It Takes a Diaspora to Raise a Language: Future Directions for Armenian

The USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies and Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation announce It Takes a Diaspora to Raise a Language: Future Directions for Armenian, an interdisciplinary academic conference to be held at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles from February 27 – March 1, 2026.

Conference Theme

How can the Armenian language thrive in the Diaspora? What initiatives, strategies, and targeted efforts are succeeding in sustaining and invigorating Armenian in its literary standards, colloquial or dialectal forms across generations and geographies?

This conference intentionally shifts the focus away from narratives of loss and toward examples of innovation, creativity, and success. The goal is to spotlight what is working in efforts to maintain, transmit, and cultivate Armenian in diasporic contexts. Comparative perspectives from other diasporic or minority language communities facing similar questions of vitality are also welcome.

The program will feature academic panels and practitioner showcases to encourage dialogue between research and on the ground experience. 

The conference takes stock of developments in the field of language acquisition and development in the Diaspora since the “Innovation in Education: Challenges in Teaching Western Armenian in the 21st Century” conference that took place in 2015 in Paris, co-organized by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and INALCO. It aims to analyze and build on the successes and challenges since then, particularly with respect to the revitalization efforts of the Armenian language in the Diaspora.

If you have any questions, please email: armenian@usc.edu