The issue of the national identity is probably one of the most essential in determining the public life and societal attitudes. The present day socio-political developments in Armenia raise questions in respect of how the Armenian identity is shaped with regards to political ideology of the nation. What are the pivotal factors that are reflected in the media and the state policy? What are the trends and what are the expectations resulting from the ways the national identity of a citizen is shaped? Do understand the embraced path and its consequences for the nation? Could there finally be the alternatives to the ways the identity is currently shaped in Armenia?

To begin with the first question it is necessary to look into the terms that are going to be employed in this essay. The word “nation” is the one that eventually shapes the identity of the individual in a state. There is universally agreed version of what the “nation” should denote. It very well illustrates the existing so far models of the national state laid down by Smith in his work “Historic territory, legal-political community, legal-political equality of members, and common civic culture and ideology” that denote the western model. In a different model of ‘ethnic’ conception of the nation “presumed descent ties, vernacular language, customs and traditions”¹. Fortunately or not so, the Parliamentary Assembly finally made some specifications about at least its perception for the states-members of the Council of Europe. It very much echoes the distinctions made by Smith² but adds up a crucial and important note for us to reflect on. “7. The Assembly notes that within the very complex process of nation building and of the nation-states’ birth, the modern European states founded their legitimacy either on the civic meaning of the concept of “nation” or on the cultural meaning of the concept. However, while the distinction between those two meanings is still to be identified in some of the Council of Europe member states’ constitutions, the general trend of the nation-state’s evolution is towards its transformation depending on the case, from a purely ethnic or ethnocentric state into a civic state and from a purely civic state into a multicultural state where specific rights are recognized with regard not only to physical persons but also to cultural or national communities.” The significance of the article is an alleged move of the modern state formation into a civic type of the state. Does this move really happen in this country? Where does Armenia go?

To reflect on these important questions, let us analyses two the most recent important changes that were made in the legislation. Firstly, let us consider the amendments in the Constitution of RA. Secondly, it is necessary to consider the recently adopted law on “the Republic of Armenia Regarding the Relationship between the Republic of Armenia and the Holy Apostolic Armenian Church”. Thirdly, we shall probe the ground of the nationalistic ideology that is poured into/across public channels of media sources. This is essential because the republic of Armenia is attempting to build an until recently non-existing national ideology of its own state. B. Anderson states that while constructing the nation it is possible to see that states make systemic, and in a Machiavellian fashion cynical infusion of the nationalistic ideology through the means of mass media, system of education, administrative decrees and so on³.

The role that the Armenian Apostolic church played in the past was never contested. Nonetheless, it is always possible to ask if the role in question was continuously positive either in the building of the nation or shaping the statehood. Without questioning the extent of the negative of the role in the past it is arguable that the Church role is indeed positive in current stage of independent state. It is possible to posit that the church aspired to play not just a social role but also a political one. From the 1995 version of the Constitution no significant changes were made until 2005. Then there appeared an essential amendment that included an article 8.1

• The church shall be separate from the state in the Republic of Armenia.
• The Republic of Armenia recognizes the exclusive historical mission of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church as a national church, in the spiritual life, development of the national culture and preservation of the national identity of the people of Armenia.
• Freedom of activities for all religious organizations in accordance with the law shall be guaranteed in the Republic of Armenia.
• The relations of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church may be regulated by the law.

Then the Law on the Relationship b/w ROA and the Holy Apostolic Armenian Church (henceforth the Law on the Relationship) was introduced in January 2007. There are two essential points that link the sudden legislative activity implicating the church following the election of the new Catolicos and continuous strengthening the Republican party from 2000 and onwards. No such an articles existed in the previous version of the Constitution. No public debates of the provisions of the Constitution and the Law can practically be found. The irony of the situation is that both of the changes within the Constitution and the new law were introduced by with a large support of governing party or parties and especially the Republican one. The question remains as to what was the role of the church in proposing such changes. Two issues are essential about the mentioned above amendment. The newly introduced article is quite in contradiction to itself. It states that the state is separate from church and yet it also states that the Republic recognises the exclusive historical mission of Armenian Apostolic Holy Church as a national church⁴. Then the article 2 of the Law on the Relationship “The Republic of Armenia recognizes the Holy Apostolic Armenian Church as the national church…”. Another troubling feature of the law is the possibility of introducing religious education which is said to be voluntary but it s questionable given the existing problems with the rule of  law⁵. The wording “national” also leaves an open space for doubt about the character of the state being separate from the church as the “national” is often understood from the position of the international law as state related⁶. The doubt is also strengthened by the role that some of the printed and TV media plays for the past years.

On one hand, the some of the public channels were continuously proactive and aggressive with questioning activities of “sects” for several years now. This activity was always especially acute in respect of the Jehovah’s witnesses. Other churches and religious groups were also under attack of the television channels, for example, the protestant group churches in Armenia. The focus of the criticism would always be such topics as religious groups versus family or individual, army and the right to manifest one’s own belief or religion and many other subjects. On the other hand, some of the printed and internet media also addressed the issue of “worrying” growth and activity of the other religious groups in general and in particular as threatening the place of the predominant church. For example, one of the news agencies raises the question that some of the singers belong to “sects”. The groups that singers may belong to are confirmed by a representative of the Armenian Apostolic church as indeed belonging to
"sects"⁷. The quotation shows that a media outlet distinguishes a citizen on the basis of the affiliation as presuming this fact at least strange. Another typical example can be taken from alleged number of suicides of those who belong to
"sects"⁸. Why no one asks what is the rate of suicides of persons belonging to the predominant church in comparison. The reactionary nature of the raising the question of religious affiliation as being of the “sectarian” simply assumes some questions. For example, does Armenian identity should presume belonging to the Armenian Apostolic Church only? Why an individual of living in the modern world and manifesting any different religion or manifesting none should consider affiliated to the predominant church or religious group. Does a good or bad citizen should presume belonging or not to this or other church? Does attaching a stigma of belonging to a
"sect" become a conventional way of differentiating true Armenians from the rest⁹? Is this where we go in making the
"national identity"?

It is worrying that the developments of the legislative process and the coverage that the religious life receives are tending to point out the directions of shaping the Armenian identity. It is equally clear that the recent developments of the legislative process and the political evolution of the party system hardly speak of the advance of the civic nation state. Instead, we are being pushed towards an ethnic nation state where the ruling factions of the government exploit the public ignorance and sentiments with an appeal to the past. The move is created via appeal to the glorious role of the church in the past. What we see, however, at present that there is a growing estrangement of the individuals and groups from the nation irrespective of their religious affiliation. The estrangement is performed on the basis of this identity construction. With years of atheistic propaganda during the Soviet era behind, the indiscriminate labeling of people at present is another extreme process run ironically and very likely by the Republican party of Armenia. This asks the question what the true republicanism and the state ideology must be in making national identity.

In what regards the political ideology of republicanism, it rests on the laws that are secular in nature. No one must be compelled to belong to a religious group or to have any belief. Republicanism does not oppose to a religion but it does not support and finance it either. The spiritual heritage of the republic must be protected irrespective of the confession it was created by. The rights and freedoms of the citizens must be protected via Constitution. The republic must develop the idea of civic ideology with the right of every person to develop alone or manifest together with his community his individuality and his belief. The laws of the republican state are neutral in respect of religious groups and approve of any activity that they [religious groups] conduct towards the common public good. Finally the laws of the republic must be formulated so that to protect the interests of not only majority but also minority.

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¹ Smith, A. National Identity (University of Nevada Press, Reno, 1991)
11-12

² “6. The Assembly also acknowledges that whenever the concept of “nation”
means citizenship it designates some kind of a contractual relation between a
physical person and a state, while when the concept of “nation” means an
ethno-cultural community it designates a cultural reality (a cultural fact or a
cultural status) which is based on the free and unilateral association of a
physical person to that community and involves only the relations among the
members of that community. A nation in its cultural understanding becomes a
subject of law (see international law) only if it organizes itself as a state
which is internationally recognised.” in Recommendation 1735 (2006),
Parliamentary Assembly, Council of Europe

³

Benedict, A. Imagined Communities (“Kanon-press-Ts”, “Kuchkovo Pole”, Moscow,
2001) 131-132

⁴

Article 8.1 The Constitution Of The Republic Of Armenia (With Amendments), 2005

⁵ Article VII, c) of The Relationship b/w ROA and the Holy Apostolic Armenian
Church, (2007)

⁶

For example, the European Convention on Nationality article 2, a) states
‘“nationality” means the legal bond between a person and a State…;’

⁷

“Some of Our Singers are Sectarian” in Panarama <
www.panorama.am > 14/02/2007

⁸ "A Sectarian Woman is a Cause of Death of Her Own Kid" in Azg Daily <
www.azg.am >
03/02/2007

⁹ A representative of the pagan group in Armenian qualifies of the other
confessions including there those of the Christian religion as "sectarian" "Pagan Gods Power the Arians" in Azg Daily <
www.azg.am > 22/03/2007