The Imperative to Shift Armenia’s Peripherality: Contradictions of Institutionalisation and Functioning in Conditions of Democratic Transition

Abstract

This article offers a discussion about the possibility for Armenia’s democratisation, and shift of its peripherality. The intention is to develop a thinking around the opportunities towards creating an environment in which a democratic transformation may be possible. The article uses the centre-periphery model and a decentring research agenda to build on the argument and a possibility for the shift of Armenia’s peripherality by means of its civil society. The article argues that if the former practices have failed the country today, it may be relevant to consider the shifting of former practices, which may as well result in shifting country’s peripherality. In this context, the process of democratisation of modern Armenia, which is conditioned by a number of factors, presupposing, first of all, the active participation of its civil society, is analysed. This article concentrates on the analysis of one of the necessary conditions for democracy and democratic transition, namely country’s local agency, the civil society. The article is prepared based on the premise that public policies shall follow opinion and expertise of country’s local agency.

Keywords

• Armenia
• civil society
• democratisation
• centre-periphery model
• democratic transformation
• institutional relationship