A tapestry of the Armenian Diaspora: A book review

Vaհe H Apelian

First and foremost, I thank Dr. Hrayr Jebejian for gifting me a personalized copy of his book “Armenian Ethnographic Insights: Vision, Will and Hope – Հայկական Ազգագրական Պատկերներ՝ Տեսիլք, Կամք եւ Յոյս”. The book is in Western Armenian but my review of the book will in English. My notations in my Facebook tell me that I received the personalized copy of his book he gifted me on May 2, 2024. It took me over a year to read each and every chapter, sporadically, along with my other readings.

Before I detail by review of the book, I will transcribe here what has been noted about the book on one of its last pages simply because it sums up the book, which “offers a collection of articles written between 2018 and 2022. These articles appeared in Armenian newspapers and magazine in Lebanon and the Diaspora. The articles deal with national, cultural, political, social and economic challenges of Armenians everywhere-from Syria to Yerevan, the US and UK, the Netherlands to Turkey. The articles are compiled chronologically. They highlight the author’s first-hand experiences and encounters in the last five years with Armenians in Africa, Australia, Europe and North America. Rightly, an ethnographic study of one of the biggest diaspora communities in the world, as they document not only the daily lives of countless Armenian communities and individuals scattered globally but also their struggles for the preservation of the Armenian culture, identity and faith.” In a nutshell that is what the book is about. 

Instead of articles, however, I will characterize his narrations as reflections, simply because each is a reflection and not only a mere narration. There was a time when an Armenian traveler would introduce itself as an “Armenian Christian”. So is this book. It is an Armenian Christian globe-throttler who is knocking the doors of the readers of his and introducing himself to his readers by his reflections on his encounters during his travels, and during periods of solitude and soul-searching.

The book is almost 400 pages long. It is chronologically listed as noted earlier. There are twenty-seven (27) chapters for the year 2018, eighteen (18) chapters for the year 2019; nineteen (19) chapters for the year 2020, eighteen (18) chapters for the year 2021, and fifteen (15) chapters for the year 2022. The five-year span the book covers is historically a crucial span of world and modern Armenian history. It encompassed the Armenian Velvet revolution, the global Covid pandemic, the disastrous 44-Day long second Artsakh war Armenia lost and the reality of the immediate aftermath of Armenia’s defeat on Armenians across the globe. Dr. Hrayr Jebejian reflected on all that transpired during that period. The book was published by the Hamazkayin publishing in Beirut in 2023. Dr.& Mrs.  Haroutium and Maro Jebejians from Syndney, Austalia have  sponsored the publication of the book        

This book could only have been written by Dr. Hrayr Jebejian. He is the General Secretary of the Bible Society in the Gulf. He is the only person I know of who has traversed and traverses the world because of the nature of his job, which also is his calling. He reflected on his experiences during his travels, not only becuae of his enounters but also when he was on his own, engrossed in his own thoughts.

To give a glimpse of the Armenians Hrary Jebejian encountered during his trips, I list the names of cities and countries he cites without any order but simply in the order of the notes I took during my reading. I will note that there are instances where he cites the city and another time the country in the same narration. I simply jotted both down as I came across them. They are,  Beirut, Aleppo, Florida, Northern Ireland, Paris, Lausanne, Bahrain, Kuwait, Amsterdam, Dubai, Qatar, Oakland, New Zealand, Wellington, Sydney, Bucharest, Budapest, Sofia, Nairobi, Kenya, Bolis (Istanbul),Oslo, Denmark, Turkey, Almelo, Holland, Geneva, Switzerland. And of course, Yerevan, Armenia.

He wrote the following (see note 1): «"During my long term work related trips, over many years, I have had the opportunity to get acquainted with Armenian communities across the world. There, I witnessed the colorful and diverse realities of the Armenian Diaspora, which when brought together,  I saw one large mosaic of the Armenian Diaspora reality, with its different shades. We are Armenians, but we are also different.."  True to his reflection, Dr Hrayr presented to the readers the diverse Diaspora Armenians he enountered. He is not judgemental in his narrations, but remains reflective with the conviction, and the  vision, the will, and the hope of a Christian Armenian traveller.

Dr. Hrayr Jebejian recieved his doctoral degree in Bible Engagement fomr the New York Theological Seminary in 2014. He is married to Dr. Arda Jebejian. They are blessed with two chidren, Vahe and Alik and a granddaughter  Lilia.

I recommend reading this book. Each chapter is a reflective narration on its own. A reader my read at its leisure, a chapter or two at a time and continue on reading at its own pace, much like I did, and thus keep abreast of the Armenian Diaspora across on the globe, on which the sun never sets.

 

Note: «Երկար տարիներու վրայ երկարած աշխատանքային ճամբորութիւններուս ընթացքին առիթը ունեցած եմ ծանօթանալու Հայկական գաղութներու  աշխարհով մէկ։ Հոն կրգայ տեսնել սփիւռքահայ գունաւոր  եւ տարբեր իրականութիւններ որոնք բոլոը քով քովի բերելով տեսայ սփիւռքահայ իրականութեան մէկ մեծ խճանկարը  իր տարբեր երանգներով՝ հայ ենք, բայց տարբեր ենք։ Այս իրականութիւննէն մեկնելով արժէ քննարկել սփիւռքահայ պատմութեավն տարբեր տուեալները։» (էջ 327)