The Serious Business of Being Funny in Armenia: An Interview with Sergey Sargsyan

“Making people laugh, even if it’s just a little, is a psychological need for comedians. I seek to satisfy this need.” When speaking about civil society, it is important to mention the people who help forge this environment in Armenia today.  One such individual is Sergey Sargsyan, co-host of the ArmComedy Project (the Armenian version of…

Soviet Armenian Political Posters

Within the past year, I have come across several Soviet Armenian political posters online.  They seem unique and possess a sort of style all their own, reflecting the distinct culture and atmosphere of Armenia and the region in agitprop art.  These are fascinating pieces of history that shed light on life inside the Soviet Armenian…

Map of the Armenian SSR from 1924

Here’s an interesting piece of Soviet Armenian history from my personal archive: an official NEP-era map of the Armenian SSR (then part of the Transcaucasian SFSR) from 1924, as printed on a Soviet-produced postcard: Some notes: 1) In this map, the Armenian SSR is comprised of nine raioni (or districts), some of which are so…