Cultural Diversity in the Armenian Community
Abstract
The cultural context for the Armenian person is the result of upholding and defending a way of life and values that have been maintained for centuries, for perhaps two thousand years. For that reason, although Armenians living in the United States today come from a variety of countries of origin, and may to some extent speak different dialects or even different languages, yet they have many cultural similarities due to centuries of commonality. The cultural similarities among the Armenians can be seen mainly in three different areas: Spirituality, historicity, and family.
Spirituality refers to the perspective of that which is valued in life, and that which must to be upheld and defended under any and all circumstances, regardless of the social environment and surrounding conditions.
Historicity refers to that which has been traditionally done, the ?Armenian way of life,' ? both that which is important and perhaps not as important. Whereas spirituality may refer more to ?content,' the important values in life, historicity refers more to the living ?process,' how the important values in life are attained.
Family on the other hand is the everyday living environment within which spirituality and historicity are applied and lived out. ?Family' in the Armenian community refers to more than the family of origin or the nuclear family. Instead, it includes both of these along with all of the extended family and even the small surrounding community. These family ties are much more important and influential in the decision making process than would initially appear, therefore, they must be acknowledged and understood. All Armenians may ...