University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

L.A. = Little Armenia: the story of the Armenian diaspora in Los Angeles today

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L.A. = Little Armenia: the story of the Armenian diaspora in Los Angeles today

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L.A. = LITTLE ARMENIA: THE STORY OF THE ARMENIAN DIASPORA IN LOS
ANGELES TODAY

by

Adriana Dermenjian

________________________________________________________________________

A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
(ONLINE JOURNALISM)

May 2010

Copyright 2010 Adriana Dermenjian

ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. Abstract iii

B. L.A.= Little Armenia 1

1. Link to Website: http://www.adrianadermenjian.com/thesis 1

2. List of Figures 2

C. Bibliography 14

iii
ABSTRACT
The multimedia website I have created for my Master’s Thesis is a professional
project, which covers numerous facets of the Armenian American presence in Los
Angeles and does so through a multimedia storytelling format. The intention of the
project, titled “L.A. = Little Armenia: The Story of the Armenian Diaspora in Los
Angeles Today,” is to give readers a more thorough understanding of the Armenian
American experience through the reporting of past events, present struggles and future
goals. I chose to specifically report on the Armenian Diaspora in Los Angeles, as it is
home to the largest Armenian population in all of America, according to the 2000 U.S.
Census. What experiences led Armenians to move to America, and specifically Los
Angeles, to begin with? What are some local Armenian organizations working on now
and how does it contribute to sustaining their Armenian identity? And how does the
future look for the L.A. Armenian Diaspora in generations to come? All of these
questions are answered throughout the structured layout of the website. In fact, the
website has four fundamental sections through which the story is told.
The first section of the website, titled “Motivated Migration,” covers the back-
story of why Armenians migrated to places like Los Angeles to begin with. Through a
visual and interactive timeline that I created with VUVOX, I outline each event in the
Middle East that prompted migration elsewhere. Through a mixture of vivid pictures and
descriptive captions, the VUVOX timeline illustrates to the viewer the positive
correlation between these momentous incidents and the motivation to migrate. The
timeline also shows, through statistics gathered from the 2000 U.S. Census, that with
iv
each of these events in the Middle East – be it a massacre, war or revolution – Armenian
demographics in America rose.
Also laid out in this section are the specific Armenian “hubs” within Los Angeles
County, where the Armenian population is most prevalent. Through the use of an
interactive information graphic, the viewer is able to not only pinpoint the areas in Los
Angeles where Armenians thrive but gain knowledge of the specific Armenian
population within each city by hovering over the appropriate circled city with their
mouse. This interactive map, which I created through the use of Dynamic HyperText
Markup Language (DHTML), offers necessary statistics to the reader but does so through
an alternative (and hopefully more engaging) multimedia method.
The second section of the website, titled “Historic Resentment,” is a more in-
depth look into what instigated problems for Armenians in the Middle East to begin with.
Though the VUVOX timeline in the previous section outlines the events that ultimately
led to Armenian migration elsewhere, this section expands on those bullet-points of
information and gets to the heart of the problem: why did these problems begin in the
first place? And what group was at the core of the matter? By adding this historical
context and getting a sense that a resentful relationship between Ottoman Turks and
Armenians was at the center of the problem, the reader becomes not only more familiar
with the history but also more understanding of how these historical experiences affect
the Armenian culture today -- especially with respect to the Armenian Diaspora.
This historical context is told through a “Question and Answer” format with Dr.
Richard Dekmejian, a Middle Eastern politics expert and political science professor at
USC. My intention for this type of format was to make the content more readable yet still
v
place emphasis on substance. Void of the dreariness that huge blocks of text provoke, the
Q&A is still filled with loads of essential information but broken up by simple questions
that the reader might ask himself. Because this historical context is necessary to lay the
foundation for the overall story of the Armenian Diaspora, an emphasis on content is
essential. Each question is integral to the “Armenian story” as a whole – and spans from
momentous events beginning in the 9th century to current campaigns that the Diaspora is
involved in today.
The third section of the website, titled “A Proactive Campaign,” is a magnified
look into one local Armenian American campaign that illustrates unity among much of
the Armenian Diaspora in Los Angeles. The “Stop the Protocols” campaign started as a
preemptive plan to prevent the Armenia-Turkey protocols, a document which would
establish diplomatic ties between the two countries, from being signed. Though the
protocols were eventually signed by both countries, marking a historic attempt from two
age-old enemies to coexist, the campaign was successful in showing the strong push
among many Armenian Americans in Los Angeles against this idea.
I chose to tell this story through a profile of one of the campaign’s major leaders,
Caspar Jivalagian. Though I made sure to include other members of the Armenian
Diaspora in the piece, I thought it important to keep the predominant voice on one
person: a symbol for the campaign, Caspar. By following Caspar through rallies in which
he spoke to getting more intimate, one-on-one interviews with him at home, I was able to
get inside the thrust of the campaign through getting inside of Caspar’s mind. I feel this
method of execution is most effective for the purposes of my thesis because the intent is
to shine light on this one specific campaign, showcasing its core beliefs and how it relates
vi
to the bigger notion of Armenian identity. By getting such an intimate look inside of
Caspar and his activism, you intrinsically become more familiar with the campaign he
works so hard for every day.
The final section of my website, titled “The Future of the Cause,” gives viewers a
quick taste of the Armenian Diaspora as it stands now, as well as an idea of what’s to
come in the future. As Armenian Americans across Los Angeles are asked about their
thoughts on a number of issues (Armenian identity, staying connected in the city, and the
future of the Armenian Diaspora as they see it, etc), the section functions as a sort of
open-ended conclusion to the entire piece. How attached to the Armenian culture do
these Armenian Americans feel? Does living in Los Angeles make it easier or harder to
stay connected? And do they think future generations will be just as connected? By
covering a variety of questions like the ones above and through asking a variety of people
in the Diaspora – be it active members of Armenian organizations, residents of highly
populated Armenian cities or Armenian history experts -- the viewer gets a more well-
rounded sense of who makes up this Armenian Diaspora in L.A. and what these people
think.
This compilation of thoughts is shown by way of video, which I believe to be the
most effective platform for this coverage, as it allows for a more personal connection to
form between the viewer and the people in the video. As viewers see and hear these
Armenian Americans make their points, they feel as if they are getting to know them.
Rather than a collection of facts, figures and information that was prevalent in other
sections of the website, this final portion humanizes the central subject of my thesis: the
Armenian Diaspora in L.A. It ends the project on a subjective and open-ended note.
vii
Through the amalgamation of all of these separate components, the website tells a
complete story of the Armenian Diaspora in Los Angeles from start to finish. It reports on
the past experiences of Armenians and their motivation to migrate through coverage of
their history, it highlights the current activity of certain members of the Diaspora through
shining light on their broadly supported, Armenian American campaign and it offers a
forecast of the future through the voice and thoughts of several Armenian Americans in
the area.
The intention behind this project was to cover a subject that is often
underrepresented in mainstream media and make it more accessible and understandable
to people who are curious about the ethnicity. Rather than getting bits and pieces of this
information elsewhere, the viewer can come to the “L.A. = Little Armenia” website and
get the whole story – from why the Armenian Diaspora migrated to the city of Angels to
what some are doing to remain active in its Armenian community. The variety of
multimedia elements used throughout the website is intended to make the story easily
understandable and more compelling than the standard text format.
But, above all, the multimedia project is a story of how the past can reinforce the
present -- and perhaps even the future. It highlights a Diaspora that is continually
invested in maintaining its Armenian identity, partly due to their collective history and
unique past experiences.

1
LINK TO “LA=LITTLE ARMENIA: THE STORY OF THE ARMENIAN DIASPORA
IN LOS ANGELES TODAY”

• http://www.adrianadermenjian.com/thesis

2
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Screenshot of homepage

3
Figure 2: Screenshot of “About” section

4
Figure 3: Screenshot of “Motivated Migration” section (1 of 2)

5
Figure 4: Screenshot of “Motivated Migration” section (2 of 2)

6
Figure 5: Screenshot of “Historic Resentment” section (1 of 3)

7
Figure 6: Screenshot of “Historic Resentment” section (2 of 3)

8
Figure 7: Screenshot of “Historic Resentment” section (3 of 3)

9
Figure 8: Screenshot of “A Proactive Campaign” section (1 of 4)

10
Figure 9: Screenshot of “A Proactive Campaign” section (2 of 4)

11
Figure 10: Screenshot of “A Proactive Campaign” section (3 of 4)

12
Figure 11: Screenshot of “A Proactive Campaign” section (4 of 4)

13
Figure 12: Screenshot of “The Future of the Cause” section

14
BIBLIOGRAPHY

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60 Minutes, Bob Simon. Battle Over History. Television Broadcast. CBS News. February
28, 2010.

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http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/434996/Ottoman-
Empire/44411/The-Ottoman-constitution-1876 (accessed February 6, 2010).

“Adana Massacres 1909: Unknown Scenes of the Tragedy.” The Armenian Genocide
Museum-Institute. http://www.genocide-museum.am/eng/online_exhibition_7.php
(accessed February 6, 2010)

Akcam, Taner. A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish
Responsibility. New York: Metropolitan Books, 2006.

Antidze, Margarita and Michael Stott. “INTERVIEW-Armenia Criticises EU, NATO
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“Azerbaijan and Armenia Make ‘Progress’ on Karabakh.” British Broadcasting
Corporation (UK) November 22, 2009.

Bezikian, Michael. On-camera interview with the author. February 25, 2010.

15
“Census 2000 Summary File 3 – Sample Data.” U.S. Census Bureau.
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(accessed March 6, 2010).

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(Manhattan, NY) August 22, 1909.

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2007.

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Press. March 4, 2010.

Elci, Zerin and Jeff Mason. “Armenia-Turkey Sign Peace Deal, Pitfalls Ahead.” Reuters.
October 10, 2009.

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March 9, 2010.

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16
Krikorian, Adele. On-camera interview with the author. March 13, 2010.

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CA) October 5, 2009.

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CA) October 14, 2009.

17
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2010).

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16, 2009.

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Abstract (if available)

Abstract The multimedia website I have created for my Master's Thesis is a professional project, which covers numerous facets of the Armenian American presence in Los Angeles and does so through a multimedia storytelling format. The intention of the project, titled "L.A. = Little Armenia: The Story of the Armenian Diaspora in Los Angeles Today," is to give readers a more thorough understanding of the Armenian American experience through the reporting of past events, present struggles and future goals. I chose to specifically report on the Armenian Diaspora in Los Angeles, as it is home to the largest Armenian population in all of America, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. What experiences led Armenians to move to America, and specifically Los Angeles, to begin with? What are some local Armenian organizations working on now and how does it contribute to sustaining their Armenian identity? And how does the future look for the L.A. Armenian Diaspora in generations to come? All of these questions are answered throughout the structured layout of the website. In fact, the website has four fundamental sections through which the story is told.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Dermenjian, Adriana (author)

Core Title L.A. = Little Armenia: the story of the Armenian diaspora in Los Angeles today

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Journalism (Online Journalism)

Publication Date 05/01/2010

Defense Date 04/01/2010

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag anti-protocols campaign,Armenian Americans,Armenian diaspora,Armenian genocide,culture,identity,Los Angeles,migration,OAI-PMH Harvest

Place Name Armenia (countries), California (states), Los Angeles (counties)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Hernandez, Robert (committee chair), Dekmejian, Richard H. (committee member), Tolan, Sandy (committee member)

Creator Email adriana_dermenjian@yahoo.com,dermenji@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-m2952

Unique identifier UC1137570

Identifier etd-Dermenjian-3698 (filename),usctheses-m40 (legacy collection record id),usctheses-c127-308422 (legacy record id),usctheses-m2952 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-Dermenjian-3698.pdf

Dmrecord 308422

Document Type Thesis

Rights Dermenjian, Adriana

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Repository Name Libraries, University of Southern California

Repository Location Los Angeles, California

Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu