ADS 2019

Argentina

Nélida Elena Boulgourdjian | Buenos Aires

The history of the Armenian community in Argentina goes back to the end of the 19th century, when the first immigrants arrived. The number increased with the arrival of survivors of the 1915 Genocide, largely from the Ottoman Empire. Since their arrival, Armenians have mostly lived in the large cities—the capital Buenos Aires, Cordoba and Rosario, although some settled in Tucuman and other cities in the interior of the country.  

Contrary to the survivors who fled to Syria and Lebanon, as well as Europe, with the hope to return to their original homeland, the Armenians who chose the River Plate area—on the south eastern coast of South America, the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay and the Paraná rivers—wanted to distance themselves permanently from that traumatic past.  

The community in Argentina was originally made mainly of Armenians from Cilicia. After World War II, another wave of immigrants came from Greece and Soviet Bloc countries—Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary. In the late 1940s, Armenians from Turkey, who were forced to flee the country as a consequence of the debilitating Wealth Tax (Varlık Vergisi) imposed on non-Moslem minorities, came to Argentina. Another wave came in the 1970s form Syria, Lebanon and a few from Iran due to the conflicts in the region. In the 1990s, following the fall of the Soviet Union, Armenians from the Republic of Armenia, too, settled in Argentina.   

Although it is difficult to determine the exact number of the community, it is known that in the 1920s Armenians represented 1% of foreigners in the country. Nevertheless, Argentine authorities did not differentiate the Armenians from other migratory groups from the Ottoman Empire, such as Turkish, Greek, Syrian and Lebanese nationalities. Yet, in 1936, the Municipal Census registered 3054 Armenians in the city of Buenos Aires out of a population of about 2.4 million. Today, the estimated size of the community is between 50,000 and 100,000, made of third, fourth and even fifth generations of Armenians.  

Argentina was a welcoming country for immigrants. The 1853 Constitution provided civil rights equality both to Argentinians and foreigners. It encouraged immigration with an “open door” policy to “all men of the world who want to inhabit the Argentine territory”. Nevertheless, it was not free of racial issues. Some of the ethnic groups who had arrived from the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire were perceived as “exotic” (Armenians, Arabs, Jews) by the Migration Directorate and were considered inassimilable. As such, on one hand, the Argentine government encouraged immigration without restrictions, motivating the entry of farmers and skilled workers from Northern Europe and, on the other, it showed concern for people coming from regions considered “backward” from the Mediterranean and the Balkans. 

Community life 

Migratory associations in the country had multiple functions, which paradoxically seemed contradictory, but were in fact complementary. They facilitated integration and had mediating roles in constructing social capital. Yet, at the same time they served as reservoirs of the group’s cultural capital—preserving cultural identity by symbolic production of a sense of belonging—and making an effort to avoid assimilation. The Armenian associations in Argentina served similar functions. In the early period of the life of the community, for instance, the Armenian Apostolic Church was not only the centre of community life, but also functioned as the external representative of the community.  

Many of the Armenian religious, benevolent, cultural, sports and educational associations in Argentina were originally established at the turn of the 20th century. Many of them continue to function until today, including the three Armenian political parties: Dashnaktsutyun (Armenia newspaper), Ramgavar (Sardarabad newspaper) and Hntchak. The first Divine Liturgy (Badarak) was held in 1912, the Armenian General Benevolent Union was established in 1911, along with a number of compatriotic associations, such as Marash, Aintab, Hadjin, which continue to the present. The Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator in Buenos Aires was built and consecrated in 1938, and had a school network attached to it.  

Indeed, following WWII, religious, political and educational associations became dominant in the community. With the second generation coming of age, new youth associations arose, which formalised some of the associations founded earlier—for instance, the Armenian political parties were fashioned as "cultural associations." Finally, starting in the 1970s, new organisations were created to better serve the needs of the third and fourth generation Armenians in Argentina. Among such new organisations—which are dedicated to Human Rights and to the preservation of the memory of the Armenian Genocide—are the Fundación Luisa Hairabedian and the Fundación Memoria del Genocidio Armenio, which is tasked with the creation of a Genocide museum in Buenos Aires.  

Today, the Instituciones Armenias de la República Argentina (IARA), established on the eve of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, coordinates the affairs of the Armenian community in Argentina. All organisations in the community are represented in IARA, which has a rotating presidency.  

Armenian associations provide an environment for political and cultural socialisation, as well as spaces for the construction of Armenian identity. They enable active links with both the Motherland and with Argentine society.

Armenian schools 

Armenian “language or religion schools” were created in the 1930s. In those days, unlike their counterparts in the Diaspora, schools were established to teach the Armenian language, history and religion, without the obligation to teach the national curriculum of Argentinian state schools. In the beginning, classes were held in private houses and pupils were divided into various levels; a sole teacher taught all of them. Later a centralised system was introduced under the supervision of the Armenian Church, with the exception of the Khrimian School, which is under the auspices of Dashnaktsutyun. 

Starting in the 1960s, changes in the Argentine education policy mandated that private schools must implement the national curriculum. Some Armenian schools were able to adapt to these demands and became “double schooling establishments.” There are currently seven Armenian schools in Argentina: Instituto San Gregorio el Iluminador; Instituto Mary Manoogian (AGBU); Khrimian Armenian School, Arzruní Armenian School, Bakchellian Armenian School, Colegio Armenio in Vicente López and Instituto Manuel Belgrano in Cordoba. 

Genocide recognition

The subject of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide has always been present in the life of the community. As a result of many years of intensive work and efforts by community organisations and members, in 2006 the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina (Parliament) recognised the Armenian case as genocide. This was followed by a law passed by the Executive Branch in 2007. Argentina is among the few countries, where thanks to the Armenian community, all three branches of the state formally recognise the Genocide.  

In spite of being geographically situated at a distance from the most active centres of the Armenian Diaspora, the Armenian community has shown a great organisational capacity from the beginning until today, holding an outstanding role among the communities in Latin America. The preservation of the Armenian spirit among its descendants and the active participation in society as Argentines of Armenian origin is expressed in different ways. The third and fourth generation Armenians are well integrated in Argentine society. Many of them have recorded important achievements in the country. Some of them are involved in local and national politics, as public servants of different political parties and in elective posts.  

Dr. Nélida Elena Boulgourdjian is Professor of History at the Universidad Nacional Tres de Febrero in Buenos Aires. She served as Senior Advisor in the ADS country Advisory Committee in Argentina.