LONDON—The Armenian Diaspora Survey, a research project studying public opinion in Armenian Diaspora communities, has set up advisory and research teams in Buenos Aires and Montreal, two of the four places where this year’s survey will take place in a three-month period, from August to October. Fieldwork preparations are underway in Romania and Lebanon, as well.
Led by a team of academics, researchers and experts, ADS aims to provide a snapshot of the contemporary Diaspora. It fills a critical gap in the knowledge of the Diaspora and provides evidence-based understanding of the multilayered and diverse aspects of Diasporic life. The survey is conducted through qualitative and quantitative methods.
“This year we are closely working with professionals and researchers in each city to conduct the survey in their countries, and are engaging with all community organizations to ensure large participation in the study,” said ADS director Hratch Tchilingirian, who traveled to Buenos Aires and Montreal weeks ago to prepare the fieldwork.
ADS appoints local advisory and research teams in each country of study as part of the efforts to engage the communities in the process of the research. The local advisory team in Argentina, chaired by Khachig Derghougassian, includes: Nelida Boulghourdian (Senior Advisor), Juan Pablo Artinian, Florenciz Demirdjian, Alex Hadjian, Luciana Minassian, Leo Moumdjian, Martin Montenegro Abazyan, Juan Carlos Tagtaglian, Nicolas Sabuncyan and Juan Manuel Peralta Safarian. Alexis Papazian is appointed survey manager and Lucila Tossounian is the qualitative researcher. In Montreal, the local advisory team, chaired by Nayiri Tavlian, includes: Sima Aprahamian, Viken Attarian, Aida Boudjikanian, Talia Ecityan, Vahakn Karakashian, Rosy Kuftejian and Narod Odabashian. Raffi Yeretsian has been appointed survey manager and Lalai Manjikian will be conducting the qualitative research.
ADS is funded by the Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and carried out under the auspices of the Armenian Institute in London.
The data and the knowledge gained from the survey are available to the general public and scholars as a resource for further research. The results provide valuable information to organizations and institutions in the Diaspora, as well as policy-makers in Armenia, about what the issues and thinking in the Armenian communities are today and how to serve their needs.
Last year, over 1000 Armenians in four cities—Boston, Cairo, Marseille, Pasadena—took part in the pilot phase of the survey, the results of which are available for download on the ADS website.
A number of Armenians participated in this survey in multiple cities. We noticed that there were no questions about about assimilation/the white genocide; Turkish hostility towards Armenians in Western Armenia; Turkish, Azeri and Israeli emnity towards Armenians; or genocide reparations/restitution/land/Western Armenia. Many of us responded in the “fill in” section to mention these issues. Until now, no mention by the survey handlers has been made about these aspects missing from the original survey. We wonder if such topics are simply taboo and will simply be tossed into a circular file?