This book is a collection of chapters assessing the recent developments and transformations in Armenian society, politics and culture. The seven chapters fall into two main sections: an analysis of life in Armenia since the revolution (2018) and life after the Second Karabakh (Artsakh) War (2020).

This book focuses on social and political developments in Armenia during a turbulent post-2018 period. Between 2018 and 2020, the country experienced three significant waves of upheaval: a revolution, a pandemic, and a war. These events had far-reaching implications for Armenia's social, cultural, security, and political foundations. The book provides both factual insights and theoretical underpinnings that help readers understand the country's transformation and the resulting challenges. In its immediate neighbourhood, Armenia is one of the few countries with a clear commitment to democratic governance. However, the country, with its democratic potential in Europe's eastern neighbourhood, is currently undergoing complex dynamics in security and social spheres. The main goal of this volume is to shed light on Armenia's complicated reality, bring it into the research spotlight, and foster discussions about the country's core challenges.

Autorentext

Valentina Gevorgyan is an Assistant Professor at Yerevan State University in the Department of Political Science at the Faculty of International Relations. Her research interests focus on state and society relations, cultural policy and democratisation processes in hybrid regimes. Yulia Antonyan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cultural Studies at the Faculty of History, Yerevan State University. Her academic interests focus on the anthropology of religion and the anthropology of social structures, with particular emphasis on the Soviet and post-Soviet periods.

Inhalt

Armenia after 2018. Social and Political Transformations - Democratic Resilience amid Instability: Transition and Consolidation in Post-War Armenia - Social Protest and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century: The Left Turn in Latin America and a Critical Comment on the Velvet Revolution - The Roots of Armenia's Democratisation after the 2018 Velvet Revolution - Trauma and Ontological Insecurity after the Second Karabagh War in 2020 - Life after War: Loss and Trauma among Civilian Population after 2020 - Imagined Future[s] of Armenia after the Second Karabakh War of 2020