Armenia as ‘The Colonial Other’ in the Works of Russian Writers: Lecture (VIDEO)

Russian journalist Vladimir Pozner, recounting his visit to Soviet Armenia, echoes the Russian writers' tradition of presenting Armenia as an Eastern country and as a colony, cultural expert Hrach Bayadyan stated in a lecture read in the framework of an educational program organized by “Socioscope” Societal Research & Consultancy Center NGO.

Analyzing Pozner's article [RU] Bayadyan emphasizes that it is characteristic of Orientalist texts, which, instead of referring to the reality, refer to works written in the past. One of the main ideological provisions of Pozner's text is the subject of antiquity. 

“The main themes are: they are old; they are in the past; they are old-fashioned; they belong to the ancient times where they continue to exist, but not the present. It's a distinct element of Orientalist discourse – Armenians are ancient people,” Bayadyan said. 

The culturologist finds this a negative practice, stressing that the glorification of antiquity fortifies Armenians' position in the past and leaves no room for the present. 

Pozner's article, Bayadyan says, openly echoes the Soviet stereotypes, and the traditions of Russian writers (particluarly, Pushkin) formed during their travels to Armenia. Andrei Bitov, who does not describe Armenia as an Eastern country, but rather sees a modernizing, industrializing country in the 60s' Armenia, according to the expert, is an exception to this rule. 

“Being Easter means not to be modern. In this sense, Pozner threw Armenia back, equalizing it with the Islamic East. We are now becoming more and more Eastern, and Pozner's article is more relevant to today's Armenia, rather than Soviet Armenia,” the culturologist said. 

Pozner's attitude, according to Bayadyan, is a classic example of a metropolitan writer, journalist visiting a colony and reserving the right to describe it. 

“Armeniancy, for Pozner, appears as the 'Eastern Other.' Pozner writes: 'My culture, my civilization is nothing compared to what they've preserved.' What culture? What civilization? Russian? Soviet? Weren't Armenians Soviet? Wasn't there a common Soviet civilization?” Bayadyan asks.

Pozner's article, the expert explains, features discourses of the “Colonial Other,” in particular, the discourse of а noble savage, that is, a savage who is at a higher position than the Western man. The exaltation of the savage comes at the expense of a degraded civilization.

“But do not think that in this case this immaculate, pure savage is placed higher in every respect; because the civilizer is also the evaluator, and the savage in his natural form has no place in today's civilization. He is interesting as a museum exhibit, as something anachronistic,” Bayadyan said. 

Lecture in its entirety in Armenian