ARMENIAN-AMERICANS: From Being to Feeling Armenian

By Anny Bakalian

Armenian-Americans have been generally overlooked by census takers and survey analysts because of their small numbers and relative dispersion throughout the United States. Based on the results of an extensive mail questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews, and observation of communal gatherings, this book analyzes the individual and collective struggles of Armenian-Americans to continue their Armenian legacy while actively seeking new paths to the American Dream.

The book shows how people of Armenian descent become distanced from their origins with the passing of generations. Yet assimilation and maintenance of ethnic identity go hand-in-hand. The unconscious Armenianness of the immigrant generation is now a voluntary, Armenianness. The generational change is from being Armenian to feeling Armenian.

Taylor & Francis (1993)