The development of contemporary societies is in many ways associated with ethnoreligious processes, modifications of religious consciousness, behavior, and religious identity. Their studying, besides theoretical approaches, will require a systematically arranged empirical knowledge. The article analytically presents dynamical analysis of religious processes in Armenia based upon three wide-scale periodic ethnosociological studies with gaps of 12 years. The said ethnosociological studies were held among Armenia’s urban population using the methods of standard interview involving 4000, 2000 and 2000 people in 1980, 1993 and 2005 respectively. Beside other clusters of problems, the research program included subjects associated with a changing character of religious consciousness and behavior of diverse socio-demographic groups of people dwelling in five cities of the Republic. Responses showing respondents’ attitudes to religion, the pretext for attending church, attitudes to the religious and ritual practices were chosen as indicators – all within the context of diverse facets of public relations. The noted 25-year gap in the Republic’s history embraces 3 time periods: the period preceding USSR collapse; the period shaping new post-Soviet states and the period of comparative stabilization. Armenia, along with the rest of the post-Soviet countries, came through those complex times, while the processes taking place in this Republic, may be demonstrative for other post-Soviet countries. This type of research experience presents interest not only for comprehending the dynamics of ethnoreligious processes on the post-Soviet territory, but also for understanding the role of religion as one of the major factors determining the contemporary public and international relations.

Keywords: religiosity, religious consciousness, religious behaviour, Armenia, urban population, ethnosociological study

DOI: 10.22250/2072-8662.2021.4.136-143

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About the authors

	Ruben S. Karapetyan – Doctor of Historical Sciences, Head of the Department of Diaspora Studies, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of The National Academy of Sciences of Armenia; 15 Charents str., Yerevan, 0025, Republic of Armenia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Nelli R. Khachaturian – PhD (History), Researcher of the Department of Diaspora Studies; Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of The National Academy of Sciences of Armenia; 15 Charents str., Yerevan, 0025, Republic of Armenia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.