Book Presentation: “National Identity, Diaspora, and Space of Belonging: an Armenian Perspective”

About the Event:

Join the presentation of the book “National Identity, Diaspora, and Space of Belonging: an Armenian Perspective” by Vahagn Vardanyan (MBA ‘97). The presentation will take place on Thursday, March 31 at 6:15pm AMT and will be followed by a Q&A session starting at 6:45pm AMT.

Prior registration for the event is required. Please register here.

About the Book:

Diasporan communities live in an extraterritorial space. They are in ‘permanent return’ to their territorially bounded homeland. The diasporans’ perception of national identity is set within a context of homeland-diaspora relations through the prism of space and place. In this book, Vahagn Vardanyan examines relations between one of the ‘classical’ diasporas – the Armenians and the Republic of Armenia – from the perspectives of diasporans. As he argues, these connections were transformed after Armenia acquired sovereignty in 1991. Over the three decades since then, it has become possible to study diaspora-homeland relations as they are viewed by diasporans who have seen Armenia before and after Armenian independence and those for whom independent Armenia has always been a reality and never a diasporic dream.

With fewer ethnic Armenians living in Armenia than in the diaspora, Armenia is increasingly viewed as responsible for becoming the cultural center for global Armenianness. What is needed to reach an understanding between the homeland and its diaspora? How can, as diasporans see it, the homeland’s policy toward the diaspora facilitate their return and strengthen the diasporans’ sense of belonging to the homeland? These are among the many questions Vardanyan attempts to answer while advocating an inclusionary policy toward the diaspora by a country that is home to only a third of the global nation it claims to represent.

About the Speaker:

Vahagn was born in Yerevan. He received his first degree in Economics from the Armenian State University of Economics, then – an MBA from AUA (1997), Master of International Affairs from Missouri State University, followed by a doctorate in political geography from the National University of Singapore. With a decade of experience in banking in Armenia (including on senior leadership level), Vahagn Vardanyan has worked in academia in East and South-East Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Hong Kong) for the past 15+ years. In 2017, Dr. Vardanyan joined Han Academy in Hong Kong as its Vice-Principal.

Vahagn Vardanyan has an active interest in national identity and homeland-diaspora relations. Over the years, an active Armenian community member in Singapore and Hong Kong, Vahagn Vardanyan, has participated in various events of pan-Armenian importance conducted in Armenia. He has spoken in conferences and forums in Armenia, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Vahagn Vardanyan writes on a range of national development issues in the Armenian popular press. The book he presents aims at emphasizing the significance of national identity, how diasporans perceive it, and the sense of belonging they carry.

Language: English