Call for Papers: Haigazian University Armenian Diaspora Research Center

The Haigazian University-based Armenian Diaspora Research Center (ADRC) will organize its seventh annual conference on the Armenian communities of the Middle East on December 12 and 13, 2022. The conference on “Armenians of the Arab Gulf states” (Bahrein, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, Qatar, The United Arab Emirates, Yemen) will be held both online and in-person.

Research papers may be presented on any of the following topics:

History: Armenians in the Arab Gulf states from the 1940s onwards.
Armenian settlement areas and conditions: Armenian settlement/residential areas in the said countries; demography and occupation, etc.; community structure and relations with the Armenian Diaspora and the fatherland.
The Armenian Church (Apostolic, Catholic and Evangelical): the role and place of the Armenian Church in the said countries’ Armenian communities; its role in inter-religious dialogue and humanitarian outreach.
Organizations: the role of Armenian organizations (social, philanthropic, sports, etc.) in the said countries; their evolution, inter-organizational relations and cooperation.
Culture: schooling and education; leaflets-publications; choirs, theater, radio stations and TV programs; characteristics and particularities of the Armenian community.
Integration: contribution of the community to the local culture (theater and TV, arts, photography, sports, music etc.); economy and industry, business and the market; media and publishing; social and philanthropic organizations.
Local perceptions of the community: the image of Armenians in the mainstream community culture (movies, theater, literature, oral history, collective memory, etc.) as well as in media.
Intrastate relations: Republic of Armenia-Gulf Arab states relations in the past 30 years and their evolution.
Republic of Armenia citizens in the Gulf Arab states: their profile.
Matters of identity: The reshaping and transformations of Armenian identity in the said countries; the engagement of the new generation in community affairs; Armenian students in non Armenian schools; mixed marriages; integration and dissolution in mainstream communities.

Applicants are expected to email an abstract of their paper by September 30, 2022.
ADRC will confirm the participation of the applicants by October 7, 2022.

Upon acceptance, applicants are expected to:

Present a research paper for 20 minutes in Arabic, Armenian or English in person or via live transmission.
Submit the final version of their papers for publication by February 28, 2023.

ADRC will provide up to three days’ accommodation for the participants of the conference. For further details, email adakessian@haigazian.edu.lb.