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FOR THE STUDY AND THE HISTORY OF THE GENOCIDE OF THE ARMENIANS
Noyan Tapan
2012-01-27
We, historians specialists in the genocide of the Armenians engaged
since many years in research and the publication of works on this
subject, tenons to express our complete dissension with the public
statements tending to make reality of the genocide of the Armenians
a thesis be discussed or the object of some bipartite commission
Turkey-Armenie having to rule on its existence, the more so as behind
this apparently objective proposal is clearly dissimulated the refusal
of a State which would gain to assume its past.
We protest against this operation of diversion which proves a serious
ignorance of the assets of research and ends up resorting to certain
springs of the negationnism of the genocide of the Armenians,
instilling the lie, the suspicion and the rumour. Such methods
dishonour the reason criticizes and flirtent with the tendencies more
shouting of the negationnism and the revisionism of which the goal
is to dispute an obviousness, in fact the reality of the genocide of
the Armenians.
We point out solemnly that any opinion is not worth demonstration.
Such declarations call in question the already important mass of
university work about the reality of this genocide made between 1915
and 1916, already qualified in its time of "murder of a nation". The
necessary continuation of work on this event cannot be based on the
perpetual screening or the refusal of the assets of research, by the
invocation of a scientific freedom that the negationnism diverts and
perverts and that the Turkish government, which more is, represses
violently, to the image of these academics and independent editors
now imprisoned. The materiality and the intention of the genocide
made against the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire during the First
World War were amply shown by historians who took the trouble to
work on this subject and know what they speak when they associate
the concept of genocide with the Armenian case, unlike the authors
of these approximate declarations, strong of a notoriety acquired
on other subjects but of which none put its nose in the files or
published on the subject.
To spread the idea that the reality of the genocide of the
Armenians would be contestable constitutes a true insult for the
historians and the History. Freedom for the History is not that to
say anything. The autonomy of research imposes also the scientific
rigour and intellectual honesty. A genocide constitutes an event
of world range which requires an international research. More than
ever, research on the genocides with a dimension specialist in
comparative literature deserves a more important place in France, at
the university, at the school, in the world of the edition, with the
service of the knowledge and the training of the citizens. The support
for research in this field should be a priority of the Republic.
We launch also a call to the public authorities to France for the
creation of a pulpit of history on the study of the genocides. It
would make it possible to form, educate and to finish some with the
remarks negationnists. Lastly, we invite the whole of the colleagues
recognized in France and abroad by their work on the genocide of the
Armenians as well as the researchers in social sciences and human
concerned with this approach, to join this "Call for the History of
the genocide of the Armenians".
Noyan Tapan
2012-01-27
We, historians specialists in the genocide of the Armenians engaged
since many years in research and the publication of works on this
subject, tenons to express our complete dissension with the public
statements tending to make reality of the genocide of the Armenians
a thesis be discussed or the object of some bipartite commission
Turkey-Armenie having to rule on its existence, the more so as behind
this apparently objective proposal is clearly dissimulated the refusal
of a State which would gain to assume its past.
We protest against this operation of diversion which proves a serious
ignorance of the assets of research and ends up resorting to certain
springs of the negationnism of the genocide of the Armenians,
instilling the lie, the suspicion and the rumour. Such methods
dishonour the reason criticizes and flirtent with the tendencies more
shouting of the negationnism and the revisionism of which the goal
is to dispute an obviousness, in fact the reality of the genocide of
the Armenians.
We point out solemnly that any opinion is not worth demonstration.
Such declarations call in question the already important mass of
university work about the reality of this genocide made between 1915
and 1916, already qualified in its time of "murder of a nation". The
necessary continuation of work on this event cannot be based on the
perpetual screening or the refusal of the assets of research, by the
invocation of a scientific freedom that the negationnism diverts and
perverts and that the Turkish government, which more is, represses
violently, to the image of these academics and independent editors
now imprisoned. The materiality and the intention of the genocide
made against the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire during the First
World War were amply shown by historians who took the trouble to
work on this subject and know what they speak when they associate
the concept of genocide with the Armenian case, unlike the authors
of these approximate declarations, strong of a notoriety acquired
on other subjects but of which none put its nose in the files or
published on the subject.
To spread the idea that the reality of the genocide of the
Armenians would be contestable constitutes a true insult for the
historians and the History. Freedom for the History is not that to
say anything. The autonomy of research imposes also the scientific
rigour and intellectual honesty. A genocide constitutes an event
of world range which requires an international research. More than
ever, research on the genocides with a dimension specialist in
comparative literature deserves a more important place in France, at
the university, at the school, in the world of the edition, with the
service of the knowledge and the training of the citizens. The support
for research in this field should be a priority of the Republic.
We launch also a call to the public authorities to France for the
creation of a pulpit of history on the study of the genocides. It
would make it possible to form, educate and to finish some with the
remarks negationnists. Lastly, we invite the whole of the colleagues
recognized in France and abroad by their work on the genocide of the
Armenians as well as the researchers in social sciences and human
concerned with this approach, to join this "Call for the History of
the genocide of the Armenians".