Transcultural Art in the South Caucasus: Sayat Nova, Sergei Parajanov, and Beyond

by Dr. Joseph Bohigian, Independent Researcher, and ARISC Junior Research Fellowship awardee.

Key words: Music; Lyrics; Musical Dialects; Film; Armenia; Georgia, Armenian poet and musician Sayat-Nova; Armenian filmmaker Sergei Parajanov.

Module description: This module focuses on the transcultural bodies of work of the 18th century ashugh Sayat Nova and the 20th century filmmaker Sergei Parajanov. War and a Soviet legacy of national culture-making promoting titular nationalities, at the expense of minorities, have left the peoples of the South Caucasus artistically isolated from each other. In this module, students are provided historical examples of works that have provided a pathway for contemporary creative works that draw upon multiple cultures in the region.

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