THE ROLE OF ARMENIAN CHARITIES AND COLLEGES IN THE PROCESS OF WOMEN'S EMANCIPATION IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY IN CONSTANTINOPLE

Abstract

The aim of the study is to examine the role of Armenian national, guardianship, and humanitarian societies and colleges established in Constantinople in the process of women's emancipation in the second half of the 19th century. In this study societies were viewed according to the nature of their activities (solving guardianship and charitable problems, orphanage and poverty care, helping the orphans and widows with work, providing food and clothing to the poor and helping them, providing medicine and medical assistance to soldiers wounded in war). In this study phenomenology (semantic and typological procedure, peculiarities, role, significance and spheres of influence in socio-political life, methodology of understanding), and historical-comparative (traditional revision of values and orientations, trajectory of literary developments) methods were used. Conclusions: Judgments about the social role of women are understandable, especially in the context of monitoring of charitable work, educational and upbringing activities carried out by women-based national-charitable associations and companies. A comprehensive study confirms the thesis that the main goal of the above companies was to reform society. The study is important and relevant not only in terms of systematizing charities and colleges, but also in terms of examining women's issues in Armenology.