The Armenian diaspora : cohesion and fracture / By D. Aghanian.

Includes notes and indexes

Bibliography: p. 203-210

Cont.: 1. Conceptual considerations of diaspora. 2.Situating ethnicity. 3. The Armenian diaspora -historical origins. 4. The contemporary Armenian diaspora. 5. Methodology. 6. The Manchester Armenians.

A case study of the Armenian diaspora in Manchester, England, examining the complex social and political processes that maintain and shape Armenian identity. Professor Denise Aghanian uses a comparative analysis in order to understand other Armenian communities throughout the world and other self-defined diaspora groups, locating similarities and differences between the various groups. Aghanian provides a definition of diaspora and examines classic and contemporary theories of ethnicity while outlining how we construct our sense of identity in different settings. The tone of the study lends itself to a narration of the long, rich, and often traumatic history of the Armenian people: their adoption of Christianity; the rise of Armenian nationalism; the dispersion of the Armenians throughout the world; and their eventual independence. The outcome is a close look at how Armenians successfully balance lives rooted in a particular territory while sharing very different cultural and social spaces.--From publisher description