Sustaining the Western Armenian Language and Culture in the Diaspora: A Study of Armenian Schools in Arabic-speaking Countries

Armenians in the diaspora have been facing challenges sustaining the Western Armenian language and culture without policies protecting their language and cultural heritage. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has classified Western Armenian as an endangered language since 2010. Although Western Armenian is taught in Armenian diaspora schools, ongoing political and economic crises in the Middle East have led to challenges in sustaining the language and threats to the schools’ continuity. These events include wars, severe economic recession, and migration of religious minorities and ethnicities. With these challenges and fewer opportunities to use the language in several diaspora communities, Armenian children and youth lack the necessary external motivators to learn Western Armenian. Further, those schools face several challenges due to migration, economic challenges, and decreasing enrollment. Western Armenian teachers, on the other hand, lack resources and training in practices for teaching a stateless diaspora heritage endangered language. This research studies the role of Armenian schools and Western Armenian teachers in sustaining the Western Armenian language and culture and preserving the Armenian identity. A survey of 56 Western Armenian teachers in five countries showed the challenges they face, including resource shortages, limited teaching tools, and low student motivation. Most respondents recognized the need for professional development and collaboration with other teachers and schools. The future of these schools remained unclear due to migration and political instability, and the sustainability of the Western Armenian language and culture was firmly connected to the existence of Armenian diaspora schools, according to 39 interviews with education professionals from these schools in Arabic-speaking countries. While the multilingualism of these students was an added value, challenges included globalization, decreasing family involvement, shortage of resources for Western Armenian, and the dominance of English and social media.