Civic Activism, Political Activism and Social Media in Armenia: Who is Active and Are They Online?

Civic activism in Armenia is becoming more and more visible, but does it signal a change in political culture from passive and distrustful to more participatory? More and more people “get online,” but is internet a good tool for mobilizing potential activists? The talk will explore these questions through public opinion survey data, drawing on four data sets from 1997 to 2013. It will examine social and political participation (both actual and potential) among the Armenian population, and use of social media by various groups. The analysis presented is part of a larger ongoing research project on civic activism in Armenia.
Dr. Yevgenya Jenny Paturyan specializes and has interest in the sphere of civil society, political culture, volunteering, democratization of post-communist countries, research methodology and corruption. She received her PhD in Political Science from Jacobs University Bremen. Prior to joining AUA, she worked at Eurasia Partnership foundation and at Caucasus Research Resource Centers – Armenia. She is the team leader of a four-year research project about Armenian civil society and has authored publications in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Jenny Paturyan is an AUA PSIA alumna.
Organizer: Political Science & International Affairs
Venue: 113W, Paramaz Avedisian Building