National Identity Contestation and Democracy in Post-Soviet Armenia (Research Brief)

This research demonstrates that in the period from 1988 through 2012 the content of the Armenian national identity has been contested. Manifested in liberal and illiberal forms this contestation triggered “cultural wars” among co-ethnics and organized diverging political projects of remembering the Genocide and territorial aspirations in Karabagh. Given Armenia’s semi-consolidated authoritarian regime, data suggests that if the public’s identity preferences are overlooked, identity contestation can evoke “cultural wars” seeking alternative means of expressions. It urges support for Armenia’s democracy-building efforts facilitating an environment where identity contestation can take a form of cultural pluralism rather than of a civil strife.

Arus Harutyunyan, of Western Michigan University, was a 2012-2013 Short-Term Travel Grants (STG) fellow.