Survivor or Soviet Stories?: Repatriate Narratives in Armenian Histories, Memories and Identities

Abstract

Following the Second World War around 100,000 diaspora Armenians answered Stalin’s invitation to resettle in the Soviet Republic of Armenia. This article examines a set of memoirs published by Armenians who, after resettling in the Soviet Union, eventually returned to diaspora communities in Europe, the Middle East and the United States. Drawing upon Marianne Hirsch’s concept of postmemory, I address the ways in which these narratives were shaped by the legacies of the Armenian Genocide. I argue that the repatriate narratives also challenge dominant narratives of Armenian history and highlight the variety and complexity of Armenian experiences in the aftermath of genocide.