The embodied heritage of Armenian people: An interpretative phenomenological analysis – A sample of Armenians living in London

This research project investigated the lived experience of Armenian people who had migrated to live in London. Eight participants were interviewed about their experiences and an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was employed as the research method. Four superordinate themes were identified from the findings; 1. ‘The Armenian History and Heritage’, 2. ‘The Armenian Culture’, 3. ‘London Armenian Community’, and 4. ‘The Experiences of Adaptation’. For each superordinate theme, a few subthemes emerged which expanded on the knowledge gained during the analysis. The Findings revealed that all participants expressed the importance of sustaining Armenian history, heritage, core values and culture as it relates to their personal and ethnic identity. Furthermore, their experiences of trauma and transgenerational trauma were complex, uniquely experienced, and directly contributed to the challenges that they experienced when acculturating to life in London. Community connection and social engagement were identified as both meaningful and challenging for all participants. Implications are provided for Counselling Psychologists and other health and care practitioners who work with Armenian people, including the importance of practitioners having an awareness of the importance of history, heritage, and culture for many Armenian people and how this impacts their social, physical, psychological, and spiritual lives. Furthermore, practitioners require an awareness of the transgenerational trauma embedded in Armenian heritage following the Armenian Genocide of 1915. For Armenians who have migrated away from their home communities, it is recommended that mental health practitioners support their clients to actively engage with other communities and groups to reduce their sense of isolation. Further research into this underexplored population is strongly recommended.