Civic Activism as a Novel Component of Armenian Civil Society

The present study was conducted with the support of the Academic Swiss Caucasus Net (ASCN). ASCN is a
programme aimed at promoting the social sciences and humanities in the South Caucasus (primarily Georgia and
Armenia). Its different activities foster the emergence of a new generation of talented scholars. Promising junior
researchers receive support through research projects, capacity-building training and scholarships. The
programme emphasizes the advancement of individuals who, thanks to their ASCN experience, become better
integrated in international academic networks. The ASCN programme is coordinated and operated by the
Interfaculty Institute for Central and Eastern Europe (IICEE) at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland). It was
initiated and is supported by Gebert Rüf Stiftung.
The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent opinions of
Gebert Rüf Stiftung and the University of Fribourg.
Acknowledgements
This manuscript is a product of a two-year study conducted in Armenia. The theoretical evolution of this
study began in 2012 when the team took the lead to research the Armenian civil society. The findings produced
in this manuscript are considered as a follow-up to the first study, and spread a larger view on the societal
developments involving various civil society actors, with the main ones being civic activist campaigns.
The funding to conduct this research was generously provided by ASCN. We are very grateful to ASCN
for their support and promotion of academic work.
We would like to particularly thank our mentor Simone Baglioni, whose leadership and advice have
accompanied the team members during the entire study process. We are also grateful to our Alma Mater, the
American University of Armenia, and in particular to the Political Science and International Affairs department
which hosts the Turpanjian Center for Policy Analysis. Thanks to the support, encouragement, very conducive
academic atmosphere and superb infrastructure of the institution our work has been all the more enjoyable and
productive.
We would like to acknowledge the contributions of dozens of study participants from Yerevan and other
Armenian cities and areas who enthusiastically joined the discussions and shared with us their experiences. We
would also like to also acknowledge contributions of our research team members to this study: without their
dedicated work none of this would have been possible. Many Armenian and international scholars and
practitioners helped us sharpen our thinking through numerous discussions at workshops and conferences. Dr.
Paturyan also owes a debt of gratitude to graduate students whose questions and discussions helped her engage
more thoroughly with the topic. While the wealth of information contained in this manuscript is a co-production
of various generous contributors, the responsibility for all errors in the book remains authors’ alone.
It has been a long and an insightful journey, the results of which we share with the readers and the
interested community, who we hope will benefit from this work.
October 2016
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