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ARMENIAN MUSEUM IN WASHINGTON: BEYOND GENOCIDE
by Nareg Seferian
http://www.reporter.am/index.cfm?objectid=1D95DD07-98B8-11E0-B08A0003FF3452C2
Published: Friday June 17, 2011
Interior view of the National Bank of Washington building, part of
the site of the future museum and memorial to the Armenian Genocide.
Armenian Reporter
Washington - I had the great pleasure and unique opportunity to
visit the future site of the Armenian Genocide Museum and Memorial
the other day. It is truly an amazing location and space whose value
in its potential to reach out to the Armenian-American community,
the US political establishment, and American society as such cannot
be underestimated.
Of course the ongoing disputes and legal matters dogging the project
have been disappointing and, frankly, embarrassing and shameful. More
than that, however, even as this idea was made public a few years
ago, I got the impression that the efforts may be better served to
highlight Armenian history and culture generally, as opposed to a
giant commemoration of the Armenian Genocide alone.
Indeed, the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown in
the Boston area is just that kind of informative, educational, and
outreach establishment which I imagine could be realized on a larger
and more successful scale in the heart of Washington, DC.
Most members of the Armenian-American community trace back their
roots to the Armenian Genocide and I cannot blame a majority of
the community for basing its identity on that one tragic chapter of
our history. Yet, there is so much more to the Armenian experience
generally that is worthy of being celebrated and shared.
Armenians and Jews: more different than similar I often get the
impression that the Armenians of America take their lead from the
Jewish community in this country. I don't know why that should be
the case.
We Armenians certainly do have some things in common in terms of our
history and culture, but, for the most part, the comparison ends after
loosely applying a couple of terms such as "diaspora" and "genocide."
The fact of the matter is that the Jews of the United States are
much greater in number, wealthier, better-organized in some ways, and
certainly far better-established and more influential on policy. That
may inspire Armenians and other groups to take on their tactics, but
the Jewish hold on the public consciousness of the US extends to the
classroom and the media in a way which could never be duplicated in
the short- to medium-term.
Movies, books, and TV and radio are replete with regular Jewish
references. The Jews are an immense, visible community in the US today,
just as they were in the old countries, in the European societies
the heritage of which many Americans bear. The fact that most people
who live in this country are Christian and exposed to the Bible
automatically ensures some familiarity with the Jewish heritage anyway,
which continues in everyday life as many Americans have friends,
neighbors, and colleagues who are Jews, much more than they have
Armenian acquaintances. Many are even partially Jewish by blood.
There are innumerable celebrities in the field of the arts and
entertainment, business and politics, sports and academia who are
Jewish. The strong political relationship between the United States
and Israel and the ongoing, prominent dispute over the Holy Land only
adds to the big part that Jews and their legacy play in the national
conversation which reaches out to any even partly-informed or educated
individual in America.
We Armenians could never have the sort of reach that the Jewish
community has in this country, barring extreme circumstances. Our
successes in the United States are praiseworthy, but, at the end of
the day, we are fewer in number, much less wealthy, and not as well
organized as the Jews.
The Armenian vote could only influence the popular elections in a
handful of districts at the most, and there may be a few more where
there are influential and rich individual Armenians who have the ear
of the local decision-makers and their counterparts in Washington. Our
language or humor or art and culture have had little to no influence
on the public consciousness in this country.
For that matter, even when it comes to those points in common, our
diaspora tradition is not as ancient as the Jewish one, to say nothing
of the tradition of being a victimized minority. The latter, in fact,
is a very rare phenomenon in Armenian history which was taken to the
extreme in the last half-century or so of the Ottoman Empire.
As a Christian people subject to Muslim overlords, the Armenians were
privileged in many ways under Turkish and Persian rule, serving as
go-betweens with Europe and the rising Western powers.
All of that changed by the late nineteenth century, of course.
Moreover, the Armenian Genocide for today's Armenians, the youth
in particular, is one generation removed from the Holocaust and the
young Jews of this country.
It was my great-grandparents who were kicked out of what is Turkey
today, great-grandparents whom I have never met, with whom I have
never spoken. Their memory is sacred to me, worthy of being honored,
but that removal across time, I feel, discourages me from basing my
identity as an Armenian on that one event alone, especially given the
earth-shaking events in Armenian history over the past few decades
with the re-establishment of a sovereign Republic of Armenia and the
continuing struggle over Artsakh.
We have managed to convince academia of the narrative of the Armenian
experience as "the first genocide of the twentieth century", the
prototype of all genocides, serving as inspiration, of course, most
particularly for the Holocaust. It cannot be a matter of pride that
led us to that point. It can certainly be a matter of truth, of facts
speaking for themselves.
Whatever it may be, I find it uncomfortable to establish and perpetuate
a complex of victimization for the Armenians of America, and, by
extension, the world, to institutionalize playing the victim all
the time. And why do we even want to keep on playing the victim in
a country with its own, in many ways ongoing, tradition of genocide
against a native population? That does not make much sense to me
at all.
House of Armenia or another Holocaust museum?
The plans for an official memorial to the Holocaust in Washington were
not without controversy, both within and outside the Jewish community.
(The Jewish and Armenian communities and states also share the
similarity of being divided into political, religious, and other
factions, a characteristic which can have an effect on the process
of establishing museums among other things.) It took over a decade
to get the project going.
It should please some that mention of the Armenian Genocide happens to
form part of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's exhibit as well. But
it seems to me that the Armenian-American community has once again
tried to imitate Jewish initiatives, only without federal funding.
Maybe it will take us a decade and more to finally inaugurate our
facility too, past the desirable 2015 date.
All this is to say that we Armenians have much going for us which
need not be reflected on the Jewish model, and that we have an
enviable opportunity to capitalize on things uniquely Armenian just
a few blocks from the White House which ought not be squandered. The
Armenian-American community, I find, is often very inward-looking. An
establishment that showcases our history and culture would provide
an excellent opportunity for outreach to the world generally and also
across Armenian communities within the United States and beyond.
It is our unique culture and our rich history which sets us apart from
others. Our traditions may share a great deal with other peoples in
the region as well, but many aspects of our music and dance, clothing,
cuisine, and architecture are particular to us, not to mention our
very special language and our distinctive church tradition, and also
those unique pages in our history which no other peoples can claim
to share, such as our success as a kingdom in Cilicia for a couple
of centuries, our remarkable community in India, and such figures as
Anania Shirakatsi, Hovsep Emin, and Komitas, to name but a few.
To have an "Armenia House", for example, in downtown DC would be
much more attractive for visitors to share in the celebration of
our tradition, to say nothing of the much more positive name as a
location for receptions and other events, as opposed to a genocide
museum and memorial.
We have a legitimate, just cause in making our demands for the
recognition of the dispossession of the Armenians and other Christian
peoples over the course of many decades during the turn of the
last two centuries in what is today Turkey, as well as the formal
acknowledgement and protection of that heritage by the Republic
of Turkey.
Our aim, as I understand it, is to alter the perceptions within society
in Turkey and to fundamentally shift the national, state policy of
the Republic of Turkey with regards to Armenians, as well as Greeks,
Assyrian and other Syriac peoples and other minorities, their cultural
heritage in Turkey, their current circumstances, and future relations.
An establishment in Washington, DC marking that dispossession - and
only that dispossession - could only serve to highlight one aspect
of our struggle.
An establishment which celebrates our entire immense and rich cultural
legacy, on the other hand, our history, our language, our church and,
of course, that dark, tragic page of our history which was the Armenian
Genocide, could serve to renew our connection as Armenians with the
heritage that we bear, as well as introducing this most interesting
member of the family of peoples to American society generally.
by Nareg Seferian
http://www.reporter.am/index.cfm?objectid=1D95DD07-98B8-11E0-B08A0003FF3452C2
Published: Friday June 17, 2011
Interior view of the National Bank of Washington building, part of
the site of the future museum and memorial to the Armenian Genocide.
Armenian Reporter
Washington - I had the great pleasure and unique opportunity to
visit the future site of the Armenian Genocide Museum and Memorial
the other day. It is truly an amazing location and space whose value
in its potential to reach out to the Armenian-American community,
the US political establishment, and American society as such cannot
be underestimated.
Of course the ongoing disputes and legal matters dogging the project
have been disappointing and, frankly, embarrassing and shameful. More
than that, however, even as this idea was made public a few years
ago, I got the impression that the efforts may be better served to
highlight Armenian history and culture generally, as opposed to a
giant commemoration of the Armenian Genocide alone.
Indeed, the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown in
the Boston area is just that kind of informative, educational, and
outreach establishment which I imagine could be realized on a larger
and more successful scale in the heart of Washington, DC.
Most members of the Armenian-American community trace back their
roots to the Armenian Genocide and I cannot blame a majority of
the community for basing its identity on that one tragic chapter of
our history. Yet, there is so much more to the Armenian experience
generally that is worthy of being celebrated and shared.
Armenians and Jews: more different than similar I often get the
impression that the Armenians of America take their lead from the
Jewish community in this country. I don't know why that should be
the case.
We Armenians certainly do have some things in common in terms of our
history and culture, but, for the most part, the comparison ends after
loosely applying a couple of terms such as "diaspora" and "genocide."
The fact of the matter is that the Jews of the United States are
much greater in number, wealthier, better-organized in some ways, and
certainly far better-established and more influential on policy. That
may inspire Armenians and other groups to take on their tactics, but
the Jewish hold on the public consciousness of the US extends to the
classroom and the media in a way which could never be duplicated in
the short- to medium-term.
Movies, books, and TV and radio are replete with regular Jewish
references. The Jews are an immense, visible community in the US today,
just as they were in the old countries, in the European societies
the heritage of which many Americans bear. The fact that most people
who live in this country are Christian and exposed to the Bible
automatically ensures some familiarity with the Jewish heritage anyway,
which continues in everyday life as many Americans have friends,
neighbors, and colleagues who are Jews, much more than they have
Armenian acquaintances. Many are even partially Jewish by blood.
There are innumerable celebrities in the field of the arts and
entertainment, business and politics, sports and academia who are
Jewish. The strong political relationship between the United States
and Israel and the ongoing, prominent dispute over the Holy Land only
adds to the big part that Jews and their legacy play in the national
conversation which reaches out to any even partly-informed or educated
individual in America.
We Armenians could never have the sort of reach that the Jewish
community has in this country, barring extreme circumstances. Our
successes in the United States are praiseworthy, but, at the end of
the day, we are fewer in number, much less wealthy, and not as well
organized as the Jews.
The Armenian vote could only influence the popular elections in a
handful of districts at the most, and there may be a few more where
there are influential and rich individual Armenians who have the ear
of the local decision-makers and their counterparts in Washington. Our
language or humor or art and culture have had little to no influence
on the public consciousness in this country.
For that matter, even when it comes to those points in common, our
diaspora tradition is not as ancient as the Jewish one, to say nothing
of the tradition of being a victimized minority. The latter, in fact,
is a very rare phenomenon in Armenian history which was taken to the
extreme in the last half-century or so of the Ottoman Empire.
As a Christian people subject to Muslim overlords, the Armenians were
privileged in many ways under Turkish and Persian rule, serving as
go-betweens with Europe and the rising Western powers.
All of that changed by the late nineteenth century, of course.
Moreover, the Armenian Genocide for today's Armenians, the youth
in particular, is one generation removed from the Holocaust and the
young Jews of this country.
It was my great-grandparents who were kicked out of what is Turkey
today, great-grandparents whom I have never met, with whom I have
never spoken. Their memory is sacred to me, worthy of being honored,
but that removal across time, I feel, discourages me from basing my
identity as an Armenian on that one event alone, especially given the
earth-shaking events in Armenian history over the past few decades
with the re-establishment of a sovereign Republic of Armenia and the
continuing struggle over Artsakh.
We have managed to convince academia of the narrative of the Armenian
experience as "the first genocide of the twentieth century", the
prototype of all genocides, serving as inspiration, of course, most
particularly for the Holocaust. It cannot be a matter of pride that
led us to that point. It can certainly be a matter of truth, of facts
speaking for themselves.
Whatever it may be, I find it uncomfortable to establish and perpetuate
a complex of victimization for the Armenians of America, and, by
extension, the world, to institutionalize playing the victim all
the time. And why do we even want to keep on playing the victim in
a country with its own, in many ways ongoing, tradition of genocide
against a native population? That does not make much sense to me
at all.
House of Armenia or another Holocaust museum?
The plans for an official memorial to the Holocaust in Washington were
not without controversy, both within and outside the Jewish community.
(The Jewish and Armenian communities and states also share the
similarity of being divided into political, religious, and other
factions, a characteristic which can have an effect on the process
of establishing museums among other things.) It took over a decade
to get the project going.
It should please some that mention of the Armenian Genocide happens to
form part of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's exhibit as well. But
it seems to me that the Armenian-American community has once again
tried to imitate Jewish initiatives, only without federal funding.
Maybe it will take us a decade and more to finally inaugurate our
facility too, past the desirable 2015 date.
All this is to say that we Armenians have much going for us which
need not be reflected on the Jewish model, and that we have an
enviable opportunity to capitalize on things uniquely Armenian just
a few blocks from the White House which ought not be squandered. The
Armenian-American community, I find, is often very inward-looking. An
establishment that showcases our history and culture would provide
an excellent opportunity for outreach to the world generally and also
across Armenian communities within the United States and beyond.
It is our unique culture and our rich history which sets us apart from
others. Our traditions may share a great deal with other peoples in
the region as well, but many aspects of our music and dance, clothing,
cuisine, and architecture are particular to us, not to mention our
very special language and our distinctive church tradition, and also
those unique pages in our history which no other peoples can claim
to share, such as our success as a kingdom in Cilicia for a couple
of centuries, our remarkable community in India, and such figures as
Anania Shirakatsi, Hovsep Emin, and Komitas, to name but a few.
To have an "Armenia House", for example, in downtown DC would be
much more attractive for visitors to share in the celebration of
our tradition, to say nothing of the much more positive name as a
location for receptions and other events, as opposed to a genocide
museum and memorial.
We have a legitimate, just cause in making our demands for the
recognition of the dispossession of the Armenians and other Christian
peoples over the course of many decades during the turn of the
last two centuries in what is today Turkey, as well as the formal
acknowledgement and protection of that heritage by the Republic
of Turkey.
Our aim, as I understand it, is to alter the perceptions within society
in Turkey and to fundamentally shift the national, state policy of
the Republic of Turkey with regards to Armenians, as well as Greeks,
Assyrian and other Syriac peoples and other minorities, their cultural
heritage in Turkey, their current circumstances, and future relations.
An establishment in Washington, DC marking that dispossession - and
only that dispossession - could only serve to highlight one aspect
of our struggle.
An establishment which celebrates our entire immense and rich cultural
legacy, on the other hand, our history, our language, our church and,
of course, that dark, tragic page of our history which was the Armenian
Genocide, could serve to renew our connection as Armenians with the
heritage that we bear, as well as introducing this most interesting
member of the family of peoples to American society generally.