Contact: atokmantcev@ucla.edu
Research
Anatolii Tokmantcev is a scholar in the fields of Armenian Studies, Anthropology of Religion and Nationalism, and Global History. He obtained his MA in Cultural Anthropology from the European University at Saint Petersburg, Russia in 2011. In 2023, he received a PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from the University of California, Los Angeles. In his dissertation, he explored the history and development of the religious community of Jehovah’s Witnesses in post-Soviet Armenia and its relationship with Armenian state and society. Currently, as a Gulbenkian post-doctoral fellow, Anatolii works on mapping the religious diversity of the Armenian community in the greater Los Angeles area.
Education
2015-2023 University of California, Los Angeles
Candidate in Philosophy in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
Dissertation topic: “Jehovah's Witnesses in post-Soviet Armenia”
2009-2011 European University at Saint Petersburg, Russia
M.A. in Cultural Anthropology
Thesis: “The Armenian Diaspora in Saint Petersburg, Russia: Perceptions of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church”
2004-2009 Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
B.A. in Russian History, Honors
Thesis: “Armenians as a National Minority within the Host Society of the Yenisei-River Region, Russia”
Publications
In English:
“Armenians in Saint Petersburg: Church Belonging as a Key Marker of Ethnic Identity,” in Armenian Christianity Today: Identity Politics and Popular Practices, Farnham: Ashgate, 2014
“The Dominant Church and Persecutions of Religious Minorities: Jehovah’s Witnesses in Post-Socialist Orthodox Countries” (forthcoming)
In Russian:
“‘Real’ and ‘Broken’ Armenians: Affiliation with the Armenian Apostolic Church as a Marker of Assimilation among Armenians in Saint Petersburg, Russia” in Armenia in the Dialogue of Civilizations, Proceedings of the International Symposium in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, 2011
“The Armenian Apostolic Church in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, and its Role in the Maintenance of Ethnicity Among Armenians in the Krasnoyarsk Region” in the 75th Anniversary Compendium, Krasnoyarsk Region: The Past, Present and Future, Vol. 2, Krasnoyarsk, Russia, 2009
Teaching experience
2023 until present Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Hungary, Assistant Professor, Department of Global History
Courses:
- Global History. Premodern Societies
- Global History. Classic Societies from 500 BCE to 500 CE
- Global History. Cross-cultural Exchange (1000-1500)
- Global History. Early Modern Societies
- Global History. Antiquity to 1500 CE
- Global History. Early modern Societies
- PhD Seminar “Armenian Christianity in Context”
- Social History of the 20th century
- Global History. Interdependence, Revolution, and Empire,
- History of the Middle East
2015-2021 University of California, Los Angeles, Instructor and Teaching Assistant
Courses:
- Ancient Egyptian Religion
- Women and Power in the Ancient World
- Jerusalem: The Holy City
- Race and Ethnicity in American Life
- Holocaust in Films and Literature
- Intro to Eurasia
June-August 2018 & 2021 University of California, Los Angeles, Lecturer
Course:
- Jerusalem: The Holy City
January-May 2018 American University of Armenia, Armenia, Adjunct Lecturer
Course:
- Religion in America (15 weeks)
Honors and grants
2024 Galouste Gulbenkian Post-Doctoral Fellow
2021-2022 Fulbright: Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad, Fulbright Program
2018 Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship
2018 Graduate Research Mentorship Fellowship, UCLA
2017 Graduate Summer Research Mentorship Fellowship, UCLA
2016 Graduate Summer Research Mentorship Fellowship, UCLA
2015 Summer Research Grant, UCLA
2015 Avedis and Arsen Sanjian Armenian Studies Fellowship Fund, UCLA
2014-2017 Armenian Studies Grant, Galouste Gulbenkian Foundation
2013 Opportunity Grant, EducationUSA, U.S. Department of State
