What is the Armenian Diaspora Survey? by Zanazan Sounds

Survival Through Revival w/ Darone Sassounian

We are absolutely thrilled to return back to our podcast programming with Darone Sassounian following the release of his compilation album titled Silk Road: Journey of the Armenian Diaspora 1971-1982.

Darone is a DJ, selector, and producer from Los Angeles. He runs the indie artist management and booking label, Rocky Hill. Darone focuses on bringing an array of sounds into the world - ranging from styles introduced to him at an early age, to sounds he sought after later on.

Speaking with AI Trustee Tatiana der Avedissian, the pair discuss Darone’s early influences and musical practices, define the term “selector” and investigate the art of DJing - a selfless offering curated through vibe, atmosphere and dedication to the audience.

Darone released his full length compilation; "Silk Road: Journey of the Armenian Diaspora (1971 - 1982)" via Terrestrial Funk on February 22, 2021. Compiled by Darone Sassounian, who spent three years tracking down the records and artists through crate digging across LA, the Middle East and Europe; fulfilling a calling to lift his people’s voice, a people that have always faced the threat of erasure. The music was made a generation after the Armenian Genocide, a testament to perseverance. The seven tracks featured are incredibly inventive and unique in their interpretations of Western seventies sounds.

Listen to the album here: https://spoti.fi/37s9ktv

Read about Darone's digitisation journey here: https://bit.ly/3v1GxET

Follow Darone on Instagram @rockyhillrecords and on Facebook @daronesassounian and @rockyhillrecords

Unwritten Future: Friends and Performers of AI (Part 2)

Celebrating our 20th anniversary this year, we’re releasing an exclusive podcast series speaking with founders, friends, performers, language tutors and the staff of AI!

In the second episode of Unwritten Future, trustee Arda Eghiayan speaks with Shake Major Tchilingirian (01:15), Vergine Gulbenkian (10:28) and Vanessa Galbraith (26:46) while Programme Manager Nik Matheou interviews former PHD Supervisor, AI Chair of Trustees and current Calouste Gulbenkian Professor of Armenian Studies in Oxford, Theo Maarten van Lint (17:32).

The guests in this episodes have been on the board of AI, volunteered at the earliest events, hosted workshops, participated in events and continue to be present members of our community. Arda and Nik discuss cross-continent coincidences, bringing one's grandmother to workshops, the opening of Tower Bridge to retrace the route of a medieval Armenian trading ship, and the lack of necessary dialogue between Armenian and Azeri communities for a more peaceful and hopeful future.

The Armenian Institute is a London based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online and print publications to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Inspired Past: Movers and Shakers of AI (Part 2)

Celebrating our 20th anniversary this year, we’re releasing an exclusive podcast series speaking with founders, friends, performers, language tutors and the staff of AI!

In Part 2 of Inspired Past, trustee Arda Eghiayan speaks with Dr. Vazken Khatchig Hadjitavitian (1:16), Armenag and Hasmig Topalian (9:42), Dr. Razmik Panossian (21:55), Nouritza Matossian (30:17) and Sara Calian (37:27).

Since its founding in 2001, AI has blossomed with the support of its community from early volunteers to co-founders. In this episode, we hear stories of the earliest events and problem solving in blackouts to the realities of rejecting house guests before our initial library books had a proper home.

The Armenian Institute is a London based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online and print publications to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

The Notes That Bind Us w/ Ara Dinkjian

As a young child, Ara Dinkjian was told by his father, famous singer and musician Onnik Dinkjian not to touch the oud hanging on the wall of his parents’ bedroom. 5-year-old Ara was intrigued and did precisely the opposite, trying to teach himself to play.

Now, he’s one of the best oud players in the world, a composer, researcher and ethnomusicologist and in his own words, "the luckiest person in the world."

We are also very lucky at the Armenian Institute as not only we have the immense honour of working and collaborating with him for The Notes That Bind Us concert, but also sat down with him to talk about the magical influence of music on the Armenian American communities after the Genocide. Ara is in conversation with our trustee Richard Anooshian, who has his own very deep personal connection to the New York Armenian music scene through his choreographer father, Arsen Anooshian – who taught Ara dance (although he still chose oud!). The conversation is led by the Armenian Institute’s director Tatevik Ayvazyan.

The Armenian Institute is a London based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online and print publications to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Unwritten Future: Friends and Performers of AI (Part 1)

Celebrating our 20th anniversary this year, we’re releasing an exclusive podcast series speaking with founders, friends, performers, language tutors and the staff of AI!

In the first episode of Unwritten Future, trustee Arda Eghiayan speaks with Chair of AI Dr. Rebecca Jinks (1:17), Levon Chilingirian (9:01), Gigi Young (18.02) and Laurence Djololian (24:32) who have been key figures throughout the years from attending events, volunteering, performing and working on our board and committee. We hear about their most memorable events, thoughts on AI’s progression and birthday messages.

The Armenian Institute is a London based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online and print publications to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Inspired Past: Movers and Shakers of AI (Part 1)

Celebrating our 20th anniversary this year, we’re releasing an exclusive podcast series speaking with founders, friends, performers, language tutors and the staff of AI!

In the first episode of Inspired Past, trustee Arda Eghiayan speaks with Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian (1:15), and Dr. Pamela Young (36:50), while staff members Olivia Melkonian and Dr. Nik Mattheou speak with Dr. Susan Pattie (12:50) and Dr. Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian (25:51). Each member played a pivotal role in the establishment of the AI, as well as its creative sustainability to this day. We hear about the initial focus groups that often took place around kitchen tables, to the formation of language courses, the Armenian Diaspora Survey and the recent move to our new library and office space based in Farringdon, London.

The Armenian Institute is a London based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online and print publications to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Oliver Baldwin's Six Prisons and Two Revolutions

In the second episode of Treasures From The Library, our librarian Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian explores the nuanced value in Oliver Baldwin’s Six Prisons and Two Revolutions, which lends itself as an account of Armenia at the turn of the 1920s. A newly independent and hopeful state still fearful of nearby powerful regimes, Baldwin’s eye-witness reports describe the socio-political context of the time and provide great insight that can be corroborated in Leon Surmelian’s memoir I Ask You, Ladies and Gentlemen.

The Armenian Institute is a London based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online and print publications to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

We aim to publish twice a month, taking a different angle each week as we explore our three podcasting strands: Discover, Treasures From The Library and Uncover. You can follow our social media accounts for updates in between episodes.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Broken, Kitchen or Heritage Armenian? Part 2/2

Returning to the conversation, AI's librarian Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian continues the discussion with Dr. Shushan Karapetian, Deputy Director of University of Southern California's Institute of Armenian Studies, to confront the realities of preserving heritage and native languages amongst bi-lingual schools across Los Angeles. The pair reflect on these newfound methods, and idealise environments that create space and encouragement for more than one language.

Shushan Karapetian is Deputy Director of the USC Institute of Armenian Studies, where she leads the Institute’s research and scholarship initiatives, deepening the integration with entities both on and off campus and expanding the scope of academic programming. She received a PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from UCLA in 2014, where she taught Armenian Studies courses for ten years. Her dissertation, “‘How Do I Teach My Kids My Broken Armenian?’: A Study of Eastern Armenian Heritage Language Speakers in Los Angeles,” received the Society for Armenian Studies Distinguished Dissertation Award in 2015. In 2018, she was the recipient of the Russ Campbell Young Scholar Award in recognition of outstanding scholarship in heritage language research. She also serves as associate director of the National Heritage Language Resource Center at UCLA. Shushan researches, teaches, and writes about the Armenian experience, particularly focusing on competing ideologies at the intersection of language and the construction of transnational identity.

The Armenian Institute is a London based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online and print publications to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

We aim to publish twice a month, taking a different angle each week as we explore our three podcasting strands: Discover, Treasures From The Library and Uncover. You can follow our social media accounts for updates in between episodes.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Armenian Enough: To Be Killed or Accepted?

Nana Shakhnazaryan, a journalist interested in conflict studies, opens up about her very personal experiences in conversation with AI Director, Tatevik Ayvazyan. Escaping the pogroms in Baku left Nana’s family unable to settle in either Armenia or Moscow, and eventually ended up in New York. The pair discuss growing up Armenian in culturally diverse Brooklyn and Nana’s deep connection to Karabakh and Armenia, as well as the heartbreaking realities of discrimination both in Baku and Moscow, but also within Armenian communities.

Nana Shakhnazaryan is a researcher and writer working at the intersections of media literacy and conflict studies.

The Armenian Institute is a London based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online publications to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

We aim to publish 2-3 episodes a month, taking a different angle each week as we explore our three podcasting strands: Discover, Treasures From The Library and Uncover. You can follow our social media accounts for updates in between episodes.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Broken, Kitchen or Heritage Armenian? Part 1/2

Armenian Institute's librarian Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian talks with Dr. Shushan Karapetian, Deputy Director of University of Southern California's Institute of Armenian Studies to discuss the plethora of experiences that exist within bilingual individuals, seen often amongst global Armenian communities. The varied experiences of heritage and native Armenian speakers prove themselves cyclical, a cycle Shushan strongly believes must be changed for the betterment of language practice and preservation.

Shushan Karapetian is Deputy Director of the USC Institute of Armenian Studies, where she leads the Institute’s research and scholarship initiatives, deepening the integration with entities both on and off campus and expanding the scope of academic programming. She received a PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from UCLA in 2014, where she taught Armenian Studies courses for ten years. Her dissertation, “‘How Do I Teach My Kids My Broken Armenian?’: A Study of Eastern Armenian Heritage Language Speakers in Los Angeles,” received the Society for Armenian Studies Distinguished Dissertation Award in 2015. In 2018, she was the recipient of the Russ Campbell Young Scholar Award in recognition of outstanding scholarship in heritage language research. She also serves as associate director of the National Heritage Language Resource Center at UCLA. Shushan researches, teaches, and writes about the Armenian experience, particularly focusing on competing ideologies at the intersection of language and the construction of transnational identity.

The Armenian Institute is a London based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online publications to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

We aim to publish 2-3 episodes a month, taking a different angle each week as we explore our three podcasting strands: Discover, Treasures From The Library and Uncover. You can follow our social media accounts for updates in between episodes.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

What is the Armenian Diaspora Survey?

This podcast explores the people behind the Armenian Diaspora Survey. Hosted by this year’s UK qualitative researcher and AI Academic Advisor, Dr. Susan Pattie speaks with a number of team members based globally, including Director Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian (London), researcher and interviewer, Dr. Lalai Manjikian (Montreal), team leader Dr. Pamela Young (Boston) and interviewer Lucila Tossounian (Buenos Aires). We learn how and why ADS exists, who benefits from it, and where to find out more!

If you are an Armenian living in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Paris or Rostov-on-Don, you can participate in the current survey here, closing at the end of June 2021: https://www.armeniandiasporasurvey.com/

The Armenian Diaspora Survey (ADS) was born out of an interest to learn more about what people are thinking about and doing in contemporary Armenian communities across the globe. Led by a team of academics, researchers and experts, the ADS aims to provide a snapshot of the contemporary Diaspora. The project fills a critical gap in the knowledge of the Diaspora and provides evidence-based understanding of the multilayered and diverse aspects of diasporic life. An Advisory Committee of experienced scholars and researchers assists the ADS Director and Team in creating the tools for the research and the analysis of the results. The project is funded by the Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, and administered by the Armenian Institute, London.

he Armenian Institute is a London based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online publications to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

We aim to publish 2-3 episodes a month, taking a different angle each week as we explore our three podcasting strands: Discover, Treasures From The Library and Uncover. You can follow our social media accounts for updates in between episodes.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Polors Menk

Academic and activist Hrag Papazian speaks about his research which took place in the Republic of Turkey, and consisted of studying Armenian-identifying Muslims and Alevis. Together with AI’s Nik Matheou, the pair discuss the associated parameters within Armenianness, the diversity found through Hrag’s research and the interrelated activism between ethno-religious minorities within Turkey today.

Hrag Papazian recently received his DPhil in Anthropology from the University of Oxford, and is currently based at the American University of Armenia in Yerevan. His research examines the various Armenian factions living in contemporary Turkey: the traditional Christian Armenian community, the Muslim and Alevi Armenians who have publicly emerged only during the recent decades, and the migrants from neighbouring Armenia who started to arrive since the early 1990s. He studies the differing meanings, interpretations, productions and experiences of Armenianness among all three factions, revealing the diversity of Turkey’s Armenian population. He also analyses these three groups’ relations with the Turkish state and majority, their mutual conflictual relationships and intra-ethnic boundary making processes.

The Armenian Institute is a London based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online publications to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

We aim to publish 2-3 episodes a month, taking a different angle each week as we explore our three podcasting strands: Discover, Treasures From The Library and Uncover. You can follow our social media accounts for updates in between episodes.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Dead Armenian Poets Society

Ahead of our celebration on May 2nd of Armenian Poetry Project’s 15th anniversary with the International Armenian Literary Alliance (IALA), our director Tatevik Ayvazyan chats with founder and poet, Lola Koundakjian about the origins of the Dead Poet's Society; her background, inspirations and works; the importance of translating Armenian poetry into other languages; trying to find Orpheus in the New York City subway and Rainer Maria Rilke's midlife crisis. Lola shares with us a few of her beautiful poems in both Armenian and English, in anticipation of our online event this Sunday May 2nd: https://bit.ly/3dRqZem

You can find Lola’s Armenian Poetry Project here: https://armenian-poetry.blogspot.com/

You can find the International Armenian Literary Alliance here: https://armenianliterary.org

Poet and artist Lola Koundakjian was born in Beirut and is now based in New York City, and writes in her native Armenian as well as English. Lola is an energetic activist for poetry, gathering people together for workshops and events, spreading her love of the art form. She is widely published with poems appearing in journals and websites as well as her own publications. For 25 years she has organized readings dedicated to the “Dead Armenian Poets’ Society” and has worked on editing written and audio texts for the multilingual “Armenian Poetry Project” since 2006. Lola has read her poetry at festivals and events around the United States, South American, Europe, and Armenia.

The Armenian Institute is a London based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online publications to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

We aim to publish 2-3 episodes a month, taking a different angle each week as we explore our three podcasting strands: Discover, Treasures From The Library and Uncover. You can follow our social media accounts for updates in between episodes.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Armenian Genocide Justice Today w/ Sophia Armen

Armenians have been fighting for over a century to gain recognition of the genocide: but what comes next? We speak with Sophia Armen, who is the third generation of her family to be involved in the Armenian resistance, about the necessity of cross-cultural mobilisation & conversation, and the modern, haunting presence of genocide denial.

Sophia Armen is an Armenian-American feminist community organizer, scholar and writer born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She is the Co-Director of the Armenian-American Action Network and helps lead The Feminist Front, that works at the intersction of racial and gender justice. Her work has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Armenian Weekly, Mondoweiss, and The Electronic Intifada. She can be found on Twitter at @sophiaarmen and on Instagram at @sophiaarmen.

The Armenian Institute is a London based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online publications to podcast series..

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

We aim to publish twice a month, taking a different angle each week as we explore our three podcasting strands: Discover, Treasures From The Library and Uncover. You can follow our social media accounts for updates in between episodes.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Our music is a unique composition using Shadow - Buddha’s Lounge and Cruising - Vendredi.

Directing The Future: An Informed Past

Our director, Tatevik Ayvazyan sits in conversation with Oksana Mirzoyan, screenwriter, producer and director. The two friends revisit Oksana’s childhood: fleeing her hometown, Baku, at the age of 4, to witnessing Armenia’s earthquake, Russia’s breadlines and discrimination from all sides. Arts, music and culture never ceased to amaze Oksana from a young age, and now after settling in Detroit, she encapsulates her lived experiences subtly, and so beautifully, in her range of incredibly touching films.

You can watch some of Oksana’s films through our website: https://bit.ly/3m5fC4T

The Armenian Institute is a London-based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online publications to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

We aim to publish 2-3 episodes a month, taking a different angle each week as we explore our three podcasting strands: Discover, Treasures From The Library and Uncover. You can follow our social media accounts for updates in between episodes.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Our music is Shadow by Buddha’s Lounge.

Literary Activism

This week our Programme Manager, Dr. Nik Matheou, sat down in conversation with Dr. Özlem Belçim Galip, a Kurdish academic with experience studying Armenian and Kurdish identities, social movements and representations. Led into the field through her Armenian tattoo, Özlem has published multiple books and continues to observe and document the range of relationships between politics and identity. Comparing Kurdish and Armenian relationships in the present day has opened space for greater understanding of how they came to be this way, with the difficulties of the past often previously used as divisive techniques but now increasingly overcome in both communities.

The Armenian Institute is a London based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online publications (link to website) to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

We aim to publish twice a month, taking a different angle each week as we explore our three podcasting strands: Discover, Treasures From The Library and Uncover. You can follow our social media accounts for updates in between episodes.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Our music is a unique composition of Paraglider by Danya Vodovoz and Shadow by Buddha’s Lounge.

Women at the Forefront

To launch our Discover series, where we learn from leading figures in our global community, we spoke with Maro Matosian, founder of the Women's Support Centre in Yerevan, about the necessity of this work in Armenian society. Amidst rehabilitating victims of domestic violence, when the war broke out in Artsakh, NGOs in Armenia were forced to transform into relief organisations. Collaborating with Kooyrigs and working closely with local hospitals, Maro and WSC continually distributed medical supplies to the frontlines funded by donations from Armenia, the diaspora and beyond. Maro also sheds light on the country’s need for not just financial support, but professional, and the responsibility which lies within the diaspora.

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The Armenian Institute is a London based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online publications to podcast series..

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

We aim to publish twice a month, taking a different angle each week as we explore our three podcasting strands: Discover, Treasures From The Library and Uncover. You can follow our social media accounts for updates in between episodes.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Our music is a unique composition using Shadow - Buddha’s Lounge and Cruising - Vendredi.

Hrachya Acharian's Armenian Etymological Dictionary

In our debut episode of Treasures From The Library, our very own librarian Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian details the history, contents and current relevance of Hrachia Acharian’s etymological dictionary, hand-written in the early twentieth century after decades of studying the roots of Armenian words and compiling an ever-growing list. Acharian is considered the father of Armenian linguistics and his work is continued today by etymologists in Armenia and abroad.

The Armenian Institute is a London-based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our media outputs, from online publications to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

We aim to explore three podcasting strands: Discover, Treasures From The Library and Uncover. To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Our music is a unique composition of Paraglider by Danya Vodovoz and Shadow by Buddha’s Lounge.

AI Directors

In our very first episode of the series, Dr. Susan Pattie talks to Tatevik Ayvazyan about their shared role of 2020: Director of AI. For nearly twenty years, Susan has been working (unofficially and officially) as Director of the Armenian Institute since its founding in 2001. Fast-forward to 2020, the year that changed us all, and the role changed hands half-way through the year when Tatevik took over as AI’s Director.

Looking back on the aims and hopes for the institution when it was founded, Susan observes how far AI has come, and reveals what she is most excited about for the future. Looking forward, Tatevik reflects on the challenges of the past year to move into the future with big strides and a new and exciting team and program for AI bringing together poetry, film, cooking and academic worlds - and more!

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The Armenian Institute is a London based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online publications to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning "diverse" in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

We aim to publish several times a month, taking a different angle each week as we explore our three podcasting strands: Discover, Treasures From The Library and Uncover. You can follow our social media accounts for updates in between episodes.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Our music is Shadow by Buddha's Lounge.

Zanazan Sounds | ԶԱՆԱԶԱՆ

By Armenian Institute

Available on