The Armenian Diaspora and Stateless Power: Collective Identity in the Transnational 20th Century(Armenians in the Modern and Early Modern World)

From genocide, forced displacement, and emigration, to the gradual establishment of sedentary and rooted global communities, how has the Armenian diaspora formed and maintained a sense of collective identity? This book explores the richness and magnitude of the Armenian experience through the 20th century to examine how Armenian diaspora elites and their institutions emerged in the post-genocide period and used “stateless power” to compose forms of social discipline. Historians, cultural theorists, literary critics, sociologists, political scientists, and anthropologists explore how national and transnational institutions were built in far-flung sites from Istanbul, Aleppo, Beirut and Jerusalem to Paris, Los Angeles, and the American mid-west. Exploring literary and cultural production as well as the role of religious institutions, the book probes the history and experience of the Armenian diaspora through the long 20th century, from the role of the fin-de-siècle émigré Armenian press to the experience of Syrian-Armenian asylum seekers in the 21st century. It shows that a diaspora’s statelessness can not only be evidence of its power, but also how this “stateless power” acts as an alternative and complement to the nation-state.

Table of Contents:
In Lieu of an Introduction Talar Chahinian, Sossie Kasbarian, Tsolin Nalbantian I. “The Logic of the Sedentary”: Complicating Notions of Home and Homelands Chapter 1 In search of the Sedentary: Armenian Diaspora Homelands between Addis Ababa, Jerusalem, Valence and Paris, Boris Adjemian Chapter 2 Armenian Displaced Persons: From Displacement to a Diaspora Community, Gegham Mughnetsyan Chapter 3 Diaspora-Homeland relations Re-examined: The case of Syrian Armenian in the Netherlands, Nare Galstyan II. “Diasporic Social Formation”: Leadership Elites, Institutions, and Transnational Governmentality Chapter 4 Forging Diasporic Identity in the Fin de Siècle Armenian Periodical Press in Europe, Hasmik Khalapyan Chapter 5 Transnational Politics and Governmental Strategies in the Formative Years of the Post-Genocide Armenian Diaspora (1920s-1930s), Vahe Sahakyan Chapter 6 Defiant Adherence: Cultural Critiques in Late Twentieth Century Armenian Diaspora Literature, Lilit Keshishyan Chapter 7 Liturgical Subject of the Armenian Apostolic Church: Recent Waves of Migration, Christopher Sheklian III. “The Social Text of Diaspora”: Diasporic Becoming and Legibility in Diaspora’s Semantic Domain Chapter 8 Sounding Armenian: The Contours of the Diasporic Musical Imaginary, Sylvia Alajaji Chapter 9 "Toward the Diaspora": The Performative Powers of Vahé Oshagan's Poetry, Karen Jallatyan Chapter 10 The Armenians in Turkey: From autochthonous people to diaspora, Talin Suciyan Chapter 11 Are Istanbul Armenians Diasporic? Unpacking the Famous Debate, Hrag Papazian Afterword, Khachig Tölölyan Epilogue, Sebouh Aslanian

About the Author :
Talar Chahinianholds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from UCLA and lectures in the Program for Armenian Studies at UC Irvine, USA, where she is also Visiting Faculty in the Department of Comparative Literature. She has served as assistant editor of the Armenian Review (2010-2017) and is currently co-editor of Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies. Sossie Kasbarian is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Stirling, UK. She is co-editor of Diaspora- A Journal of Transnational Studies Tsolin Nalbantian is a University Lecturer in Modern Middle East History at Leiden University working on the social and cultural history of the Middle East. Nalbantian is co-series editor of Critical, Connected Histories (Leiden University Press) and has published articles in Mashriq & Mahjar, MESA Review of Middle East Studies, and History Compass. Her book, Armenians Beyond Diaspora: Making Lebanon Their Own, was published by Edinburgh University Press in 2020

Review :
This book fills a gap in the social science literature on the Armenian diaspora. It is masterfully edited by three representatives of the younger generation of Armenian American academics: Talar Chahinian, Sossie Kasbarian and Tsolin Nalbantian. All three embody the renewal of diasporic Armenian research, as well as sharing common concerns, passions and aspirations. The Armenian Diaspora and Stateless Power enriches scholarly understanding of the post-genocide Armenian diaspora and will be best appreciated by specialists of diaspora studies and Armenian studies. I look forward to seeing how this volume will serve as a launchpad for researchers in the years to come.