From shrinking space to post-revolutionary space: reimagining the role and relations of civil society in Armenia

The research demonstrates how progressive civil society groups became the avant-garde of the Armenian revolution by acting as an inspiration and role model for larger social groups by popularizing various mechanisms and techniques of resistance.While some individuals from these groups became part of the interim government or local self-government bodies shortly after the revolution and were more recently, in the December 9th parliamentary elections voted into the Armenian National Assembly, others have preferred to remain outside of government and to continue their work as human rights advocates in the civic sector. Hence not only the political map but also that of civil society has been and is likely to continue to transform considerably. The analysis will conclude with policy-oriented recommendations relevant to the role and relations of civil society and will outline paths forward. The report is structured in chronological logic and in the form of discreet but interrelated articles.

The research has been done by Socioscope NGO by the financial support of South Caucasus office of Heinrich Boell Foundation.