Diaspora in Armenia: immigration and political integration of Syrian Armenians

Abstract

Political integration of migrants is currently one of the concepts that have attracted the broader attention of scholars. Even though this concept is not discussed actively, it is an important component of migrants’ overall integration in host societies. The lack of consensus on the definition of political integration of migrants and the ambiguity in identifying the factors that indicate or impact political integration are seen as obstacles for conducting empirical studies in this context. Nonetheless, in this Master’s thesis, the political integration of Syrian Armenians in the life of the Republic of Armenia is examined. Political integration in this study is operationalized as the participation of the immigrants in some conventional (elections) and unconventional (protests, online political activities, and more) politics in Armenia. By conducting an online survey and qualitative interviews with Syrian Armenians residing in Armenia, the first part of the analysis established whether the Syrian Armenian immigrants are participating in the politics of Armenia, hence, becoming integrated politically. The second part studied the local Armenians’ attitude towards the political participation of Syrian Armenian immigrants. The general conclusion derived from this study is that, over time, Syrian Armenian immigrants in Armenia are becoming more integrated into political life.