it is okay to seek help and that there are individuals and organizations ready to do just that.

The Women’s Rights Center of Armenia makes available to the public a crisis center and a domestic violence hotline. Between 2009 and 2010, the calls to the hotline increased from 1010 to 1777. The calls specific to domestic violence increased from 435 to 701. Only 71 women visited their crisis center. Of the visits 42 related to domestic violence, 26 were for psychological abuse, 13 came in for physical abuse and only 3 for sexual abuse. Ultimately, the figures relating to the call center and especially the crisis center are miniscule in comparison to the reality of the large number of victims. Though as women in Armenia become more aware of their rights, they can make increasing use of the resources made available to them.

Through raising awareness Armenians can combat the victimization of women. Through awareness, current and future generations of men and women can move beyond the abject nature of the current gender roles in Armenian society. Let the saying “A woman is like wool, the more you beat her, the softer she will be” and its ilk be lost in the annals of time. Let the Armenian woman be like the statue of Mother Armenia; Protector of the Armenian language, culture and nation, its children and its future. Armenian women can turn to role models, examples of achievement and progression both in the home and the public and set out on a journey of advancement for not only themselves but for Armenians as a whole.

There is no perfect or ideal model of an Armenian woman. Even still, in the collective Armenian past and present there exists a plethora of women who serve as examples and role models, necessary in the journey to establishing women as rightful true equals in Armenian society. There’s an old adage, “You don’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been.” How can Armenian women as a majority hope to elevate their status in society if they are not reminded of the heights and enlightenment reached by the women before them?…

———————

Part 2

Constantinople at the turn of the 20th Century was home to several women writers who, out of the oppressed Armenian life of the Ottoman Empire, came to believe that the “apparent freedom of women in Western societies […] was one of the causes of Western advancement” (Rowe). Though never seeing fruition as a result of the Genocide of 1915, the Armenian women writers of Constantinople were taking the first steps and putting into motion what could have been a truly great Zartonk (awakening) specific to and necessary for the advancement of Armenian women. Not unlike the feminist movements of the West.

The first of such writers was Serpouhi Dussap. Born in 1841, her upbringing in a wealthy family afforded her an education few women of the time were privy to. Dussap also benefited from the presence of a strong female role model in her home, her mother Nazli Vahan. Vahan founded the St. Hripsimiants girls’ school in 1859 and was a staunch supporter of female education. Dussap’s mother also ran a salon that allowed her exposure to the social issues of the time which influenced her future writing and eventual running of her own cultural salon. Dussap’s literary career saw the publication of several novels tackling such issues as women’s expected subordination to men, lack of access to employment & education for women and forced marriage; issues that are to a degree prevalent in modern Armenia. Serpouhi Dussap “challenged the socially dominant concept of male superiority, arguing that women needed to” rise up and force “society’s recognition of women’s intellectual capacity” (Rowe).

Zabel Yesayian, another writer of the time, is the most highly regarded woman writer in early twentieth century literature. It was Yesayian’s father who, even with limited wealth, ensured she would receive a high education. But even her father’s passion for his daughter’s knowledge could not find an institution through which she could continue her post-primary school education, so Yesayian turned to salons. Similar to Serpouhi Dussap, in the salons Yesayian would meet well-known Armenian intellectuals and be participatory to discussions of social and national issues. She would later go to Paris, the first Armenian woman to do so, to continue her education at the renowned Sorbonne. In that same year she would embark on a prolific literary career. She wrote of social issues, female subjectivity, and gender oppression. Yesayian was the only woman on the list of Armenian intellectuals that were rounded up on April 24, 1915. She was lucky and escaped to live a life in exile until, at the invitation of the Soviet government, settling in Yerevan, where she would become an instructor at Yerevan State University. Tragically, during the Stalinist purges in 1937, Yesayian was arrested and in 1942 would die in prison. Zabel Yesayian lived a life of struggle but one that saw the “creation of strong female characters who develop a sense of self, despite social conditions that hinder personal development. [Her] characters exist and struggle against the backdrop of Armenian history whether it is […] the lonely world of exile, or the struggle for survival” (Rowe).

Beyond literature there are other figures from the past women can turn to for a role model. Women such as Karen Jeppe who, not being of Armenian origin, dedicated her life to the protection and education of Armenian women. In the history of Armenia’s armed struggle for independence there have been many women, like Soseh Mayrig (Mother) who fought alongside the male fedayees in such battles as the 1894 resistance against Ottoman forces in Sassoun.

It should be noted, as evidenced above, the further removal of oneself from the margins of society is not the responsibility of the individual alone. Armenian history is not bound to the individual, it is a collective past; the progression of Armenian society in the realm of gender equality should also be of a collective nature. Assistance from others is imperative in establishing a foundation from which to overcome the societal constructs limiting the role of the Armenian female. Zabel Yesayian benefited from her father’s urging to receive a well rounded education. A young Serpouhi Dussap was exposed to the framework for her advocacy of the non-marginalization of women through the work done on the part of and salon run by her mother Nazli Vahan. Armenians of both genders must make a united push to reach the much delayed positioning of women as equal leaders of Armenian society.

It is not only the past that women should turn to for guidance in the battle for equality. Across the global Armenian nation are women who can serve as guiding lights. In the realm of politics; In 2008, Hranush Hakobyan was appointed Minister of the Republic of Armenia’s Ministry of the Diaspora. She is a graduate of Yerevan State University’s Faculties of Law and Applied Mathematics, as well as graduate of the Academy of Social Sciences of Moscow. Hakobyan with a strong educational background is in a key position in the Armenian government, tasked with strengthening the ties between the Republic and the Diaspora. Considering the size and scope of the Armenian Diaspora, the job is not for the weak-willed. In the realm of Sports; A young 23 year old Armenian woman from Germany is an example of the strength women can and do possess. Susianna Kentikian is the current World Boxing Association, World Boxing Organization and Women’s International Boxing Federation’s world flyweight champion. In the arts; Several female musical acts such as Zulal, Nune Yesayan and Deti Picasso form new avenues of access to the rich tapestry of Armenia’s musical past. The actress Arsinee Khanjian, through the films of her husband, Atom Egoyan, has created an image of a strong, independent and self confident woman. No more should Armenian women feel as if their place is on the sidelines of the male dominated society. The aforementioned women are but a sliver of the viable Armenian female role models that exist today.

Presently, the advancement of Armenian women in modern society is retarded by the lack of popularized female role models. Without an example and set precedent to aspire to, any progress will find itself stymied. Women of note are ever present in the Armenian present and past, though buried under layers of male-centric history. As evident in the women writers of Constantinople, salons created an environment beneficial to women’s advancement. Salons could exist as a commonplace occurrence in modern society where public discourse and discussion of pertinent issues can further the status and position of women. Let the norm of the Armenian woman be akin to Mother Armenia, strong and vigilant. Armenian women must look to themselves for strength and collectively rise up to overcome their retarded stature in Armenian society, though it is not their responsibility alone. The advancement of Armenian women must be a united effort. Women and men must work together to transcend the detrimental gender and societal roles that have been accepted as the norm of Armenian society.

Manoogian, Margaret, Alexis Walker, and Leslie Richards. “Gender, Genocide, and Ethnicity.” Journal of Family Issues, 28.4 (2007): 567-589.

Rowe, Victoria. “Armenian Writers and Women’s-Rights Discourse in Turn-of-the-Twentieth- Century Constantinople.” Aspasia, 2.1 (2008): 44-69.

Women’s Resource Center. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. <http://www.womenofarmenia.org/index.php>.

Women’s Rights Center. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. <http://www.wrcorg.am/en/home.htm>.

Zazyan, Mary. “Armenian Woman in Physics.” AIP Conference Proceedings, 1119.1 (2009): 77- 78.

(4/24/1915) P.S.

nishan hagop — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 04:06:38 +0000

As the date for the darkest day in Armenian history comes to a close, I can’t help but think of the anger and hatred many of us hold against the Turks. And I took a moment to remember those few Turks who helped ensure our continued survival.

Our anger blinds us from the reality that many of our families found salvation thanks to some Turks, who risked their lives in providing the survivors with warning, shelter and means of escape.

It is not the Turkish people who are at fault, but a government that promotes and cultivates a civilization of ignorance and intolerance.

We must give the Turkish people our sympathy, not our hatred. Help to open their eyes to the truth. Help them to understand why we cannot and will not forget the horrors done to our ancestors and what was stolen from us, the whole of the Armenian people.

It’s hard to believe, but they just don’t know any better.

‎4/24/1915 RIP

nishan hagop — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 07:00:10 +0000

I view the Diaspora as a temporary construct; that will see its end when the majority return “home”. What can I say, it’s the romantic in me that believes it could (if even possible) happen in my lifetime.

Storytelling & the Development of the Armenian-American Child

nishan hagop — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 06:31:02 +0000

Stories have the ability to forever shape the lives of children. This is true the world over. America being no different provides its children with a plethora of avenues to experience storytelling: books, comics, movies, theater, the internet, and so on. The Armenian-American child, with a need for integration, stands to benefit from these avenues even more so than the majority of other immigrant American children. The constant threat of assimilation and the lasting trauma of the Genocide have created the need for assistance in developing the Armenian-American child into a well-rounded, contributing member of society without forgoing the connection to the Armenian past or sense of Armenianness.

Storytelling has evolved beyond books and oratory tradition. Modern technology has given way to new methods of relaying impactful stories to children. Their power is in the ability to connect the audience to their individual or collective past, giving them a sense of who they are and what they may become. The influences of storytelling permeate through the child’s social behavior both in public and in the home. And one cannot overlook the indelible influence early storytelling has on the language skills of a child. In the case of Armenian-American children, stories have the ability to ensure proficiency in the Armenian language whether it be the spoken or written word…

There are a multitude of educational materials designed to engage children in the learning experience by shrouding the material with the guise of children’s stories. Is this a bad thing? No, not at all. There are books by authors such as Dr. Seuss, countless computer software programs, television programs like Baby Einstein, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and Sesame Street; they all tap into the child’s imagination, taking the path of least resistance to instill basic knowledge at the earliest ages. According to Joan Ganze Cooney, co-founder of the Children’s Television Workshop that’s behind Sesame Street’s production, “Before Sesame Street, kindergartens taught very little, and suddenly children were coming in knowing letters and numbers.” Independent research had found that regular viewers of Sesame Street tested higher that non-viewers, with the positive effects of viewership lasting through high school.

But Sesame Street goes beyond the teaching of reading, writing and arithmetic. It stands to serve as an example of the true power of storytelling. When it started in 1969, the show made a conscious effort in showing that people of differing backgrounds can and do live together without strife. And for over forty years Sesame Street, with positive reinforcement, has instilled in several generations the simple understanding that we are all created equal, with an understood goal to create a harmonious society among peoples of different backgrounds. In dealing with another of life’s issues, on one occasion the program featured the character of Big Bird dealing with the death of a loved one, sharing with children the distress and confusion one can feel with the loss. Through its combination of education, entertainment, and counseling in morality and social issues, Sesame Street stands as an example of what can be achieved with storytelling. In the case of Armenian-American children, the lesson learned here is the power storytelling can have in helping understand and even healing the trans-generational trauma and scarring left behind by the horrors of the Armenian genocide nearly a century ago.

Storytelling goes beyond simple entertainment, it is about finding out who you are. For centuries Armenians relied not on the written word but the oral tradition of past generations. These orations can be classified as myths and legends and in pre-literary Armenia they took the place of historical accounts. As with any culture, these myths were ripe with stories of legendary heroes who fought insurmountable odds against monstrous enemies. They were the defenders of the nation and people and the myths were their history. And what was the ancient pagan religion of Armenia if not a collection of myths and legend. The collective stories of Armenian myth and pagan beliefs help to paint a picture of the Armenian past. The actual background to the formation of the Armenian people and state is lost in the annals of time. So called “Armenologists” sift through the myths, legends, and fables of Armenia’s past to piece together probable actualities. For the development of the Armenian-American child these stories, be they historical or fiction, are beneficial.

The following excerpt from Margaret Bedrosian’s book on Armenian-American Literature, The Magical Pine Ring better captures the connection of Armenian stories to maintaining a certain degree of Armenianness.

Of all the art forms and relics stamped Armenian, it most effectively unlocks the Armenian sensibility. […] much that cannot be simply explained about the Armenian ethos and modern Armenian experience in America and elsewhere is here stored away as myth. The characters […] are earthy, idealistic, pragmatic, rooted in geography, and lifted by their faith. Each is a doorway into the Armenian wing of the collective unconscious and as such can lead dispersed Armenians out of the limbo.

When introduced at an early age, the stories of Armenians of lore such as Hayk, Vartan Mamikonian and David of Sassoun instill in an Armenian child something uniquely Armenian to be proud of. With a history filled with a genocide, massacres, forced removal from the homeland and the tribulations associated with immigrant life, stories that can instill hope and pride are necessary to keep the ancestral connection alive.

A role model serves as an example to others and can go so far as to dictate behavior. For youths and adults the position of the role model is often filled by an individual from their own lives, historical/revolutionary figures, and in some cases, celebrities or persons from popular culture. For a child in the developmental stage, the role model is quite often a character from a fictional story. In America, a child’s senses are inundated with characters vying for the cherished position of a role model; they exist in the multitude of storytelling avenues mentioned above. The role model is uniquely positioned to instill in a child a set of beliefs and world outlook. As in the example of Sesame Street, the belief that we are all created equal is beneficial to the child. Unfortunately, the truth of it is that many of the characters that children end up turning to for role models fail to serve as examples capable of instilling beneficial qualities in a child. A child stands to gain nothing when emulating a cartoon character such as Bart Simpson, Beavis or Butthead; or a celebrity like Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian. So it is important for the parent to take an aggressive stance at an early age in the child’s life to ensure the existence of a beneficial role model to the child. And the parent must continue to play an active role in the development of the child to ensure the continuance of the existence of beneficial role models, be they imaginary or real.

For the Armenian-American child, maintaining the existence of an Armenian role model is key. The protagonists of many of the stories that exist in the Armenian storytelling tradition can and do exist as role models to Armenian-American children and youth. Hayk, Vartan Mamikonian, and David of Sassoun are viable replacements to the presence of the Batmans, Charlie Sheens, and Brad Pitts in the lives of the American youth. In ancient times these uniquely Armenian stories helped ensure a distinct identity; in modern times these stories maintain the distinct identity in a world where ethnic and cultural divisions are blurred at an exceeding rate. Though it should be mentioned that in the Armenian tradition of stories there is a substantial lack of female characters to act as role models. This creates a difficult void to fill for the Armenian-American girl or young woman.

By default Armenian-American women are the ones best suited for ensuring the child’s introduction to Armenian storytelling. Often it is the mothers that choose the child’s first DVD or book. Between parents, they are the ones with the more active role in the development of the child. Much of the responsibility for creating the connection between the Armenian-American child and the ancestral, traditional past rests on the shoulders of the mother. In the case of daughters, the lack of female role models increases the mother’s responsibility in creating a viable, real-world role model for the daughter to connect to; often this would be the mothers themselves. In these modern times, a substantial number of mothers do work full time jobs so the responsibility of the child is transferred to a relative or as is more common in America, a nanny. In these cases it is the responsibility of both parents to ensure that the caretaker makes available Armenian material to the child’s imagination and development.

Presently there are few materials available to Armenian-American parents hoping to introduce their children to Armenian storytelling. Certainly there are children’s books available but in an increasingly technological world, storytelling by way of literature is not enough for the successful development of the Armenian-American child. America has an almost complete lack of Armenian storytelling beyond the written word. Armenian storytellers must adapt to the changing times and embrace new avenues to introduce Armenian stories to children. When trying to reach the Armenian-American child, Armenian stories face competition from movies, video games, and television programs designed to captivate and enthrall the audience until the next Harry Potter-like movie or Call of Duty-esque video game arrives.

The introduction of uniquely Armenian stories to American film and television can be pragmatic, but those avenues are already crowded with many more trying to break in. The avenue that is most conducive to helping the spread of Armenian storytelling is the internet. Children are introduced to computer technology at an early age and as technology becomes ever more intertwined in our daily lives, children adapt to using computers at an exponential rate. Following the creation of an online presence is the need for content, Armenians have a wealth of storytelling tradition to mine to make available to Armenian-American children. By taking the traditional Armenian stories and making them accessible to the new generations is easy in theory. But to keep up with the competition of American storytelling, it is necessary to make the Armenian stories appealing to the child. Sometimes a modern twist can be employed to make a story current with the times; as has been done many times with the works of William Shakespeare. Employing a similar tactic to the works of William Saroyan or other Armenian-American writers is a viable option for countering the assimilation of Armenian-American children. Most likely these authors experienced the same trials and tribulations in dealing with acclamation to American society. Making these works available on the internet can prove indispensable in the future development of Armenian-American children. Often it is the feeling of wanting to belong to a larger group that pushes the child away from his or her Armenianness. By providing access to a stranger’s own similar experiences can provide the child with that sense of belonging they so yearn for in American society.

Making an effort to introduce storytelling to an Armenian-American child in the early developmental stages can have lasting, positive effects in their adult life. Armenian stories can instill in a child a sense of belonging to an Armenian nation greater than the communities present in their own neighborhoods. This sense of belonging is key to averting assimilation and loss of Armenianness. In introducing Armenian stories at an early age, they remain present in the life of the child alongside stories introduced by American society; the cohabitation of both Armenian and American stories in the child’s mind can create the environment necessary for integration into American society without losing sight of and connection to the Armenian past. Once adults, these children will have an understanding of the importance of storytelling in the development of the Armenian-American child. The tradition will come full circle as they pass it down to their own children.

what would Bruce Willis in Die Hard do?

nishan hagop — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 09:09:58 +0000

they don’t make’em like they used to.

nishan hagop — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 10:56:05 +0000

lucid dreamin’

nishan hagop — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 07:56:32 +0000

Alone on this hilltop I wait; Your Cleopatra eyes & dark hair make waves through my heart…

One day we’ll meet under this blue sky, amongst the golden fields;

Our eyes will lock, for as strangers we’ll meet but thenceforth be together as one.

And together we’ll remain under the shadow of our Ararat… life and love everlasting.

Then I open my eyes; Will I see you in a passing glance on the streets of Yerevan or through the blurry vision of a night burdened by the taste for Kilikia.

Outside the Kitchen Window

nishan hagop — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:53:44 +0000

… I witness three doves flip… … Chalo, the gampr, barks something fierce…

The cows make their way across the field, back to a good night’s rest and up again in the morning.

Just one man tends to the herd of twenty, he shouts for Chalo to stop. With the crispest of words he informs Chalo(yet again) that he and his cattle are village neighbors; no need for harsh words amongst friends.