Tag Archives: Artsakh

A MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT OF EUROPEAN ARMENOLOGY

Contemporary Armenian studies were enriched in 2024 by a valuable new German-language publication, co-authored by distinguished Armenologists, German Professor Tessa Hofmann and Norwegian Dr. Winfried K. Dallmann. The substantial volume, titled “Das geopolitische Schicksal Armeniens. Vergangenheit und Gegenwart” (“The Geopolitical Fate of Armenia: Past and Present”), is original and highly significant from multiple perspectives. First and foremost, the book presents a comprehensive history of the Armenian people from the earliest times to the present day. Importantly, it provides scholarly and compelling interpretations of issues related to different historical periods, issues on which the perspectives of foreign researchers at times lacked objectivity. Secondly, the work is structured two parts and comprises eighteen chapters. The first part presents the millennia-long history of the Armenian people up to the declaration of independence of the Third Republic of Armenia, while the second part, consisting of eight chapters, covers the events of the following thirty-five years. This testifies to the authors’ recognition of the importance of the modern period, marked by both triumph and tragedy, challenges, victories and defeats, as well as a host of unresolved issues. Central of this era lies the Artsakh conflict and the developments directly related to and surrounding it.

Another important merit of the book is the fact that the narrative is thoroughly mapped out. In other words, when presenting Armenia across different historical periods, the authors include corresponding maps, which make the material more concrete and render the authors’ conclusions and generalizations more compelling and irrefutable.

The work, which offers a comprehensive account not only of Armenia and the Artsakh conflict but also of the history of the Armenian diaspora, serves as a unique encyclopedia or textbook for anyone seeking deep and thorough knowledge of these subjects, as well as of the regional and international developments that have unfolded in these contexts.

HISTORICAL AND STRATEGIC FOUNDATIONS OF MILITARY CONSTRUCTION IN ARTSAKH

This review examines Mher Harutyunyan’s monograph «Military Construction in Artsakh, 1991–2006», which provides a foundational historical and strategic analysis of the military-institutional development of the Republic of Artsakh during its formative post-Soviet period. The monograph offers a multidimensional exploration of the establishment, consolidation, and doctrinal evolution of the Defense Army of Artsakh (DAA), framed within the geopolitical and security challenges posed by Azerbaijani aggression.

Key thematic directions addressed in the monograph include: the institutionalization of armed forces and defense governance (1992–1994), the development of military infrastructure and logistics under resource-limited conditions, the training and professionalization of officer corps through both domestic and international frameworks, and the implementation of territorial defense and fortification strategies in the post-ceasefire period (1994–2006).

The review highlights the author’s effective use of primary sources, including classified archival materials, official publications, military press, and personal testimonies, many of which have gained unique historiographic value following the forced displacement of Artsakh’s population in 2023.

Particular attention is paid to the book’s conceptual contributions to the understanding of military construction as a key component of state-building under conditions of political non-recognition and existential threat. The monograph is not merely a descriptive chronology but a systematic and theoretically informed analysis that interfaces military history with national security studies, conflict theory, and institutional resilience.

The review underscores the work’s relevance for academic disciplines such as military history, political science, and strategic studies. It also notes its potential utility for policy planners and defense professionals concerned with the design of adaptive and context-specific national security strategies, especially in contested regions.

In light of its methodological rigor, originality, and applied analytical insights, the monograph represents a significant contribution to the evolving field of post-Soviet military transformations and de facto state studies.

ARMENIAN ORAL LITERATURE

Armenian Folklore in the Russian-language “Collection of Materials Describing Places and Tribes of the Caucasus”

The collection comprises texts from the Armenian folklore heritage, originally published in the Russian-language multi-volume “Collection of Materials for Describing Places and Tribes of the Caucasus” (1881-1915). The collection include texts of Armenian folklore texts, including prose, lyrical, and paremiological pieces, collected from Zangezur, Nakhichevan, and Echmiadzin districts (uezd) The Elizavetpol, Tiflis, Erivan Governorates of The Tsarist Russian Empire. The presented materials offer insights into both national and historical-geographic characteristics, as well as universal themes, making them valuable for comparative academic research. The texts within the collection have remained largely unaltered, faithfully representing the language and content of the original materials, with no additional linguistic or textual modifications. However, the texts were adapted to modern reading standards, considering the contemporary Russian language orthography and punctuation. Furthermore, certain texts are supplemented with scholarly annotations. This collection is intended for philologists, folklorists, ethnographers, as well as individuals with an interest in South Caucasus culture.