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THE URBAN CULTURE OF YEREVAN – 2011-1

Part 2: The Everyday Life and Cultural Transitions in the Post-Independence Period

Summary

Aghasi Z. Tadevosyan

In the Post-Soviet period everyday life in Yerevan changed entirely. The end of the total control of the people’s working and free time by the Soviet regime gave them a chance to manage their personal time. Emancipation of personal time provided people with an opportunity to create new forms and spheres of daily activity. Small business and trade – a largely novel form of communication for a post-soviet city – appeared, suggesting a rather new picture of the city. For some period petty dealers’ vision of a street – as a space for trade – became a principal characteristic feature of the city’s everyday life, influencing the processes of time and space organization. The traders’ voices became decisive. This stratum soon realized its vision and changed the cultural landscape of the city. The struggle for the right to the city was another process influencing the newly shaping development of everyday life of the city. The question: “Who does the right to realize his/her visions of the city belong to?” became crucial. In the clashes between interests of small traders, major business and crime, major business held the victory. These processes still continue. New social groups, which look at the city from ecological, aesthetical and other perspectives now struggle for their right to the city and to change the cultural forms of Yerevan according to their own vision.

THE LEGEND OF LEBERATIOM IN MEDIEVAL ARMENIA – 2011-1

Part 2: The Prediction of Nerses the Great and Other Visions

Summary

Vardan G. Devrikyan

The second part of the article is devoted to the visions connected with the legend of liberation: particularly, the visions of Nerses the Great and Sahak Partev have undergone meticulous examination.

It is being shown that the Pan-Christian visions mentioned in Daniel’s foretelling records lie on the basis of the latters together with their actual elucidations, which were perceived as assaults of wild animals in medieval times, and then extermination which symbolized the cruelties committed by the malicious and ruthless enemy, and afterwards the defeat and the retreat from the stage of history.

It was completely concurrent with both the liberation expectations of the Armenian nation and the thrills experienced during the Arabic, Seljuk and Mongol invasions.

In the article it is being noted that the same regularity is also found in Byzantine Literature where similar feelings and expectations have been expressed via the apocryphal vision of Daniel and its numerous variants.

From this perspective, the visions of Nerses the Great and S. Partev are being examined in their historical development: starting from the records of the 5th century till the 13th century. It is also being shown how they were perceived and reinterpreted in each historical-political situation.

From the same angle, in a succeeding order it is also being shown which historical development S. Partev’s vision underwent, which had an exceptional place in the Armenian liberation legend, after Pavstos Buzand’s “From the Armenian History”, first in the work “A History of St. Nerses Partev” by Movses Vayotszoretsi in 967, and then in the republications of the latter in the 13th century and in the succeeding centuries, as well as in diverse mentionings of that very vision present in the Armenian records.

THE PROBLEM OF CIVILIZATION HOMEOSTASIS IN GREAT ARMENIA – 2011-1

Great Armenia and the Civilization Frontier of Euphrates (At the turn of I B. C. – A. D. I centuries)

Summary

Albert A. Stepanyan

The paper deals with the problems of Great Armenia during the mentioned period. Some important aspects of the geopolitical status of the kingdom are taken into consideration. It resulted from the Roman, Parthian and Armenian scenarios interwoven under concrete situations. Four paradigms of the status are the main focus of the paper: Great Armenia as a Roman province, a client kingdom under Roman nominees, independence under Artaxiads and independence secured by the national aristocracy. The last two paradigms consolidated Armenian society and looked at the settlement of the problem through compromise.

This compromise, in a sense, is reminscent of the settlement of the Treaty of Artashat arranged by Gn. Pompeius and Tigran II (66 B.C.). In 18 A.D., one of the most influential members of the imperial house, Germanicus, arrived in Armenia. In Artashat, he called an assembly (agora) and managed the accession of Zenon to the throne of Artaxiads. This Pontian prince (probably, an Artaxiad by his mother) was brought up in Armenia, and had gained the favour both of the aristocracy and the people. As a result of this settlement, Artashat was again recognized as the political center of the region from North Mesopotamia to the Caucasian Mountains.

ARMENIA AND THE ARMENIAN QUESTION IN MODERN ARABIC HISTORIOGRAPHY – 2011-1

Summary

Nora M. Arissian

The objective of this article is to present Armenia and matters of the Armenian question in modern Arabic modern historiography. The Arabic Encyclopedia in Syria also seems to count this topic with its historical facts. The Christianity factor of Armenia is mostly presented in Arabic historiography. Mohamed Sadek al-Kerbasi in his book “Islam in Armenia” reflects on the notion of Armenia’s Christianity. Many historical researches reflect the Arabic point of view concerning Armenia and the Armenian question in recent years, for instance Fuad Hasan Hafez in his book “Independent Armenia” and Ahmad Fuad Reslan in “Armenia, Nation and Government,” dedicating many chapters to the study of the Armenian question in the 19th and 20th centuries.

It is also mentioned in the studies of Mohamed Rifaat al-Imam from Egypt who had many historical researches concerning the Armenian question, such as “Armenians in Egypt in the 19th Century”, “The Armenian Question in the Ottoman Empire,” “Armenians, the West and Islam,” “The Genocide 1946-1948”, etc.

The article also stresses on the Arabic press that has dealt with the facts of the Armenian question, especially lately dealing with the Protocols between Armenia and Turkey

THE AFFIRMATION OF JUSTICE IS THE BEST POLICY – 2011-4

Summary

Manuk A. Harutyunyan
After the tectonic changes that have taken place over the past 20 years in Armenia, it is necessary to clarify as to how the notions of social justice have been altered and what are the comprehensible criteria for justice today.

The urgency of the issue of social justice does not mean that is possible to return to the Soviet understanding of equality. As a matter of principle the liberal approach, which is connected to the formal equality of rights, is also unacceptable, because it does embrace the conditions for its realization. We are convinced that Armenian society is ready for a new understanding of justice, for the comprehension of “just development;” for the poor, protection, for active and enterprising people, support by the state and for the wealthy, laws. The new understanding of social justice can and should be grounded upon the linkages of social-national solidarity, guarantees and responsibility.

Thereby, the main slogans for Armenia’s systematic modernization are patriotism, democracy, justice.

TAGUHI SHISHMANYAN-THE LOST METEOR OF THE WESTERN ARMENIAN LITERATURE – 2010-4

Summary

Albert A. Makaryan

The article is dedicated to the printed and unprinted literary heritage of the prematurely de ceased daughter of the famous novelist Tserents, Taguhi Shishmanyan MelikAzaryants (pen nam e Miss Menik – 1859-1885). This authoress was not only her father’s virtuous “muse-daughter”, “gu ar dian-angel”, but also a shrewd thinker whose unprinted letters and memoirs contain infor mat ion of an inestimable value: on the one hand, they give the full depiction of Tseresnts’s life and literary wor ks, his public and political activity, present the history of the creation of his works; on the other hand, they reveal, specify and proofread the literary portrait of this or that thinker and revive the epoch.

The article also thoroughly analyzes the specific pattern of “little prose” entitled “A Meteor of Spring” written by the talented authoress and which has been preserved up till now. Just after the pub l ication (1883) this work has received great attention by the literary workers, such as Arpiar Arpi aryan, Mateos Mamuryan, Ervand Otyan, etc. This work is still of great interest for the modern A rmenian literature not only as a newlyopened road to short story genre, but also as an observation of man-woman relationship…

THE PROBLEM OF THE LEGITIMACY OF THE BORDERS OF THE AZERBAIJANI REPUBLIC – 2010-4

Summary

From the Viewpoint of Self-determination and the Principles of Territorial Integrity

Alexander S. Manasyan
All the three state formations which have emerged in Transcaucasus with the name “Azerbaijan” since 1918 have developed through an evasion or violation of principles of self-determination and territorial integrity of the two fundamental principles of the international law. In 1918 the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic (ADR) was established by the Turkish regular army without the implementation of the principle of self-determination. ADR did not have recognized and/or internationally confirmed the borders. In 1920 the 11th Red Army of the Soviet Russia subverted the ADR established by the Turkish army and founded the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic (AzSSR). The principle of self-determination was not implemented in this case either. This time the principle of self-determination was violated with the justification that AzSSR was established as a non-national, an international republic. On this very grounds, Nagorno Karabakh and Nakhijevan were alienated from the Soviet Armenia and annexed to nonnational AzSSR. Nakhijevan was annexed to AzSSR with the status of a territory under AzSSR protectorate and has maintained this status by the Kars agreement which is active up till now. In 1991 Baku refused to be the successor of AzSSR and became the successor of ADR which was established by the Turkish army and disappeared without having legitimate borders. The newly independent Azerbaijani Republic also emerged through a violation of principles of territorial integrity and self-determination both because it restored a statehood which was deprived of borders and was not recognized de jure, and because it could not be established in the territory of AzSSR in 1991 when the Kars agreement was active and NKR had declared its independence. This was obvious in 1991, and Baku did not declare any borders, while they ought to declare their borders. The Azerbaijani Republic, if examined from the viewpoint of principles of self-determination and territorial integrity, is an illegal formation.

THE URBAN CULTURE OF YEREVAN -2010-4

Summary

Part 1: The transformations of the Social Culture in the Soviet and Post-Soviet Yerevan

Aghasi Z. Tadevosyan
As the capital city of the Soviet republic, Yerevan has acquired and performed some important functions. Among the imperative functions, the first was the transformation of the Armenian national culture to the Soviet Armenian one, the second was the integration of the Armenians with the Soviet Union, and the third, blocking the western bits and pieces by the Soviet Armenian national culture. In accomplishment of especially the latter task, an active role was given to close male groups in the neighborhoods. Due to the formation of open youth and intellectual social groups in the center of Yerevan, this uni-dimensional feature of urban culture was partially broken in 1970-1980s. Today, the realization of new functions of Yerevan is incomplete and the social culture of the post-soviet period is searching for and changing the discourses, related to the spatial organization of the city. Although this process is resisted by the close groups of nowadays, especially some oligarchic groups, who deem the public space of the city as an exclusively business environment, it steadily progresses due to the new open youth environments.