The National Self (and the Other) (REVISED)

The National Self (and Other) (REVISED)

According to Triandafyllidou (1998), “National Identity'' is defined as a group of people who share a common area, culture, economy, traditions and rights, where its uniqueness contrasts with other nations to differentiate itself. National identity is internal and external - inward and outward groups that contrast with each other depending on the point of view one is standing in, causing there to be significant others. Significant others are therefore other nations that are perceived as a threat to one’s borders and cultural integrity. Armenia, a small Eurasian country, has its national identity of unique traditions and cultures that are different from other countries. Armenia has a contribution to not only the topic of the Eurovision Song Contest, but also a worldwide contribution that brings out their distinct and unique nation.

Armenia’s national identity stands out from other countries due to their unique aspects such as their language, religion, and historical past. For example, the official language of Armenia is Armenian. As its own independent branch of the Indo-European languages, Armenian is exceptional to the country itself, as no other country's official language is Armenian. With their own language, they also have written their own alphabet. According to (Aspirantum, 2020), this alphabet was invented for religious purposes in 405 CE. Their own alphabet made “the Holy Scriptures and liturgy intelligible to the faithful” (Aspirantum, 2020). These aspects of the language result in both an external and internal point of view. Internally, Armenians have continued their culture of their own unique language within their country, as it remains the official language today. Other Indo-European languages are branched off in their own individual groups and families, whereas Armenian branches alone. As well as the alphabet, created primarily for their country, others looking in, may be unfamiliar with the unique writing. 

Religion remains a significant element to Armenia’s national identity. Armenia is known to have a strong cultural connection with their national religion of the Armenian Apostolic Church. As stated in The Encyclopedia Britannica, “Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity about 300 CE, when St. Gregory the Illuminator converted the Arsacid king Tiridates III” (Armenian Apostolic Church). Armenia stands out to be converted into the first ever official Christian nation. What makes their national identity different from other countries is how as time progressed, the Armenian church began to reject certain beliefs, such as monophysitism, and adapt to other faiths. Thus, the Armenian Apostolic Church distinguished themselves from others within Christianity. With 92.6% of its population, holds a commonality of the religion, whereas no other countries can state that they have a main religion of Armenian Apostolicism.

All nations have an aspect in common where they all represent themselves with a flag. However, every flag symbolizes the country in their own distinctive way. For Armenia, the symbols placed on the flag have significant meanings on what the people of Armenia live up to, due to their history and experience. The flag and the Coat of Arms are two symbols that represent their national identity significantly. Their pride and values are spoken for within the symbolism. In Armenia Discovery, the flag’s three stripes of red, blue, and orange “..symbolizes the struggle of the Armenian people, the freedom..desire of Armenians to live in peace..the diligence” (Armenia Discovery). Armenia did not gain their own independence from the Soviet Union until 1991, and until then, the people of Armenia suffered through many deadly events such as the Genocide, where their difficult and bloody journey to peace and freedom through their hard work lead to their proud symbol of the national flag. Though every country is known to have a national symbol that expresses the values of themselves, Armenia is unique to itself because of their individual hardships that have led them to the country that stands today. 

As the flag symbolizes the murderous hardships Armenians had to face. A major event was due to a significant other of Armenia, the Ottoman Empire. Armenia was under the empire’s control, yet when it began to come down, Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid II’s concern of Armenians potential to be more loyal to Christian governments instead of Muslim led to the widely known Armenian genocide. In April 1915, Armenians forced out of their homes, were sent on death marches, where they would drop dead due to heat, hunger, or by being shot (Armenian Genocide, 2020). With the genocide being over 100 years ago, the Turkish government (once known as the Ottoman Empire), denies the tragic event and acknowledges it as a necessary war measure. Turkey is therefore seen as a significant other as they were viewed as a threat to Armenia due to worries of seeking to be liberated from Turkish control.  

Not only does the country represent themselves through their language and symbols, but through their leader’s decisions. More than 98% of the population’s ethnicity is Armenian. Within this population includes the Armenian government, where they reside in using a Parliamentary Democracy system. According to Britannica, in 2018, “ [Nikol] Pashinyan was elected interim prime minister and launched a campaign aimed at fighting corruption” (Britannica). Nikol Pashinyan, born and raised in Armenia, is a politician who over the past three years has been elected prime minister. With his major role, he holds the most political responsibilities in making decisions for the good of his country. Like any other prime minister, it is crucial as head of the government to determine the general direction of the government’s activities. However, Armenia’s national identity is their recent international dispute with the neighboring country of Azerbaijan, a significant other. Azerbaijan and Armenia were challenged with each other over territorial boundaries. According to the Council on Foreign Nations, Armenia was at war with Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, due to the failure of mediation efforts, increased militarization, and frequent cease-fire violations. After violent disputes, their prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan signed a ceasefire agreement, which led to major protests among Armenians against his rational decision (Council on Foreign Nations). Azerbaijan, although against Armenia, has a common boundary in which built tension, yet Armenia continues to keep its cultural authenticity despite the tension over the boundaries. 

As a result, national identity is a term that can be taken in a variety of ways depending on how one is looking at it. Armenians have unique aspects that represent themselves, where language, religion, symbolism and their threats due to significant others causing historical disputes have led them to who they are today. 

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Works Cited

Armenian Apostolic Church. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Armenian-Apostolic-Church

History.com Editors. (2010, October 1). Armenian genocide. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/armenian-genocide.

Martirosyan, H. (2021, January 18). Armenian Alphabet. Retrieved from https://aspirantum.com/blog/armenian-alphabet

Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict. (n.d). Global Conflict Tracker. Retrieved from https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/nagorno-karabakh-conflict

Nikol Pashinyan. (n.d.).https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nikol-Pashinyan

Shahbazyan, A. Armenia Discovery. (2019, May 9). Armenia Discovery. The symbols of Armenia . Retrieved from https://armeniadiscovery.com/en/articles/symbols-of-armenia

Triandafyllidou, A. (1998). National identity and the “other”. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 21(4), 593-612.