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