My ethnic roots have played a significant role in my upbringing. Although immigrating to America, neither of my parents ever let the globalizing or assimilating forces of this country strip them of their heritage and culture. For our fourth assignment, I am choosing to dive in the past of my own ethnic group and research the mass immigration of Armenians to America during the 1940s and 1950s. In my essay, I will discuss how, despite many adversities, the Armenian people were able to stay steadfast to their cultural and religious heritage.
After researching the different sources found in the end of the “California Dreams and Realities” book, I was unable to find a significant amount of data regarding Armenian immigration to California or Los Angeles. As a result, similar to our third assignment, I used Proquest and other similar library databases to investigate the reasons and effects of the mass immigration. I share a few of my sources below:
Dermenjian, Adriana. "L.A. = Little Armenia: The Story of the Armenian Diaspora in Los Angeles Today." Journalism (Online Journalism), 2010. United States -- California: ProQuest. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.
This source is actually a Thesis prepared for the Faculty of the USC Graduate School in partial fulfillment for a Master’s Degree. In her Thesis, Dermenjian discusses the different motives of the immigration, citing the socialization of Asia and the enforcement of Communism in Armenia as the two chief reasons that drove the mass migration. This source fails, however, in discussing the immigration patterns of Armenian-Americans before the 1960s. This source is particularly useful in chronicling different significant events that occurred within the Armenian-American community including the opening of the first school, church, and community center.
Garabed, C. K. "Armenian Culture in America: Dead Or Alive? Part I of III." Armenian Reporter: 6. Ethnic NewsWatch. Apr 28 2001. Web. 30 Oct. 2011 < http://search.proquest.com/docview/371409374?accountid=14749>.
This source is a newspaper article discussing the conservation of culture and heritage within the Armenian-American population in great detail. This author takes the perspective of a former teacher and journalist. The article discusses the number of institutions that were established in an attempt to foster Armenian cultural activity, including language schools, literary societies, religious institutions, dance groups, and community centers. This article is also unique in discussing the different methods on how the immigrants attempted to seek the American dream, including the drive to purchase property and the encouraging of higher education within the younger generation.
"Slide Presentation of First Armenians in Calif. Now Available." Armenian Reporter International (1967-1988): 10. Ethnic NewsWatch. Mar 03 1983. Web. 31 Oct. 2011 <http://search.proquest.com/docview/363101905?accountid=14749>.
This source discusses the Armenian-American presence in Central-California, particularly Bakersfield and Fresno. The author sites the 1920s as the “Golden Years” in Fresno as the agricultural and farming industries attracted immigrants from across the world. The author, however, does not discuss the reasons or motives behind the exodus of Armenians from Central-California to Los Angeles. The article concludes with a discussion on prominent Armenian-Americans including Governor George Deukmejian and Chip Pashayan.
"Slide Presentation of First Armenians in Calif. Now Available." Armenian Reporter International (1967-1988): 10. Ethnic NewsWatch. Mar 03 1983. Web. 31 Oct. 2011 <http://search.proquest.com/docview/363101905?accountid=14749>.
This source discusses the Armenian-American presence in Central-California, particularly Bakersfield and Fresno. The author sites the 1920s as the “Golden Years” in Fresno as the agricultural and farming industries attracted immigrants from across the world. The author, however, does not discuss the reasons or motives behind the exodus of Armenians from Central-California to Los Angeles. The article concludes with a discussion on prominent Armenian-Americans including Governor George Deukmejian and Chip Pashayan.
Armenian culture is strong in the state of California and I think it will be very fulfilling to you to write an essay about how your Armenian people migrating in a large mass to California. I am interested to learn about why the Armenian people migrated to California and how they were accepted once they came here. Since their presence and culture is so strong in CA, I believe that other groups of people can learn from how the Armenians assimilated smoothly into American culture as their story of migration to American seem to have a positive ending.
ReplyDeleteDuring my research, I found out that historians classify Armenian immigration into two mass waves. The first wave of immigration was in the 1890s when the Hamidian Massacres forced many Armenians out of their homes in Turkey and western Armenia. The second wave of immigration, the one my essay will focus on, is the immigration that took place as a result of the enforcement of the Communist regime by the USSR in the 1950s.
ReplyDeleteActually Dmitri, my essay will focus on how Armenian immigrants did NOT fully assimilate into American culture. A major aspect of my paper will focus on how the first immigrants established religious and cultural institutions, language school, and community centers in order to preserve their ancestral heritage.