Italian anthropologist Giustina Selvelli has published a monograph titled ‘Language Attitudes, Collective Memory and (Trans)National Identity Construction Among the Armenian Diaspora in Bulgaria’, exploring how the Armenian community in Plovdiv preserves its identity across generations. The book, released in 2024 with support from the Gulbenkian Foundation, examines the role of language, churches, cultural monuments, and everyday life in maintaining Armenian heritage far from the homeland. Selvelli presented the monograph in Yerevan in May, at an event organized by the Armenian General Benevolent Union and the Bulgarian Embassy. ‘I wanted to give back to the community and express my gratitude,’ she said. The study draws on years of research and personal connection, as Selvelli discovered her own Armenian ancestry through a tobacco wrapper with Armenian script.
Article and image source: mediamax.am
