About Us

ARISC is an Overseas Research Center (ORC) that is currently in formation.  An idea initiated during a gathering in Chicago one weekend in 2005, ARISC was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in Illinois and secured 501(c)3 status in 2007.

Mission Statement

The American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC) encourages and supports scholarly study of the South Caucasus states (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia) across all disciplines of the Humanities, Sciences, and Social Sciences.  Incorporated in 2006, ARISC currently has offices open in Yerevan and Tbilisi and is working to establish an office in Baku, which will serve to facilitate research and nurture scholarly ties between institutions and individuals.  In 2009, with a grant from the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC), ARISC was able to have an office open in Baku.

ARISC’s mission is to promote and encourage American research in the region and to foster intellectual inquiry across boundaries within the South Caucasus as well as between the South Caucasus and its neighbors. The exchange of scholars and scholarly information will be encouraged by ARISC’s support for conferences, fellowships, publications, teaching resources, and other forms of cooperation for use both in the United States and in the host countries where the Institute is located.

Yerevan Center

The American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC) has a Yerevan representative, Richard Antaramian, available to meet and greet US scholars. He is working out of the library of the Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC) office at 52, Abovyan Street, 3rd floor, rooms 305, 307, 309, 312, Yerevan 0025, Armenia, during the hours of 1:00-4:00pm on Mondays. Mr. Antaramian will provide guidance to US scholars on basic needs to conduct their research in Armenia, including information on libraries, archives, local scholars and permits. He will also be coordinating several lectures and events in Yerevan sponsored by ARISC. Mr. Antaramian can be reached at ARISCYerevan "at" yahoo.com.

Tbilisi Center

ARISC's Tbilisi representative is Eteri (Etuna) Tsintsadze, who is available to meet and greet US scholars. She is working out of the library of the Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC) office at 16, Zandukeli str. (formerly Javakhishvili street, in the ISET building), 0108, Tbilisi, Georgia, during the hours of 10:00-12:30pm Tuesdays and Thursdays (click for map). Ms. Tsintsadze will provide guidance to US scholars on basic needs to conduct their research in Georgia, including information on libraries, archives, local scholars and permits. She will also be coordinating several lectures and events in Tbilisi sponsored by ARISC. Ms. Tsintsadze can be reached at ARISCTbilisi "at" yahoo.com.

Giving to ARISC

ARISC welcomes your gift contributions to support its mission.  If you are interested in supporting ARISC, please make a check payable to The American Research Institute of the South Caucasus or ARISC and mail it to:

Professor Adam T. Smith
Department of Anthropology
University of Chicago
1126 East 59th Street
Chicago, IL 60637

You may also click on the "Donate" button below to use a credit card.  ARISC uses the PayPal system for collecting online contributions.  For more information about security, please visit www.paypal.com.

We greatly appreciate your support. All contributions are exempt from U.S. Federal income tax.