Imagining Armenia
Orientalism, ambiguity and intervention, 1879-1925

Imagining Armenia: Orientalism, ambiguity and intervention, 1879-1925 examines how Armenia and Armenians were portrayed in Britain at a decisive moment in modern history, when diplomats, scholars and humanitarians (here termed Armenophiles) engaged with the past, present and future of Armenia. Joanne Laycock draws on social and cultural theory in order to examine the relationship between representations of Armenia and the political and humanitarian responses to atrocity, genocide and the refugee crisis. This book illustrates how British observers represented the ‘in-between’ position of Armenians and considers the early development of atrocity narratives which related acts of violence and oppression by the Ottomans. It goes on to examine responses to the massacres of the Armenians during the First World War, showing how established images of Armenians were transformed in the wake of this crisis. Laycock then turns to the post-war period when attempts were made to define and establish an independent Armenian nation state in the midst of international efforts to provide for the relief and resettlement of Armenian refugees. The book ends with the long-term implications that British and international ‘abandonment’ of the Armenians had for their subsequent place in public memory. This book will be of interest to scholars modern British history, Armenian history and wider issues within European studies.