Rediscovering Peripheral Histories of International Law: The Armenian Case

• Applicant: Artur Simonyan, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Public Law
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 561506855

The research project investigates the evolution of Armenian historiography in international law, focusing on statehood and sovereignty from 1918 to 2024. It explores how Armenian legal scholars and historians have conceptualized, articulated, and revised these concepts, comparing their interpretations with archival materials. The study aims to demonstrate how international law has been perceived and developed in post-Soviet spaces, particularly within Armenia's unique historical, political, and legal context. The project is structured around three distinct historical periods: Armenia's brief independence (1918-1920), the Soviet era (1920-1991), and the post-independence period (1991 onwards). By analyzing these phases, the research traces the development of statehood and sovereignty in Armenian legal thought and examines the legal and political processes that shaped Armenia's approach to these concepts. A second key objective is to assess how Soviet-era understandings of sovereignty and statehood were interpreted in Armenia compared to the dominant Russian perspective. This involves analyzing Soviet international law's influence on Armenia’s legal historiography and identifying potential regional variations. The third central goal is to highlight the continuities and discontinuities in Armenian legal thought during the post-Soviet period, particularly regarding Soviet legacies and pre-Soviet frameworks. The study will investigate whether Armenian scholars have adopted new discourses, such as post-Soviet decolonialism (desovietization), or maintained elements of Soviet and pre-Soviet approaches. On a structural level, the project seeks to challenge Russia-centric biases in post-Soviet international law historiography. By “de-Sovietizing” or “decolonizing” Armenian historiography, it aims to offer a more nuanced understanding of Armenian perspectives, emphasizing distinct experiences and interpretations from within Armenia itself. Lastly, the project will involve a thorough analysis of primary sources, including archival and legal documents, to reassess Armenian legal scholars' and historians' interpretations. This includes exploring the influence of external factors like Soviet propaganda or nationalist ideologies on their writings. By comparing primary sources with secondary literature, the research will offer a comprehensive reevaluation of how sovereignty and statehood have been debated in Armenian legal thought, contributing to the broader field of post-Soviet international law historiography.

• DFG Programme: WBP Position