EDUC 222C Final Paper 8 June 2005 ARMENIAN NESS REVISITED

Armenian-ness Revisited Manoogian

EDUC 222C

8 June 2005, revised 15 June 2005

1

Sylva Natalie Manoogian

Prof. Frederick Erickson

EDUC 222C Spring 2005

Qualitative Data Reduction and Analysis

Due Date: 8 June 2005

“Armenian-ness” Revisited: Manifestations of Ethnic Identity

Introduction

Armenians, descendants of one of the oldest cultures on earth, have existed in a globally

dispersed state for many generations because of economic, religious, and political factors.

With continuing emigration from the homeland and other parts of the world to the United

States, the complexion of the Armenian-American Diaspora is ever-changing, clearly evidenced

by the growth of the Armenian community of Southern California, estimated to be close to a

half-million population, with varying degrees of concentration and sub-ethnicities in Los

Angeles and the adjoining cities of Glendale, Pasadena, and Burbank. The newest immigrants,

who have come primarily from Armenia, seem take their “Armenian-ness” for granted, while

Armenians living here for generations are being challenged to re-examine their “Armenian-

ness”. This is creating a tension among the various sub-groups of the community, who also

represent countries of the Middle East and Europe.

In the present study, I hope to confirm my hypothesis that Armenians manifest their

ethnicity and culture in a diversity of ways, influenced in part by the environment of the host

nations where they have lived and ultimately settled, by the values instilled in them by


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communities of practice and family, and because of individual perceptions and interpretations of

their history, culture, and life experiences over successive generations.

The purpose of this fieldwork has been to explore and demonstrate the various

dimensions of “Armenian-ness” as viewed mainly through the lenses and expressed through the

voices of Armenians who have immigrated to or were born in the United States during the past

century, and who in the main reside in the Greater Los Angeles area. Through my findings

during the course of this study I will attempt to answer the overarching question: Is Armenian-

ness a subconscious underpinning (i.e. a state of being), or a conscious choice (i.e. a state of

mind)?

Research Questions

With this overarching issue in mind, I began developing my study by developing the

following set of five multi-part research questions, which I planned to use for individual one-on-

one oral interviews, focus group interactions, written responses, or participant-observations.

1. What are some definitions of “Armenian-ness”? Is it a state of being (i.e.

parentage, place of birth, language spoken, membership in church or community

organizations); or a state of mind (i.e. a feeling, perception, or other)?

2. Are there generational, regional, or other distinctions in being or feeling

Armenian? Do immigrant Armenians (I-As) and U.S.-born Armenians (US-As)

share common feelings of “Armenian-ness”? If not, what contributes to their

differing perceptions? Are similarities or differences a cause for confrontation or

negotiation?

3. What is the range of variation in ways that US-As have of manifesting their

Armenian identities? How do they spend their time, money, interpret their


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customs, and define their communities? How do I-As and US-As manage the

multiple aspects of their identities (ethnic, class, gender, racial, etc.)? Are there

different ways of doing this? How does what they do manifest identity other than

ethnic (e.g. “American,” class consciousness, racial identity, etc.)?

4. How important is understanding, speaking, reading the Armenian language in the

formation and retention of Armenian identity? What does the term “pure

Armenian” mean within a linguistic context? When, where, with whom, and about

what do US-As speak Armenian? In what ways do they manifest aspects of

Armenian identity as they speak English?

I then categorized the research questions to generate conversation/dialogue with each

individual or group into the following groupings:

Definitions of membership in the Armenian community

Advantages and disadvantages of being Armenian

Understanding, speaking, reading Armenian and their effect on “Armenian-ness”

Ways of learning, preserving, promoting Armenian heritage

I subsequently reworked these categories into an interview questionnaire to help guide

communication, which I used during my fieldwork, speaking in English and/or Armenian, as

dictated by the preferred language of the respondent or respondents. A couple of the respondents

asked to have the questionnaire given to them in advance and provided written responses to the

questions. Most of the oral interviews lasted approximately 30 minutes. One of them took an

hour and a half.


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INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE

Opening Statement: In which language would you prefer to have this interview, English

or Armenian?

Thanks for being here. My name is Sylva Natalie Manoogian, and I am a PhD student in

Information Studies at UCLA. I am conducting research to find out about what being

Armenian means to members of our community for a project entitled, “Revisiting

Armenian-ness: Manifestations of Ethnic Identity”. I hope you feel comfortable

answering a few questions. There are no right or wrong answers.

Everything you say will be kept confidential, so you can feel free to express your

opinions, criticisms and experiences with complete honesty. The purpose of this

interview is so that I can learn more about what you think about being Armenian.

Once again, thank you for your willingness to participate in this study. Your ideas and

opinions are very important for me. Do you have any questions before we begin? Do I

have your permission to record the interview?

QUESTIONS

1. What does “being Armenian” mean to you?

2. How do you perceive the Armenian community today? Have you noticed any

changes, good or bad? Why do you think they have come about?

3. Has being Armenian influenced your choices and decisions in life?


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4. If Armenia no longer existed, would you feel differently about ‘being Armenian’?

5. Have you ever visited Armenia? If so, how did you feel? If not, would you like

to?

6. What are your views about marrying an Armenian or a non-Armenian?

7. Does religion matter at all for an Armenian today?

8. Is Christianity an important aspect of ‘being Armenian’?

9. Is maintaining Armenian culture important to you? If so, how do you do it? Why

do you do it? Do you have any regrets?

10. What does education mean to an Armenian?

11. Are you happy being Armenian? Is there anything you would like to change about

your Armenian-ness?

12. Do you identify yourself as an Armenian first, or as an American? How do you

think other people perceive you?

13. Do you believe in ‘leaving behind’ something as an Armenian? If so, what would

that one thing be?

14. Is there anything else you would like to say about ‘Armenian-ness’?

I will summarize my preliminary findings, based on my own experience, my participant-

observations, and the responses of a sample of twelve interviewees, four men and eight women,

all but one of whom live in Southern California. The other individual resides in Jerusalem,

where I was visiting during the Winter 2005 quarter. Interestingly, at times, a respondent who

had indicated he or she was fully bilingual answered questions posed in English with Armenian

language answers, or hybridized responses through intermittent code-switching. Although not a


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huge challenge of aural comprehension on my part, I had to transcribe and translate field notes

before reducing and analyzing the collected data.

The Site

In preparation for my study, I first secured permission from His Eminence, Archbishop

Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America,

headquartered in Burbank, CA, to use the Diocesan facility as a venue for conducting this

ethnographic pilot study. The Diocesan headquarters are a central location for the Armenian

community of Southern California, bustling with immigrant and U.S.-born individuals of all

ages, genders, socio-economic classes, and professions, where I have been involved in the

establishment of a library. Although I have lived in Los Angeles for more than forty years, I

have only become a Diocesan volunteer since September 2003 and am not yet really considered

a Diocesan insider in the opinion of those who have served the Diocese for many years.

Since the Fall 2004 quarter, I have been spending at least one day a week at the Western

Diocese, centrally located in Burbank, CA, primarily working on establishing a library there, but

also during the course of the day interacting with the clergy, the staff, and the members of the

community who come in and out of the Diocesan headquarters Monday through Sunday. His

Eminence Archbishop Derderian, who has been in office since May 2003, is very committed to

engaging the parishioners of the Western Diocese into becoming more involved with the

Armenian Church, Armenian community affairs, and the Armenian homeland. He is also

interested in creating opportunities for members of the religious and lay community at large to

participate in Diocesan events. With the increasing number and kinds of activities now taking

place in the Diocese, there was ample opportunity for me to participate, observe, and record

manifestations “Armenian-ness” as manifested and expressed within this dynamic environment.


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II. Narrative Reporting

The topic of “Armenian-ness” has proven to lend itself well to the qualitative nature of

ethnography. Armenians love to talk, to recount stories, express their opinions, and to show that

they are knowledgeable about a multitude of subjects.

Although I have collected an extensive amount of data, as a result of which I have

learned the process of participant-observation, compiling field notes, writing memos, and

maintaining a journal, I will only present one set of field notes, the answers to a few key

questions, and sample frequency tables.

Field Notes. A Debutante Ball is (or is not) the way to perpetuate “Armenian-ness”:

Participant-Observation

FORESHADOWING COMMENTARY: My field notes concern the activities of Saturday, 12

February 2005, at the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church in Burbank. The event being

described is one I have never experienced in person, because of a certain cynicism on my part

that it isn’t Armenian enough.

9:30am: There was a lot going on last Saturday, as several meetings were being held

simultaneously. One of these was a "dress rehearsal" of the Ladies Auxiliary-sponsored

Debutante Ball, scheduled for 20 February 2005. This is an annual event meant to

introduce young Armenian women to the community. There have been several articles in

the Armenian newspapers regarding the young women who are to be introduced to the

community.


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[Participant observer comment: I have a real problem with the concept of the Debutante

Ball as an Armenian event. When my boys were young, I threatened them with broken

ankles if they chose to be escorts at the Ball. And they took me seriously!!]

Be that as it may, the rehearsal was going on and I was obliged to overhear the music

they were playing in order to teach the young women and their escorts the niceties of

dancing to ballroom music. The rehearsal began 10:30 am and continued for five hours

with a short break for lunch. I was sitting in the Library trying to concentrate and was

having a really hard time. When I looked into the ballroom, I realized that the

chaperones were none other than the old timers (men and women) who were the initiators

of the Armenian Debutante Ball concept. They were sitting at the back of the ballroom,

looking at each other with pride, and making verbal comments to indicate their pleasure.

The dance instructor kept playing the same musical phrases over and over and over again.

You could say ad nauseam. The sad part was that the music being played was European

fox trot music, South American samba music, and when they played Armenian music, it

was an Armenian style of European ballroom dancing music. How Armenian is that? I

asked myself, allowing my bias to enter into the equation. Needless to say, neither my

husband and I, nor our three sons will be attending the Debutante Ball this year either.

[Participant observer comment: Not only because we don't agree with the concept; but

also because on Saturday for every 19, together with my doctoral advisor, and to my

classmates in a Ph.D. program at UCLA, I will be leaving for Portugal to participate in an

international conference on Web based communities at which we will be presenting a


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panel on underrepresented voices. We will spend one week in Portugal, after which I

will continue my travels, to spend two weeks to working on my publishable paper, and

beginning the development of my dissertation proposal. I will return to Los Angeles on

March 12.]

By 12 noon, I couldn't take it anymore and so I decided to go into the photocopy room to

resume my archival duplication project. Much to my surprise, there was a meeting of the

newly formed Choir Association Central Council, which had also begun at 10:30am, and

was still going on. On top of that, the photocopy machine was showing that it was low

on toner and kept giving me printing errors.

The webmaster for the Armenian Professionals network was trying to help solve the

problem of where the newly ordered toner was. In the midst of this hunt, the meeting

continued, and I was being asked for my opinion, because I am a former choir member.

The discussion centered around the importance of establishing junior Armenian Church

choirs. The sister of one of the women had come from back East to give a lecture on how

to work with kids and teach them the chants of the Divine liturgy. The fact that she is

Armenian but does not attend the Armenian Church did not go unnoticed by one of the

staff, however.

[Participant observer comment: I found this out today, February 14. The staff in question

expressed his dismay (i.e. isn't there a local person they could have brought in that knows

something about teaching kids Armenian Church music?) His comment had reached the

ears of the woman's sister, who had written a memo to the Archbishop complaining about


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his behavior. As one who has conducted many a meeting, I am of the opinion that any

meeting which lasts more than 60 minutes loses its effectiveness because the participants

start to drift away and focus on other things. And sure enough, that's what happened.

The meeting went on for another hour in a half, the Secretary had difficulty taking notes,

and some of the members had to leave before the meeting was over.]

During this time, the webmaster found the cache of toner cartridges. They had been

stored in some remote corner of the storage room. He replaced the empty cartridge and

now I was able to continue my photocopying project. But the afternoon had worn on, my

head was pounding, and it was time for me to go home.

[Participant observer comment: What does this have to do with Armenian-ness? Perhaps

what I have said so far is equally applicable to other organizations and other ethnic

communities. One observation is that we are always harder on ourselves that others are

on us. Looking at ourselves with a magnifying glass makes our faults/deficiencies seem

larger-than-life. And so, it was a big relief for me to leave. On my way out, I stopped by

the Archbishop's office to give a report of what I had accomplished. He asked me how

my day had been, and I replied that I had a headache from listening to the same music

over and over again. He remarked that sometimes you have to listen to the same music

and bear the pain; and with the shadow of a smile he bade me farewell.]

AFTERSHADOWING COMMENTARY: Upon rereading these field notes, several months after

writing them, I realize that I harbor disdain for these “artificial shows of high society” as I still

do not feel they contribute in any way to the preservation of “Armenian-ness.” Has any


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comparison been done with the matchmaking practices of our ancestors? If this event is

designed to bring young Armenians together to insure that they will marry each other, there is a

deep disconnect in my opinion. Besides, it is a very elitist and costly undertaking.

Vignette

FORESHADOWING COMMENTARY: During my attendance and participation at a recent

luncheon to celebrate the opening of a new hall at a private Armenian school in Hollywood (and

the 100th

anniversary of birth of its benefactor), I witnessed the impact that being enveloped in an

“Armenian environment” has on the students, their parents, and other members of the

community, including church dignitaries and government officials.

THE EVENT: Madeleine, the 10-year-old granddaughter of the school’s benefactor, who

is in the 6th

grade, made a speech about her grandfather and what a wonderful role model

he was. She spoke first in Armenian (an interesting mix of Eastern and Western dialects)

and then in English about what a wonderful role model he was; how much she loved him

and how much she missed him. Her speech lasted about 10 minutes.

The audience of about 400 guests was most impressed and moved to rise to their

feet, applaud thunderously, and shed a few tears, looking around to see if anybody

noticed the surreptitious wiping of their eyes.

Madeleine was articulate, self-assured, and obviously well-rehearsed, and all the

more poignant a presentation, when she was followed by her father, the day’s emcee. He

is a prominent attorney, in his “fractured Armenian” limited, early immigrant to the U.S

(Fresno)., vocabulary (involving a lot of code-switching between Armenian and English,

for which he apologized). Next, her mother spoke in Armenian, with a little more polish


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and aplomb than her husband. She explained that because of her father’s influence, and

the fact that her daughter goes to this Armenian private school, she has been compelled to

enroll in intensive language study classes on the island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni in

Venice each summer.

As we left the school, I heard the students excitedly chattering (in Armenian and

English) about how good the food had been, how many important people had been there,

how dressed up they were, what homework they had to do, and what they would do after

school. But mostly, they were chattering about Madeleine and what a good speaker she

was.

AFTERSHADOWING COMMENTARY: This makes me think about lots of issues – Mr. D., the

benefactor, who was a friend and co-activist with my father; the fact that his was an immigrant-

boy-become-philanthropist (à la Andrew Carnegie), who was present in spirit at the luncheon in

his honor; and how his 10-year-old granddaughter was perpetuating his legacy through her

words, actions, and presence. It took me back 50 years to my childhood days when I, like

Madeleine, would be featured to recite the poetry written by my father in front of a large

audience, who would also applaud thunderously, rise to their feet, and wipe their eyes, reliving

who knows what of their Armenian heritage and life experience.

Interviewee Number 1

FORESHADOWING COMMENTARY: A 20-something female Armenian graduate student

responds in writing to three of my questions. Her responses reflect the tension the student feels

at not belonging anywhere, being a marginalized “outsider,” conflicted by the weight of

negativity, reactionary activism, and confused numbness, as shown by the highlighted phrases.


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Although born overseas, she has come to the United States at a young age and has grown up

here.


I guess it depends on the context. For example, being an Armenian graduate student is

being invisible, and feeling excluded form all dialogues regarding race and ethnicity.

For me, being an Armenian has meant being at the margins. Particularly being a

Western Armenian means never fully belonging anywhere. I was born in Syria, even

though it was a home for me, I never fully belonged because I was not an Arab, and here

in America again I do not belong. I don’t belong in the “white” category and I don’t fully

fit the “people of color” category. I’m often mistaken for a Latino, a Native American

Indian, a Northern Indian, Italian, etc. I’m just the extra person that doesn’t fit in any

category. I am a nuisance and a troubling case.

Not only do I experience invisibility in America, I also experience the denial of my

history and heritage in the U.S. The Genocide that has defined my identity as an

Armenian (all four of my grandparents and their families being victims) is denied and

questioned in the U.S. I feel like the forgotten one.

2. Has being Armenian influenced your choices and decisions in life?

Being an Armenian has had a big influence on my life choices. For example, being the

grandchild of Genocide survivors, I have a hypersensitivity to injustice and oppression

and I want to raise people’s consciousness regarding issues of injustices around the

world. Being an Armenian has made me an activist and a spokesperson for

marginalized groups.


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3. If Armenia no longer existed, would you feel differently about ‘being Armenian’?

I think that Armenia is essential in my identity as an Armenian. Place and land is a very

important part of my identity even though I’ve never been to Armenia. At the same time, I

feel that my Armenia does not exist anymore, because I’m a Western Armenian and my roots

are in the Armenia that is currently under Turkish occupation. I feel like I don’t belong

anywhere. On the one hand there is a sense of urgency and a militant ardor to preserve my

heritage and on the other hand there are apathy, hopelessness and numbness.


FORESHADOWING COMMENTARY: In contrast to the first respondent, the 90-year-old female

respondent in Jerusalem goes directly to the crux of “Armenian-ness” as she defines the concept

of what “being Armenian” means to her. She has lived and worked all over the world, in Europe

and the United Kingdom, the Eastern United States, and the Far East. A health professional by

training, she is extremely well read, and has returned to her native Jerusalem in her retirement.

She continues to be an active member of the Armenian Church, which is first in her priorities.

This is only a sample of her responses, which were succinct, decisive, and emphasized with

accompanying body language


(In Armenian) What kind of a question is that? (Code-switching to English) I am really

proud to be Armenian, and I am more proud to belong to the Armenian Church,

Armenian Apostolic Church. (code-switching back to Armenian) Do you understand?

Because I look around and see that those around me, other nationalities are not better than

mine.


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FORESHADOWING COMMENTARY: The 50-something male respondent in Burbank was born

in Lebanon, but has been living in Los Angeles area for thirty years. He has been the owner of a

printing establishment and book store. His response is by far the most abstract, although he

opened up and became more specific in answering subsequent questions.


Every individual is first human, born in an environment, due to life circumstances. And

you are the result of those circumstances. And you are the true child of that environment.

Therefore, this way or that, that environment shapes you as an individual, and in this

instance, I consider myself Armenian, because I was born, grew, and was educated in an

Armenian environment. And at the same time, in parallel, that is one of the principal

signals of being human.

AFTERSHADOWING COMMENTARY: Being born, growing up, and being educated in an

Armenian environment seem to be the common denominator of “being Armenian.” These are

priorities are among the first to be mentioned, even by individuals who are second and third-

generation Armenians born in the United States, or away from the homeland, and living in other

Diasporic communities.


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TREE DIAGRAM

The categories chosen in the diagram below are based on a series of questions developed for the study of the cultural practice of

“Armenian-ness,” a sense of ethnic identity, pride, or spirit. I have taken a representative sampling of 4 men and 8 women, whose

responses were secured, either by individual interviews, small group encounters, and confirmed by observation in a larger group setting.

While the categorizing of “Armenian-ness” into its component parts is visually effective at the first level, the division in M[en] and

W[omen], the provision of numeric data requires further analysis, as shown in the following 2 x 2 frequency tables.

Armenian-ness

Language Parentage Religion Parentage

Food Culture History Traditions

M

=

4

W

=

8

M

=

4

W

=

8

M

=

2

W

=

1

M

=

3

W

=

6

M

=

1

W

=

4

M

=

3

W

=

7

M

=

4

W

=

8


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2 x 2 FREQUENCY TABLE

Armenian-ness Component Men Women Total

Parentage 4 (100%) 8 (100%) 12 (100%)

Religion 4 (100%) 8 (100%) 12 (100%)

History 2 (50%) 1 (12.5%) 3 (33.3%_

Traditions 3 (33.3%) 6 (66.6%) 9 (75%)

Language 1 (12.5%) 4 (50%) 5 (41.7%)

Culture 3 (33.3%) 7 (87.5%) 10 (83.3%)

Food 4 (100%) 8 (100%) 12 (100%)

The components can be further analyzed by showing component priority in descending order: 1) Parentage, Religion, Food; 2) Culture;

3)Traditions; 4) Language; 5) History. Also: ratio of Men to Women per Armenian-ness Component. The challenge is knowing when

to stop playing with numbers.


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BAR GRAPH

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

MEN WOMEN

Parentage

Religion

History

Traditions

Language

Culture

Food

Total Men = 4; Total Women = 8

The representation above is the most graphically compelling, perhaps because of the color variations, which provide distinction

between the Armenian-ness components. It is interesting to note that women are more forthright with sharing opinions.


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INTELLECTUAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY – SYLVA NATALIE MANOOGIAN

“Armenian-ness” is a pervasive, recurring theme in my intellectual autobiography, which

encrypts my responses to the questions posed above. Although the following words are not mine,

they are the legacy bequeathed to me by my father, who passed away in 1983. They seem to me

a fitting way to begin this account.

I BELIEVED…

I believed in my younger days, and I still believe it today, that the truest and fullest

life is that which is lived with the insight of having been a candidate for death 3600 times

each and every hour. Don’t misunderstand. I mean – to consider each and every

heartbeat as the last, (for who is that person who will guarantee that the word I am

uttering will not remain half-spoken on my lips?), and to bestow upon it such bliss and

passion that they would fill an eternity.

Only thus would life find its true value and meaning, and be worth living.

Without this belief I would not be able to tell you that I have lived a full, very full life,

although my pocket was empty, my stomach half full, hungry at times. A supremely

crazed Armenian like my forefathers. And not only do I not regret it, but I would wish,

were I to be reborn, to be born Armenian, to speak the Armenian language, and to live

like an Armenian.

Shahan Natalie (1884-1983),1

1 My translation from the Armenian text, written on the occasion of the 50th jubilee of Natalie’s community activism and

literary career, Nor Gir, New York 1953, no.3-4, pages 226-230.


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The consummate zeal of a true Armenian expressed in the quote above was penned when

my father was sixty nine years old, echoing the voice of a boy, left orphaned during the 1895

massacres of the Armenians by order of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II; and that of a

community activist, a survivor of the attempted annihilation of the Armenian nation by the

Young Turks during the first genocide of the 20th

century (1915-1923). It has been and

continues to be the mantra that has shaped my life as a descendant of one of the oldest peoples

on earth. It has been the driving impetus for my own interpretation of Armenian identity

throughout my life, and at this academic juncture, it has also prompted me to revisit “Armenian-

ness” as a qualitative research study.

It might be assumed that I cannot distance myself or “strangify” this study, because I am

by parentage an ethnic Armenian, (born in France, and raised in the United States), married to an

Armenian, and a relatively well informed “citizen of the Armenian world, ” having traveled to

Armenia and the Middle East more than twenty five times since 1985. However, the fact that I

am and also feel Armenian is but one aspect of my being, although not something upon which I

dwell consciously, obsess about constantly, or discuss purposefully with others 24/7.

However, I cannot write this intellectual biography, this personal reflection of the

research study I have undertaken, without introducing myself from day one, for my present is

deeply rooted in my past. (Comment: I can see that I am already revealing my Armenian bias.

Could it be that I cannot escape the bias and appropriately “strangify” my research?)

An immigrant child, born in France of Armenian parents, survivors of the 1915 Armenian

Genocide, I arrived in the United States through Ellis Island in December 1946. I was nine years

old. I have been married to the same Armenian man, Khachig Evan Manoogian, for 43 years.

We met during our college years at Harvard and Radcliffe, participated in Armenian community


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life in the Boston area, and relocated to Southern California in 1961, where we have been active

in various aspects of the Armenian community as well.

We have three sons: Antranig, 42; Vahan, 40; and Ara, 38. All three of them have

developed their own way of expressing their Armenian-ness. They all have Armenian names

and have not taken on any American nicknames. They are fluent speakers of Armenian. They

have taken active part in Armenian community life, through participation in organizations and

the Armenian Church. Ara repatriated to Armenia in 1998 and has settled there permanently.

Those who visit our home consider it an Armenian museum, with art objects,

photographs, and an extensive collection of books in many languages on Armenian history and

culture. We prepare meals from recipes handed down to us from our parents and grandparents.

We frequent Armenian restaurants, particularly in close-by Glendale. We support Armenian

organizations, particularly those that promote Armenian culture, such as the Lark Musical

Society. We are a close-knit family, even with those of our relatives who live far from us, in

various parts of the United States, the Middle East, and Armenia.

My introduction to American life was through the public library, which became my

permanent haunt. Convinced by my father’s assertion that, “for every language you master, you

become another person,” I studied English very hard by reading books I borrowed from our

neighborhood branch library in Belmont, MA, and waited for the transformation. His advice

proved prophetic, as all through elementary and high schools, university, and independently, I

have studied Armenian, French, Latin, Greek, and subsequently, Russian, German, and Spanish.

I am fluent in Armenian (Western and Eastern dialects and Classical), French, and Spanish, and

claim varying degrees of proficiency in the others, which I am working on improving.

During my undergraduate years (1955-1959), I worked as a student assistant at Harvard

University’s Widener Library, recataloging the Armenian language collection, which would


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support the curriculum of a newly established Armenian Studies Chair. This, together with my

passion for languages and literature, set the path for my future career in the field of library and

information science. My global linkages as a library professional began in 1964 at the Los

Angeles Public Library, where I promoted from intermittent clerk to clerk-typist, librarian

trainee, children’s librarian, senior librarian, and finally, principal librarian, until my retirement

in April 1999, after 35 years of active Los Angeles City service. I spent half of my library

career as the Central Library’s International Languages Department, during which I worked

diligently at enhancing the Armenian Language and Literature Collection, which today bears my

father Shahan Natalie’s name. As a city employee, I was the chief translator for Armenian and

French for the Mayor’s office, and the Library’s public relations office.

Upon retiring, and until becoming a full-time doctoral student in Information Studies in

2003, I devoted full time as consultant to Armenian library projects worldwide and began writing

the definitive biography of my illustrious father, Shahan Natalie. I continue to work at Los

Angeles Public Library’s Central and branch libraries as a substitute part-time reference

librarian. I also work “at will” at Glendale Public Library, with responsibility for Armenian

language collection and program development.

I have been an active member of the American and California Library Associations since

1968, and was accorded honorary lifetime membership in the Library Association of Armenia for

championing its establishment in 1994. I joined ALISE and ASIST in 2004. I have published

numerous articles on international librarianship and Armenian culture and heritage. My most

recent publications include: The Armenians in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, part of a Hebrew

University Armenian Studies Series (Peeters 2002); an English translation of one of my father’s

books, The Turks and Us (Punik Press, 2001). I am currently completing an English translation

of Archbishop Torkom Manoogian’s The Genius of Komitas in His Divine Liturgy, to be


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published by the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem in 2005, and on a bio-bibliography of

Komitas Vardapet (1869-1935), the father of Armenian music, to be introduced in April 2005,

during events commemorating the 135th

anniversary of his birth.

For my contributions to multilingual library services, I have been accorded several

prestigious awards, among them, the American Library Association’s Leonard Wertheimer

Award (1993); a Woman of Achievement Award at the First Armenian International

International Women’s Association Conference (London, 1994); and the Hakob Meghapart

Medal from the National Library of Armenia (Yerevan, 1994). In 1998, the California Library

Association also recognized my multicultural and international accomplishments as an

outstanding librarian.

In 2001 and 2002, I was a member of an American Library Association delegation,

participating with representatives of the library associations of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and

Georgia in two South Caucasus library workshops, “Strengthening Library Associations in the

South Caucasus,” (Tbilisi, Georgia, May 2001), and “Libraries in a Civil Society: Improving

Access to Information through University Libraries,” (Yerevan, Armenian, September 2002). In

October 2003, I was invited to participate in, and deliver the keynote address at the 70th

anniversary jubilee of the Khnko Aper National Children’s Library of Armenia. I have initiated

a study regarding the feasibility of establishing an Information Studies Center at the American

University of Armenia, a project currently in the developmental stages.

As the Library Project Director for the revitalization, virtualization, and

internationalization of the Calouste Gulbenkian Library of the Armenian Patriarchate in

Jerusalem, I have visited the Holy City on a voluntary basis sixteen times beginning in 1995,

accompanied on several of the trips by my husband, the Project Engineer and Manager, and


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several U.S. library colleagues. My most recent visit was in February 2005. During these trips, I

have stayed and conducted research in the St. James Armenian Orthodox Monastery.

In January 2003, I began my doctoral studies in Information Studies at UCLA. I

completed the coursework leading up to the Written Qualifying Exam, which I took and passed

in October 2004. I have submitted a publishable paper as of April 2005 and will be working on

my dissertation proposal as part of a Summer 2005 Research Mentorship. I have just been

notified of being awarded a Fulbright fellowship for the academic year 2005-2006, and will

spend it at the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem to continue my doctoral research, work on my

dissertation, and teach at the Armenian Seminary and the Holy Translators School.

I am an executive board member and the resource director of the Armenian Professional

Network of the Western Diocese, a group of professional and business people which organizes

monthly programs and activities on a broad range of topics attracting diverse audiences of all

ages, including members of the non-Armenian community. Under their aegis, it is my intention

to organize a program to introduce my research and to begin selecting a representative

population sample as participants in my study.

Since September 2003, I have undertaken a local/regional project, the establishment of a

library and library network for the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America,

headquartered in Burbank, CA, and with 43 churches and mission parishes in seven states,

California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. This project

will provide me with opportunities to continue my research on information seeking behaviors of

Armenians.

An experienced traveler and an active member of the Southern California Armenian

community, I consider myself worldly, deeply rooted in my Armenian heritage yet proud of

being an American citizen and usually refer to myself as an Armenian American. I am sensitive


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to cultural diversity and international understanding, and always enjoy the challenge of new

encounters and experiences. I am energetic, persistent, approachable, and possess good

organizational, administrative, and motivational skills. Therefore, I feel uniquely qualified to

design and implement research studies that focus upon Armenians as members of the ethnic

fabric of the communities in which they live and to which they contribute.

Try as I might to identify “Weird Reading” books and articles that would be removed

from my expertise, yet related somehow to the topic of my research has been a very challenging

assignment. However, I have found each of the annotated selections relevant and confirming

evidence of what my study has revealed, with very few surprises. (Comment: Here I am

justifying my point of view again).

BOOK

Stelltzer, Ul (1988). The new Americans: Immigrant life in Southern California. (Pasadena,

California: New Sage Press)

Amply illustrated with black and white photographs, the book is divided into five thematic

sections: New arrivals; Passing on traditions; Becoming American; Work; and Celebration. It

calls attention to the elements of emigration (the “push”), immigration (the “pull”), and the

desire to become American (the “initiative”), experienced by those who choose to make the

United States their adopted homeland. The photographs evoke: Traditions, values of culture;

manner of dress; food; art, ritual, language; belief in and meaning of community. The

images and text provide visualization and verbalization of: soul, as the deepest part of the self

and the source of human connectedness; the separateness, isolation, orphanhood,

parochialism, loss of exile; the tensions, ambiguities, and schisms of liberation from and


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leaving behind the safety of the homeland; the gaps of generation and migration. I chose this

book because I thought it would synthesize the voices of those communities who consider

themselves voiceless and marginalized, including my own, Armenian community.

ARTICLE 1

Marling, Olga (1997). “Fleeing toward the new and yearning for the old.” Chapter 13 in

Immigrant experiences: Personal narratives and psychological analysis, edited by Paul H.

Elovitz and Charlotte Kahn. (Cranbury, New Jersey: Associated University Presses). Pages

241-254.

In a personal account of the “push” and “pull” of émigré/immigrant experiences, the author

presents a psychoanalytical perspective to the tension between totalitarian domination and

control of communism on Euro-centric Czechs and Slovaks, longing for freedom and growth

in the West. The result is a conflict between memory and unconscious fantasy of a “paradise

lost”, in contrast with the traumatic and challenging realities of America, a land of opportunity.

This is analogous to the feelings of the Armenian emigrant/immigrant, torn between the desire to

belong to his/her adopted country, while at the same time longing to return to the land of their

ancestors.

ARTICLE 2

Lesser, Eric L. and John Storck (2001). “Communities of practice and organizational

performance.” IBM Systems Journal, vol. 40, no.4, pages 831-841.


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Although knowledge management is an area of some expertise for me,

“communities of practice,” groups whose members regularly engage in

sharing and learning, and the basic dimensions of “social capital” as related

to organizations are new concepts discussed in this article. The relevance

of these structural, relational, and cognitive dimensions to diasporic

communities and their sense of ethnic identity is evident and clearly illustrated in the diagram

below: connections among individuals within an organization who may or may not be

collocated; the development of interpersonal relationships (obligations, norms, trust, and

identification); shared context, referring to a common language, whether that be Armenian,

code words or cultural jargon. Other tables in the article clarify the narrative and will be very

helpful in my own qualitative research on manifestations of Armenian-ness.

ARTICLE 3

Smith, M. K. (2003) “Communities of practice”, the encyclopedia of informal education,

www.infed.org/biblio/communities_of_practice.htm. Last updated: 30 January 2005; viewed 4

May 2005.

The article outlines the theory and practice of such communities and examines some of the issues

and questions for informal educators and those concerned with lifelong learning. Jean Lave and

Etienne Wenger are cited and their basic argument that communities of practice are everywhere

and that we are generally involved in a number of them—at work, school, home, or in our civic

interests. The dimensions of CoPs are defined as: joint enterprise, mutual engagement, and

shared repertoire. These three pillars provide a theoretical framework upon which to build the

“Armenian-ness” paradigm.

http://www.infed.org/biblio/communities_of_practice.htm


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ARTICLE 4

Wenger, Etienne (1998) “Communities of practice: Learning as a social system”, Systems

Thinker, June, www.co-i-l.com/coil/knowledge~garden/cop/lss.shtml. Viewed 4 May 2005.

The author, who has a PhD in artificial intelligence, is an internationally recognized scholar in

the field of learning theory and its application to business. In this article he defines the term

within businesses, across business units, and across company boundaries. He discusses its

longitudinal stages of developmental continuum: potential, coalescing, active, dispersed,

memorable, illustrating his explanations with charts and tables on the importance of

communities to organizations, developing and nurturing CoPs. Although the focus here is on

business organizations, it is equally applicable to other communities.

III. Conclusion

I believe the topic and scope of this qualitative research study are relevant and timely, as

there is no such work currently being conducted in and through the venue I have chosen. It will

provide useful information for the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America

in the implementation of its goal of engaging more of its parishioners in the life of the Armenian

Church, and create opportunities for greater interaction within the sub-ethnicities of the

Armenian community, and with the culturally diverse communities of the Greater Los Angeles

area. It will give tangible expression to assumed, taken-for-granted attitudes and perceptions

about “Armenian-ness,” giving Armenian-Americans a greater sense of ethnic pride and self-

confidence.

http://www.co-i-l.com/coil/knowledge~garden/cop/lss.shtml


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This study has been but scratching the surface of my topic and I don’t feel that I’ve done

a good enough job. I must do more in-depth research to delve into the topic of “Armenian-ness”

in a variety of print, online, and other information sources. Two additional areas of research will

be manifestations of the Armenian spirit as expressed in poetry and song lyrics, and as reflected

in news print and broadcast media (editorials, letters to the editor, reports of activities, etc.).

To strengthen the qualitative evidence, I intend to review and categorize the information

sources I have already gathered, culled from demographic data (U.S. Census, Los Angeles

County School Districts, private Armenian schools, Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of

North America, Armenian community organizations, Armenian media sources), historical works

on the Armenian Diaspora from local libraries (UCLA Young Research Library, Los Angeles

Public Library, Western Diocesan Library), papers I have written for various classes in my

Information Studies doctoral program, and such additional information sources as I have

uncovered and expect to uncover in the Armenian-ness research.

This will help me prepare background information for a thorough and up-to-date profile

of the Armenian community of the Greater Los Angeles area.

I will disseminate the progress of my research and its results in writing during the course

of my study and through oral presentations, keeping in mind confidentiality and ethical issues

that might affect participants and their expressed desire to receive a copy of the report.

IV. Sources Previously Consulted and Cited

Mirak, Robert. Torn between Two Lands: Armenians in America, 1890 to World War I.

Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1983.

Bakalian, Anny. Armenian-Americans: From Being to Feeling Armenian. New Brunswick, NJ:

Transaction Publishers, 1993


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Imbens-Bailey, Alison L. Oral Proficiency and Literacy in an Ancestral Language: Implications

for Ethnic Identity. Microform edition of a thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate

School of Education of Harvard University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

degree of Doctor of Education. Ann Arbor: UMI, 1995.

Der Yeghiayan, Garbis. Pathfinders for posterity: Armenian-American Youth in Transition. La

Verne, CA: Armenian American International College, 1991.

Dorian, Nubar. “Malady of ‘Spirit’”. Viewed at

http://www.Armenianreporteronline.com/old/20072002/c-malady.htm 17 November 2004.

Tölölyan, Khachig and Krikor Beledian. “Fresh Perspectives on Armenia-Diaspora Relations,”

in Armenian Forum, Vol.1, No.3 (1998). Viewed at http://www.gomidas.org/forum/af3c.htm

2 December 2004.

Taylor, Kimberly Hayes. “Latinos nurture ethnic pride: Children encouraged to respect roots as

they embrace American culture. In Detroit News, October 4, 2004. Viewed at

http://juantornoe.blogs.com/hispanictrending/2004/10/latinos_nurture.html 2 December

2004.

http://www.armenianreporteronline.com/old/20072002/c-malady.htm

http://www.gomidas.org/forum/af3c.htm

http://juantornoe.blogs.com/hispanictrending/2004/10/latinos_nurture.html

EDUC 222C Final Paper 8 June 2005 ARMENIAN NESS REVISITED

Documents

Transcript of EDUC 222C Final Paper 8 June 2005 ARMENIAN NESS REVISITED