Fluctuating Transnationalism

Fluctuating Transnationalism

Astghik Chaloyan Fluctuating Transnationalism Social Formation and Reproduction among Armenians in Germany

Astghik Chaloyan Göttingen, Germany Printed with the support of the German Academic Exchange Service and the Open Society Foundations ISBN 978-3-658-18825-2 DOI 10.1007/978-3-658-18826-9 ISBN 978-3-658-18826-9 (ebook) Library of Congress Control Number: 2017945267 Springer VS Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH 2017 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer VS imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH The registered company address is: Abraham-Lincoln-Str. 46, 65189 Wiesbaden, Germany

Acknowledgements I am deeply grateful to the many people who have supported, encouraged, and inspired me during the process and preparation of this book. I would like to express my thankfulness to all those who assisted me during my fieldwork, and who took part in this research. Without their help and readiness to share their stories with me, it would have never been possible to prepare this work. Furthermore, special thanks are directed to DAAD Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service) which granted the scholarship for my doctoral studies, and thus made this project possible. I am infinitely grateful to my academic advisor Professor Steven Vertovec for his support, inspiration, and encouragement, as well as for his insightful suggestions and comments regarding the various drafts of this work. His guidance, assistance, and kind advice have always been of great value to me, inspiring me throughout the whole process of this research. I express my very deep gratitude to my second academic advisor Professor Matthias Koenig for his readiness to help, generosity of spirit, assistance, and support at various stages of this research. When encountering stalemates, his constructive comments, advice, and guidance always set me on the right track. A big thank you also goes to Professor Gabriele Rosenthal. I have learned a lot from her, and have multiplied my knowledge in the field of qualitative research by participating in her seminars and workshops on qualitative research methods. The responsible process of editing and proofreading would have never come about without the indispensable help of my friend, Anne Marie Bessette, to whom I owe very special thanks. No words are enough to express my eternal gratitude to my aunt Julieta Chaloyan for her encouragement, inspiration, and tenacious support. Without her invaluable assistance and motivation, I would have never managed to complete this work. I dedicate this book to the memory of my parents. Astghik Chaloyan May 2017, Göttingen

Contents 1 Introduction... 11 1.1 Transnationalism studies: state-of-the-art and the perspective of the book... 12 1.2 Studying Armenian transnational ties and components of belonging: the research questions... 16 1.3 Methodological framework and research methods... 19 1.3.1 Data collection and analysis... 19 1.3.2 Reflections on the fieldwork: an Armenian researcher studying the Armenian community... 23 1.4 Outline of the book... 25 2 Transnationalism and Diaspora. Analytical Frameworks... 29 2.1 Transnational approach in studying migration... 30 2.1.1 Traditions of studying transnational migration... 30 2.1.2 Definition of transnationalism... 32 2.1.3 New social phenomenon or the familiar transformed in its meaning?... 37 2.1.4 Durability of transnationalism: reproduction of ties vs. fading connections... 39 2.1.5 Transnational social fields as analytical categories... 43 2.1.6 Conceptual triad of configurations representations encounters in transnationalism studies... 46 2.2 Who are diasporas and why are they transnational?... 52 2.2.1 Concept of diaspora... 52 2.2.2 Transnational community or diaspora... 59 Concluding remarks... 61 3 Historical Background of Armenian Migration, and Formation of the Armenian Diaspora. Manifestations of the Strategic Nationalism... 63 3.1 Historical background and waves of Armenian migration... 63 3.2 Formation of the Armenian diaspora... 67 3.3 Strategic nationalism: the case of the Armenian diaspora... 74 3.3.1 Definition of long-distance nationalism... 74

8 Contents 3.3.2 Core aspects of Armenian collective memory as underlying factors of strategic nationalism formation... 79 3.3.3 Development of Armenian strategic nationalism in transnational social fields... 85 3.4 Armenians in Germany... 89 3.4.1 Immigration to Germany: a retrospective glance... 90 3.4.2 German Armenian associations: transnational practices... 93 Concluding remarks... 97 4 Peculiarities of Armenian Transnational Ties... 99 4.1 Configurations... 99 4.2 Encounters: everyday practices in diverse realities... 104 4.3 Social environment and connections: peculiarities of social ties... 112 4.4 Cross-border social ties: the role of contact recipients in determining sustainability of ties... 125 Concluding remarks... 130 5 Modes of Representation in Transnational Social Fields... 133 5.1 Presenting own ways of being: self-identification... 134 5.1.1 Ways of being and modes of self-identification... 137 5.1.2 Emotional and pragmatic aspects of self-identification... 144 5.2 Who are you? : perceptions of the self... 146 5.3 Media as a mode of representation... 150 5.3.1 Media and mediatized reality... 150 5.3.2 General overview and thematic on German Armenian online social networks... 154 5.3.3 Representation of transnational activity in online media: example of two cases... 157 Concluding remarks... 175 6 Components of Belonging... 179 6.1 Mother tongue and religion as symbols of Armenian belonging... 179 6.1.1 Armenian Church and Christianity... 181 6.1.2 Armenian language and writing... 190 6.2 Home, homeland, and belonging... 197 6.2.1 Where the home is... 199 6.2.2 Discourse of return... 211 6.3 Manifestations of the sense of belonging... 213 6.4 Fluctuating transnationalism: continuity principle of transnational ties... 218 6.4.1 Fluctuations of transnational ties and practices... 219

Contents 9 6.4.2 Back-and-forth travels to the homeland... 222 Concluding remarks... 227 7 Conclusions... 231 7.1 Studying transnational and diasporic social environments... 232 7.2 Multiple realities and representations in various configurations... 233 7.3 Strategic nationalism and fluctuating transnationalism: modes of attachments to the land of origin... 236 7.4 General considerations and avenues for future research... 238 Bibliography... 243