Author Archives: Admin

HIS OTHER – 2016-4

About Charents’ attitude towards Stalin

Summary

Ashot V. Voskanyan

Key words – poet, political power, totalitarism, Charents, Stalin, anti-stalinism, Charents’ last manuscrupts.

The analysis of Yeghishe Charents’ last manuscripts (“There was a naive poet…” and “Ode”) reveals the poet’s ambivalent attitude towards Joseph Stalin – almighty leader of Bolshevik Empire. External pressure of totalitarian system metamorphoses into the subconscious controlling instance similar to the Freudian “super-ego”. The ambiguous alloy of fear and reverence, loathing and love manifests in the ambiguity of poetical texts.

LETTERS BY ARSHAK CHOPANYAN TO ARPIAR ARPIARYAN – 2015-3

Concerning the capture of the Ottoman Bank and its consequences

Summary

Hovik B. Grigoryan

Key words – liberation struggle, unpublished documents, capture of the Ottoman Bank, Western Armenian writer, Reorganized Hnchakyan party, Western Armenian intellectual, the Armenian issue, Young Turk figures, Paris.

The operation of Ottoman Bank’s capture became the most significant event among offensive tactics of ARF Dashnaktsutyun in 1896-1898, which received a wide response in the international arena, and in inner circles. By publishing three letters of Arshak Chopanyana addressed to Arpiar Arpiaryan, which he wrote under fresh impressions, and without any political intention, we want to present the immediate impact that this operation has made on the international community and some Western Armenian intellectuals who were settled in France at that time. As the whole three letters by A. Chopanyan were written under the immediate impression of capture of Ottoman Bank, they are three parts of a whole in terms of content and continue each other. They are significant also because they reflect the optimism of A. Chopanyan concerning the capture of the Ottoman Bank, who at the time was also in Europe and was close to the reorganized Hnchakyan party.

HISTORICAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC IMAGE OF WESTERN ARMENIA ON THE EVE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE – 2016-3

Part six: The northern, eastern and western provinces of Bitlis vilayet

Summary

Gegham M. Badalyan

Key words – Bulanukh, St. Daniel Monastery, Liz melikate, Yondzhalu melikate, Manazkert, Vardo, Datvan-Rahva, Genji, Chapaghdzhur, self-defense of the Upper Bulanukh.

We would like to present to the reader’s attention the following districts of 3 sanjaks of Bitlis Vilayet – Bulanukh, Manazkert, Vardo (Mush sanjak), Khlat or Akhlat with a small district – Datvan Rahva (Bitlis central sanjak), Genji, Chapaghdzhur (Genji sanjak). These administrative units occupied the northern, eastern and western parts of the vilayet. Among the most Armenian-populated areas of Western Armenia were Bulanukh and Khlat (with Datvan). In these administrative units the Armenian population was overwhelming until 1915, particularly in the first two districts – 65-68%, and in the group of Datvan villages – 90%. The number of the Armenian population in other districts has declined due to well-known circumstances, although here, too, on the eve of the First World War one could still find many “islands” of the Armenian population. Genji and Chapaghdzhur sanjaks and Vardo village especially suffered from ethnic cleansing resulting from regular devastating battles that were motivated by Kurdish elders in the 18-19 centuries and were accompanied by mass penetration of new tribes. In the 30-40-ies of the 19th century the Turkish government was deliberately populating by Kurds most of the land abandoned by the Armenians, and the 60-70-ies of the same century they were joined by the Caucasian mountaineers and some Turkic-speaking ethnic groups. As a result of such a policy at the end of the 19th century the districts of Manazkert, Vardo, Genji and Chapaghdzhur significantly lost their national character, becoming areas mainly populated by alien tribes.

David Gyulzatyan. The doctrine of the expression of the literary Eastern Armenian language. Yerevan, “Global University”, 2015, 296 pp. – 2016-3

Summary

Siranush G. Hovhannisyan

Key words – linguistics, descriptive grammar, normative theoretical grammar, textbook, manual for self-tuition, G. Jahukyan, term, language style.

The article discusses the book of D. Gyulzatyan “The doctrine of the terms of the literary Eastern Armenian language”, published in Yerevan in 2015. There is given a description of the book, some linguistic and stylistic features, there are highlighted some of the main advantages of the book, and comments are made. The book consists of the theoretical material solidly outlined and a set of various practical tasks to strengthen the material. It is concluded that this work of D. Gyulzatyan may be important for both students and researchers to the scope presented in this manual for self-tuition.

THE ROLE OF ARMENIAN PRESS IN THE DIASPORA – 2016-3

The comparative analysis of 2005-2010 publications of “Asparez” (Los-Angeles), “Alik” (Tehran) and “Noev Kovcheg” (Moscow) periodicals

Summary

Syuzanna S. Barseghyan

Key words – diaspora, ethnic media, identity, ethnic and cultural values, content analysis.

Ethnic media is played an important role among the Diaspora’s traditional organizations created for preserving ethnic identity in foreign environment. The history of the Armenian Diaspora communities’ formation were 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 self-organization 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: a) determine the impact of press on ethnic and cultural identity; b) evaluate the role of press in reproduction and dissemination of the ethnic and cultural values; c) 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 (2005-2010) publications of three periodicals.

PHILOSOPHY OF WAR – 2016-3

Thoughts on the “Four-Day War”

Summary

David R. Mosinyan

Key words – war, memory, oblivion, hero, heroic, trauma, unconsciousness, philosophy, identity.

Nowadays more substantial intellectual efforts are needed, not only to orientate in every time suddenly reorganized geopolitical picture, but also to determine the extent of your own participation in the certain war. It means that there is a problem to think about the war in the philosophical context. Peace and safety have become the normative criteria for social life especially after World War II. But what we call “peace” is a relative phenomenon in both military and philosophical sense. To approach the war with good-bad terms is to make you a laughingstock from the world history point of view.

MINIATURE BY MOMIK – 2016-3

In the manuscript Gospel of the Russian State Library (f. 439.23.5)

Summary

Inesa G. Danielyan

Key words – Momik, Armenian miniature, Illuminated Gospel, Russian State Library, Portraits of the Evengelists, Miniature of Gladzor, Orbelian.

The article is devoted to study of the miniatures of Armenian Four Gospels from Russian State Library (f. 439.23.5). The illustration of the manuscript consists of khorans, portraits of the Evangelists, title pages and marginalia. It is unknown when, where and by whom was created the manuscript, because the last pages where usually are given the main information about the manuscript – lost. Article discusses the question of the author of paintings of the Russian State Library’s manuscript. In 1963, Tatiana Izmailova, a prominent scholar, in unpublished description of that manuscript, which is also stored in Russian State Library, it is noted that the artistic decoration of the Four Gospels is close to Gladzor school of Armenian miniature and to the paintings of master Momik. T. Izmailova dated the manuscript to the beginning of the 14th century. Based on stylistic and iconographic study of the miniatures we can confirm that the artist of the Gospel was the famous Armenian medieval master – miniaturist, sculptor and architect Momik. The compositions of miniatures representing the Evangelists, as well as their images and types indicate the relationship between the paintings of Momik’s manuscript of 1302 (Matenadaran, N 6792) and therefore, the Gospel can be dated to the first decade of the 14th century. If we take into account some additional details, we can make assumptions about the identity of the patron of the manuscript. The abundant use of gold in the illustrations, as well as the parchment, on which the manuscript was written, indicates the material well-being of the donor. It is not excluded that the patron of the manuscript was one of the most important member of the noble family Orbelian as master Momik mostly worked under their patronage. The article is devoted to study of the miniatures of Armenian Four Gospels from Russian State Library (f. 439.23.5). The illustration of the manuscript consists of khorans, portraits of the Evangelists, title pages and marginalia. It is unknown when, where and by whom was created the manuscript, because the last pages where usually are given the main information about the manuscript – lost. Article discusses the question of the author of paintings of the Russian State Library՛s manuscript. In 1963, Tatiana Izmailova, a prominent scholar, in unpublished description of that manuscript, which is also stored in Russian State Library, noted that the artistic decoration of the Four Gospels is close to Gladzor school of Armenian miniature and to the paintings of master Momik. T. Izmailova dated the manuscript to the beginning of the 14th century. Based on stylistic and iconographic study of the miniatures we can confirm that the artist of the Gospel was famous Armenian medieval master – miniaturist, sculptor and architect Momik. The compositions of miniatures representing the Evangelists, as well as their images and types indicate the relationship between the paintings of Momik՛s manuscript of 1302 (Matenadaran, N 6792) and therefore, the Gospel can be dated to the first decade of the 14th century. If we take into account some additional details, we can make assumptions about the identity of the patron of the manuscript. The abundant use of gold in the illustrations, as well as the parchment, on which the manuscript was written, indicate the material well-being of the donor. It is not excluded that the patron of the manuscript was one of the most important member of the noble family Orbelian as master Momik mostly worked under their patronage.

INTERPRETIVITY OF HISTORY AND THE HISTORICAL-SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTION OF MOVSES KHORENATS’I – 2016-3

Part 2: History as the interconnection of thought-process towards truth and wisdom

Summary

Romik Kh. Kocharyan

Key words – history, historical-scientific conception, philosophy of history, hermeneutics, interpretation, truth.

This paper presents the problematic of understanding and interpretation in the realization of the genuine destination of history and, thus, in the being-oftruth of history. Understanding and interpretation are necessarily interwoven in the being of history as such. Into this problematic are necessarily and preferably involved both the historian author – during all stages of his history-creation (selecting and collecting historical material, research and exposition) and the reader – in his perusal relatedness with the historical text. In the historicalscientific conception of Movses Khorenats’i history is the understanding and interpretation of the genuine sense (meaning) and spirituality of the narrated in itself essential and significant bygones or yores of the world and in it also of mankind’s self-identity, life and culture, and as such it is a message to a “reading-lover” striving for understanding wisdom, valiance and heroism, every virtue and good-orderliness. And in its inner interrelation with history hermeneutics builds the foundation, forms the adequate construction, improves and leads to the completion of its necessary and preferable fulfillment the truth of the being of history as such and the sense, which reveals that truth.

HORIZONS OF TEXTUAL SPACE – 2016-3

Summary

Ashot S. Abrahamyan

Key words – text, space, structure, sequence, sender (author), recipient (reader), hermeneutics, post-structuralism.

Spatiality often lays foundation for text characteristics. It is fostered by text structuality (regardless of its interpretation), as well as by the fact that reasonings on text are, in the first place, based on written text, which, due to its materiality (a page, a book), occupies part of the space. Textual space is managed by the sender (author) and the recipient (reader). There exists a great variety of recipient perceptions of the original text to which evaluation criteria, accepted in pragmatics for a single utterance, are not applicable. In classical hermeneutics all the meaning-making rights in the text are granted to the author: the role of the reader is reduced to the revelation of the author’s idea. Post-structuralism, on the contrary, enunciates the “death of the author” and entrusts absolute textual space organization freedom to the reader. Optimal is the cooperation model, in which the reader, to some extent, becomes a coauthor, and the author becomes a co-reader.

THE WORLD OF RAPHAEL PATKANYAN’S NOVELS – 2016-3

Summary

Albert A. Makaryan, Astghik V. Soghoyan

Key words – R. Patkanyan, “I was Engaged”, ”Mistress and Maid”, “Ambitious”, N. Gogol, Chichikov, Armenian romanticism, aesthetics of romanticism, genre peculiarities, creation of characters.

The article is dedicated to the study of composition peculiarities of the novels by Rapael Patkanyan (“I was Engaged”, “Mistress and Maid”, “Ambitious”). It’s an attempt to newly reveal the ideological-aesthetic and poetic peculiarities of the novels written by the writer, who has long before become classic, to identify their literary ties and methods used for creating characters as well as other related issues. The main conclusion of the study is, that though the novels under consideration are not perfect and in the genre of novel the author is unable to reach to such a harmony of form and plot, that is perceived in his poetry, nonetheless, they are interesting expressions of romanticism and sentimentalism, are of some literary value and have their peculiar place in the history of Armenian literature.