Posthumous Festschrift in Honor of Academician Barkhudaryan: A Wide Glance to Armenian Worldwide Presence – from Javakhk to Oceania

Gerard Dedeyan (University of Montpellier, France) in his French-language paper “Armenians and Crete (912-1669). A Review” points the early Armenian presence on that Greek island: their role was great during the conquest of Crete by the Armenian emperor of Byzantium Nikepor Pokas and during the Byzantine and Venetian rule. For the final study of the issue, the academic examination of the Armenian manuscripts related to the relevant period may play an important role.

Another paper in French, “Armenian-French Relations For Centuries (Historical Overview)” by Claude Mutafian (France) outlines the centuries-long relations between two cultures, dividing them into four periods: a) before the Crusades (4-12th centuries), b) during the Crusades (12-14th centuries), c) from the Crusades to the Armenian Genocide (15-20th centuries), d) post-Genocide period (end of 20th century – beginning of 21st century). The author briefly touches upon the relatively important political, historical and cultural events from the chronological point of view of the Armenian-French relations.

The same author’s “Armenian voivodes from Moldova” (in French) presents the 16th-century Moldovan state figure Ion Voda, who according to the 17th-century Moldovan chronicler Urechi, was of Armenian descent. He held the post of Vojvod for a short time, from 1572 to 1574, however, the period of his rule was known for its extreme cruelty to the local boars, the clergy and the Turkish-Tatar invaders.

The “hero” of Elizabeth Tajiryan’s paper, “Marquise Gregorio D’Agdollo (1707-1789)” is Gregorio Agdollo, a merchant from New Julfa, owner of art galleries in Venice and Florence, who had a special role among the Armenian traders of Venice of the first half of the 18th century. The written heritage of the era reveals the close ties of Agdollo’s family with the Mekhitarist Congregation of Venice and its Abbot Mkhitar Sebastatsi.

Hovhannes Aleksanyan’s “Armenians in Poland and Baltic States in Modern Stage” informs how after the collapse of the USSR tens of thousands of Armenians arrived in Poland and Baltic states (former Soviet republics of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia), where they were actively engaged especially in the trading business. There are also many renowned public, arts, cultural figures who have established themselves in the societies of these countries. The Armenian communities of Poland and Baltic states have an important role today in the relations of these countries and Armenia.

Seta Ohanian’s “National Schools of Christian Communities of Baghdad in the Second Half of the 19th Century” pays attention on education history of the Iraqi Armenians: native Christian communities in Baghdad had their own national schools, two of which belonged to the followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church. After the liberation of Iraq from the Ottoman yoke at the hands of Allied forces, these two schools were united into one co-educational institution, eventually forming and preserving the Armenian national identity.

Vahe Sarkisyan’s “Javakhk Armenians’ Position on a Referendum on the Future of the Soviet Union on 17 March, 1991 (A Document Story)” discusses a matter from the newest period of the history of Javakhk, the Armenian-populated region in Georgia, specifically how its population decided do not participate in a nationwide referendum on the preservation of the USSR on March 17, 1991. The call of “Javakhk” and “Parvana” public movements to inhabitants of Javakhk says that “the USSR is the empire whose existence in itself is antidemocratic and it conducts policy of absolute power.”

Vahram Gharakhanyan’s “On the Issue of Armenian-Jewish Relations (A Historical Overview)” is a brief report on early contacts between two ancient peoples. The relations between the two peoples, although in their ancient, pre-Christian era (when they had their own states) sometimes had military and political manifestations, yet were mainly of cultural, commercial and economic character. It is noteworthy also that Jewish communities have been formed in Armenia since ancient times. The history of Armenian-Jewish relations and contacts are not only historical, but also has political importance in the lives of two peoples.

Vartan Matiossian (USA) presents “The Immigration Policy of the United States and the Formation of the Armenian Communities in Latin America.” It is a well-known fact that the USA has passed a series of immigration laws by the Congress between 1882 and 1924. This legislation accomplished the main goal pursued by immigration groups: the almost complete ban of so-called undesirable foreign immigration to the US, which was essentially enforced until 1965. The historical and political process that ended with the passage of the two “quota laws” approved in the 1920s should be analyzed in order to contextualize the formative years of the Armenian communities in Latin America from Argentina to Mexico.

Knarik Avakian’s “The Armenians of USA in the Context of the 20-21st Century Armenian-Russian Political Relations” notes, that if in the past the positive Armenian-Russian relations were directly proportional to the positive Diaspora-Armenia relations, then in the 21st century world arena the sweeping political and social-economic processes taking place in Russia and Armenia have created a political barrier between the relations of Armenia (consequently also of Russia) and some Diasporan (particularly Armenian-American) organizations. On author’s opinion, as a result of that situation, the one-time friendly and realistic collaboration between the Diaspora and Armenia (consequently also Russia) has been converted into an activity depending on international policy, causing considerable damage to the national strategic interests.

The current Festschrift has been published in a very limited number, yet it is an important contribution in the field of Armenian communities and Diaspora studies, enriching our insights from geographical and historical to cultural, geopolitical and other aspects.