In 2021 the scientific group collected the material, the theoretical and methodological foundations of the research were adjusted during the regularly held extended seminars, the collection of professional literature was carried out, and the methods of supra- and interdisciplinary research were harmonized.
In 2022 the formation of identity was considered as a complex of intra-systemic semantic and speech differentiation processes. To present that proposition, the symbolic mechanisms of semantic patterns in various fields were described: historiography, political discourse, city, etc.
The main task of 2022 was the conducting of public opinion polls and the preliminary summary of their results. Leading by Gevork Poghosyan , a practical sociological study dedicated to the main markers of social memory fixed in historical chronological terms and valued in the public consciousness of modern Armenian society.
Leading by professor Gevorg Poghosyan, a practical sociological study was carried out, dedicated to the main images of social memory fixed in historical chronological terms and valued by society in the public consciousness of modern Armenian society.
For the first time in Armenia, research team made a linguistic analysis of the meta-concepts "nation", "hero", "us-them", "enemy", "time", "history", "certainty" in the Armenian epos, historiographical monuments and political speech/
The other direction of the researches was emphasizing the structural characteristics of national identity, historical speech and historical memory, symbolic, semantic and cognitive mechanisms, mythological patterns and their transformations. Based on the material of Movses Khorenatsi's "History of Armenians", Suren Zolyan described the main semantic mechanisms of historical memory construction. Historical memory represents the past through various symbolic tools: stories, symbols, monuments, rituals, etc.
Yervand Margaryan examined the stages of formation of the Armenian Hellenistic and medieval Christian identity, their influence on the Armenian identity of the New and Contemporary times, as well as its influence on modern realities and self-reflection.
Tigran Simyan referred to the study of epihistorical and cultural memory, which was carried out on the example of Parajanov's heritage.
Mikael Zolyan's attention was focused on the perceptions and reinterpretations of the Soviet past in post-Soviet Armenia, as well as the reflections of cultural archetypes in modern Armenian mass culture. Caucasus Survey scientific magazine published "Three Republics of Armenia. The Soviet Past and the Politics of Memory in post-Soviet Armenia (1991-2018)".
Regarding the role of Europe in the context of Armenian historical memory, as a result of research based on the material of history textbooks, we came to a number of conclusions, in particular, that in the context of Armenian national history, Armenia is perceived as a part of Christendom, and therefore a carrier of European civilization. Europe appears in three images. One of the images of Europe (including Russia) is a civilizational and historical unit, of which Armenia is a part, if not geographically, then culturally and historically. Another image of Europe is made up of several empires, which played a tragic role in the history of Armenians, instilling hopes for liberation from Ottoman rule and being unable or unwilling to realize them. This pattern creates a tragic part of Armenian history, where Armenians are seen as "Eastern Europeans" who were betrayed or left helpless by their supposed European friends. Finally, the third image of Europe is the image of modern Europe, which is considered as a successful political, social and economic project, an example that Armenia can follow.
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Anton Evstratov observed the processes of historical memory and identity formation and transformation of the minorities living in Armenia (on the example of the Assyrian community), as well as the issues of cultural adaptation of migrants from Russia.
Lusine Margaryan studied the commonalities of the formation of the worship of saints in early medieval Armenia and Ireland. He examined the early stages of the formation of the Armenian and Irish churches and the influence of Christianity on the formation of the identity of these peoples.
The research group plans to make the results of multidisciplinary studies a subject of interdisciplinary comparison. This will allow, on the one hand, to generalize the universal symbolic and cognitive mechanisms of the formation of identity and historical memory, and on the other hand, on the basis of sociological survey data, to reveal the peculiarities of their manifestation in modern Armenian society.
N. Dunamalyan prepared two articles: "Integrating the historical memory of national minorities in Armenia. the problem of common historical trauma" and "Peculiarities of the formation of memory policy in the Baltic countries and the South Caucasus. A Clash of Worldviews or a Common History of the Region", which are scheduled to be published in 2024.
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International cooperation was aimed not only at presenting the results of the project, but also at popularizing Armenian culture and history. Thus, a seminar TRANSEASTERN CHRISTIANITY AND OTHER RELIGION SYSTEMS IN THE EARLY MIDDLE AGE was organized with Irish colleagues. 4 February 2022. https://twitter.com/UCCHistory/status/1488470565065273344 (reports were made by E. Margaryan and L. Margaryan). It is planned to organize a conference with Irish and British partners, The Limits of Empires. Identities on the Borders of World Systems/ Main Characteristics of Front Apostles in the Periphery of Roman World, Russian-Armenian Univercity, Yerevan, October 12-13. /E. Margaryan, T. Simyan, L. Margaryan). A Russian-Armenian seminar dedicated to behavior was organized at the Armenian-Russian University on April 27-28. Hagiography in space and time of culture Russian-Armenian University Novgorod State University named after Yaroslav the Wise Institute of Ancient Manuscripts. Mesropa Mashtotsa (Matenadaran) Svyat-Georgievskaya духовная академия (Theological University) https://urbisetorbis.rau.am/page/7136160909-agiografiya-novosti. (reports were made by S. Zolyan, E. Margaryan and T. Simyan). Members of the scientific group have successfully presented reports at many prestigious international conferences, Narratives in East Asia and Beyond. debating "narrative's" limits, prospects and linkages March 22nd Duisburg-Essen University https://www.uni-due.de/in-east/news.php?id=1127; Congress Juri Lotman's Semiosphere" International congress celebrating Juri Lotman's 100th anniversary in 2022. Tartu - Tallinn, 24 — 28 February, Estonia; https://jurilotman.ee/en/juri-lotman-100/congress-2022/; The Second International Conference ANATOLIA-THE CAUCASUS-IRAN. dedicated to the 25th Anniversary of "Iran and the Caucasus https://orient.rau.am/event/The-Second-International; 4th International Conference on Semiotics and Visual Communication (SVC) 17th — 19th /062022. https://cyprus-semiotics.org/csa-conferences/2020-2/home-icsv-2020/ The Soviet Experience in Armenia and Its Legacy. University of Michigan-Dearborn, USA, 28/10 - 30/10 ; Congress on the Study of the Middle Ages (c. 300-1500) 04 — 07 July 2022/ UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS June 2022, https://www.imc.leeds.ac.uk/ facebook.com/LeedsIMC; 3rd International Conference on Europe in Discourse Tracing Identity through Values, History and Borders September 23rd — 25th, 2022, Athens, Greece https://europeindiscourse.eu/; In total: 8 countries, 23 conferences and seminars.
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2023
In 2023, it was planned to study the transformations of national identity and historical memory due to socio-political and socio-economic processes after the achievement of Armenia's independence and the creation of a new statehood. The main line of research has become the sociological analysis of memory in modern Armenian society, as well as the extraction of patterns of identity narratives based on the material of the recent past.
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