From a Democratic Breakthrough to Challenges of Consolidation in Armenia
Announcement of Research Support
Applications are due on October 20
Selections will be made by October 31
Grants will be awarded in the amounts of $2,000 to $6,000
This call aims to provide an opportunity for original academic and policy research that will address Armenia’s political transformation. In the Spring of 2018, the world watched as large-scale peaceful protests combined with acts of civil disobedience overthrew Armenia’s autocratic regime in what came to be known as the Velvet Revolution. Free of influence from outside forces, this democratic transition has altered the regional fabric. Unlike previous movements in the post-Soviet space and the Middle East, it was not geopolitically polarizing. The movement was decentralized and disciplined, and nonviolent tactics were applied with consistency and determination. The Armenian transition, driven by non elites and built on decades of civic activism, unfolded through the country’s institutions rather than against them. Following the formation of a new government, Armenia’s institutions have begun the processes of reforms, moving from the streets to institution-building.
The month-long transformation itself, as well as the period that followed, are of interest to those pursuing democratization and civic empowerment everywhere in the world.
This project is made possible by the USC Institute of Armenian Studies, in partnership with the Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
