I read the manuscript with great interest and share most of your assessments. Even if I have any disagreements with the authors, I will refrain from expressing them: the authors are free to express their thoughts and draw conclusions based on their own research. One thing is obvious: the attitude to history in the work is pretty original. In the sections “Global Network Nation”, “Diasporan Communities”, “Ethnic Minority Within an Empire”, there are some interesting conclusions that can be considered innovations. I completely agree with the authors concerning the latter.
Looking ahead, I want to note that the chapter on the Soviet period very well describes the impact of Sovietization on today’s people in the context of the contemporary views of the world and the state.
I saw a problem that I would like to draw attention to. The manuscript emphasizes that the Armenians have always been driven by a desire to have their own state. The authors rightly point out that, at all times, certain individuals were involved in solving this important task. But when it comes to the Soviet period, not a word is mentioned about it.
The book does not say anything about the struggle for their own state and independence in the Soviet period. It would be surprising if during the years of Soviet rule there were no certain individuals who worked on the development of such programs.
Few studies and documents have been preserved about the people and organizations that prepared such programs in the period of 1920-1953. But those people did exist. They just disappeared into the dense ranks of the repressed, and a serious research is required to identify them.
In the meantime, the people who dealt with this same issue from 1953 to 1988 are known. There are well-known organizations that developed their programs in the underground, and the names of the individuals are also known. In 2014, I published the book “The Dissent in the Soviet Armenia,” which is currently being translated into Russian.
In the years 1953-1988, 168 people were convicted of anti-Soviet activities. Most of them were the supporters of an independent state. These are approximate numbers. Only the known names are listed.
In 1963-1988, 34 high-profile political trials were conducted in Armenia, as a result of which 91 people were convicted. The overwhelming majority were supporters of independence.
It would be correct to have this mentioned in the work.
I am sure that this book will receive a great response among the readers and become an interesting topic for discussion.
