A comparative analysis of the territorialism of national identity

Abstract

This study has attempted to measure the importance of religion, language, history and national heroes in the construction or preservation of the Armenian national identity in Javakhk and Nagorno-Karabakh. Both the in-depth interviews as well as the survey of local Armenians showed that both in Javakhk and in NKR the highest importance is attached to language for the preservation of their Armenian identity. Besides language, the analysis also showed that religion, culture, history and national heroes also played an important role not only in shaping but also in maintaining Armenian identify in both territories studied. These findings are also consistent with the literature on this topic. The studies by Karna (1999), Byram (2006), and Hobsbawn (1996) had shown the importance of language in constructing and strengthening national identity. Further, the study by Hemat (2012) had posited that aside from language, other constructs of national identity included history, beliefs, culture, and values. The results of our study somewhat support the claim by Peachey (1994) on the importance of religion in the construction of the Armenian identity. As argued by many primordialists such as Fullerton (2003: 20) national identity has been “influential in identifying the enduring strength of ethnic ties and its member’s commitment to it.” Conversely, the arguments of some territorialists do not closely support the cases examined. Rather, the results show that national identity constructs referred to earlier play a bigger role in the preservation of national identity. As Shaw (1997) argues newly independent states territorial issues are better resolved via international law or the concepts of territorialism related to the right of people to stay attached to their national identity and claim territory by the right to self-determination.