Cover -- HalfTitle -- Series Page -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Preface -- Foreword by Boghos Levon Zekiyan -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- 1. Introduction: Symbols and Memory in the Armenian Diaspora -- 1.1. Overview of the Topic -- 1.2. Anthropological Approaches to Writing Practices and Writing Systems -- 1.3. The Armenian Diaspora: Conceptualizing Transnational Belongings -- 1.4. Methodology -- 2. History of the Armenian Diaspora of Plovdiv -- 2.1. Armenian Communities from Byzantine to Ottoman Times -- 2.2. Refugees: From the Hamidian Massacres to the Genocide -- 2.3. Language Issues in the Interwar Period -- 2.4. Armenian Life under Bulgarian Communism -- 2.5. The Post-Socialist Transition's Impact on Armenians -- 3. Language as an Idealized Space of Belonging -- 3.1. Language, Myth, and Symbolic Imaginary in the Diaspora -- 3.2. A Brief History of the Armenian Alphabet -- 3.3. The Western and Eastern Variants of the Armenian Language -- 3.4. The Religious and Secular Cult of Mesrop Mashtots -- 3.5. Literacy Levels and Language Attitudes -- 4. The Symbolic Cultivation of Identity in Education -- 4.1. The Tutunjyan Armenian School from Its Origins up to Today -- 4.2. Symbols of the Armenian Nation in Teacher Manoukyan's Lessons -- 4.3. Myths of Collective Belonging at the Saturday School's Classes -- 4.4. Language Challenges after Childhood -- 4.5. Old and New Literacy Practices for an Endangered Language -- 5. The AGBU Initiatives in Support of Language and Memory -- 5.1. The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) in the Diaspora -- 5.2. The AGBU Bilingual Bulletin Parekordzagani Tzain ("Voice of Benevolence") -- 5.3. Initiatives Commemorating the Armenian Genocide in Plovdiv -- 5.4. Written Culture and Genocide Remembrance in the Parekordzagani Tzain -- 5.5. The Turkish Factor in the Armenian-Bulgarian Context.

6. The Genocide and the Lost Homeland in the Local Literature -- 6.1. Cultural Survival and the Significance of the Written Language -- 6.2. The Books Published by the Armen Tur and the Parekordzagan/AGBU -- 6.3. Suren Vetsigian's Genocide Memoir -- 6.4. The Cookbook of the Ancestors, a Source of Memory on the Lost Homeland -- 7. The Armenian Linguistic Landscapes of Plovdiv -- 7.1. The Visual Role of the Armenian Alphabet in Marking the Community's Spaces -- 7.2. The Khachkar of Plovdiv as a Site of Remembrance -- 7.3. The Inner and Outer Spaces of the Armenian School -- 7.4. The Objects on Display in the Crypt of the Armenian Church -- 7.5. Linguistic and Monumental Practices at the Armenian Graveyard -- 8. Conclusions: Multiple Belongings and New Diaspora Dynamics -- 8.1. The Role of the Lost Homeland and of the Republic of Armenia -- 8.2. Challenges and Resources of the Diasporic Life -- 8.3. Cybernetic Considerations -- Bibliography -- Illustrations.