Tweet
Nebraska to host international conference on Armenian Genocide
Bedross Der Matossian interviewed on centennial and beyond.
Published: Saturday September 27, 2014
View of Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. Courtesy image
LINCOLN - On the occasion of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide,
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is hosting a two-day
conference on March 19-20, 2015, entitled "Crossing the Centennial:
The Historiography of the Armenian Genocide Re-Evaluated" that will
examine the latest developments in the historiography of the Armenian
Genocide.
The conference, organized by Prof. Bedross Der Matossian from the
Department of History at UNL, is co-sponsored by the Harris Center for
Judaic Studies, the National Association of Armenian Studies and
Research (NAASR) in Belmont, MA, and the Society for Armenian Studies
(SAS) in cooperation with the Department of History, the Human Rights
and Humanitarian Affairs Program, and the Institute of Ethnic Studies
at UNL.
Twenty-two scholars from Armenia, Cambodia, Canada, Holland, Hungary,
Israel and the United States representing 17 different academic
institutions are going to take part in the conference. Some of the
participants include, Hilmar Kaiser, Stefan Ihrig, Benny Morris,
Joceline Chabot, Richard Hovannisian, Michelle Tusan, and Keith
Watenpaugh.
The conference will focus on four themes that had been previously
under-researched but which in recent years have gained more scholarly
attention and analytical depth. These themes are Humanitarianism and
Humanitarian Intervention in the Armenian Genocide, Women and Children
in the Armenian Genocide, Comparative Dimensions of the Armenian
Genocide, and the Impact of the Armenian Genocide. Specific papers
focus on Armenian property issues in French Mandated Cilicia
(1918-23), gendered violence and Genocide's opponents inside the
Ottoman Empire.
"In the past couple of years there has been substantial interest with
the Armenian Genocide in Academia," Der Matossian told the Armenian
Reporter. "As we are approaching the centennial many academic
conferences are being organized across the United States. In terms of
publications, university presses are also interested to publish new
work on the Armenian Genocide. We will see new books by such scholars
as Ronald Grigor Suny, Benny Morris and Dror Zeevi, Stefan Ihrig, and
Michelle Tusan.
"What is unique about the UNL conference is that it is organized
mostly by the efforts of Harris Center for Judiac studies with the
co-sponsorship of NAASR and SAS," Der Matossian continued. "We do not
have an Armenian chair, nor an Armenian program here but the interest
about the Armenian genocide is increasing. I myself teach a seminar on
Crimes Against Humanity at the History Department in which we
concentrate a lot on the Armenian Genocide along with the other
genocides of the 20th century."
When asked if he thinks this interest in the Armenian Genocide studies
will continue post-centennial, Der Matossian responded: "Of course the
Anniversary is an important occasion to commemorate the Armenian
Genocide. And I think that all Armenians are working hard towards that
goal both on the academic and political fronts.
"I am a bit concerned that the international interest might taper off
after the centennial. The current turmoil in the Middle East and the
significant role that Turkey plays in the region will discourage some
major countries to tackle with the issue. Though the political
dimension of the Armenian genocide is important, I think that
concentrating on academia is equally important. As an educator I would
like to see that the Armenian Genocide be taught at different
universities here in the U.S. I would like to see that more young
scholars get involved in researching the Armenian Genocide not only
from the perspective of Armenian history, but in the context of global
waves of mass violence that inflicted societies in the 20th centuries.
More support needs to be given to scholars who do research on the
Armenian Genocide, regardless of their background.
"From the perspective of a historian the centennial is just three
numbers: one and two zeros. For me personally nothing is going to
change. Armenians will continue with their recognition efforts. The
debates in Turkey about the Armenian Genocide will continue and
hopefully it would not only be limited to a couple of universities and
a tight circle of leftist intellectuals in Istanbul writing for Taraf
or Radikal.
The regional situation in the Middle East will dictate the future with
regard to the attitude of different regional or global powers to the
Armenian Genocide. We might even see more morally bankrupt
authoritarian regimes in the Middle East "recognizing" the Armenian
genocide which itself is an insult to the memory of the victims.
"In one sentence things will continue to be the same as they were
during the 99th anniversary," Der Matossian concluded.
Bedross Der Matossian is Assistant Professor of History at University
of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is the author of Shattered Dreams of
Revolution: From Liberty to Violence in the Late Ottoman Period
(Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, 2014).
http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2014-09-27-nebraska-to-host-international-conference-on-armenian-genocide
Bedross Der Matossian interviewed on centennial and beyond.
Published: Saturday September 27, 2014
View of Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. Courtesy image
LINCOLN - On the occasion of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide,
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is hosting a two-day
conference on March 19-20, 2015, entitled "Crossing the Centennial:
The Historiography of the Armenian Genocide Re-Evaluated" that will
examine the latest developments in the historiography of the Armenian
Genocide.
The conference, organized by Prof. Bedross Der Matossian from the
Department of History at UNL, is co-sponsored by the Harris Center for
Judaic Studies, the National Association of Armenian Studies and
Research (NAASR) in Belmont, MA, and the Society for Armenian Studies
(SAS) in cooperation with the Department of History, the Human Rights
and Humanitarian Affairs Program, and the Institute of Ethnic Studies
at UNL.
Twenty-two scholars from Armenia, Cambodia, Canada, Holland, Hungary,
Israel and the United States representing 17 different academic
institutions are going to take part in the conference. Some of the
participants include, Hilmar Kaiser, Stefan Ihrig, Benny Morris,
Joceline Chabot, Richard Hovannisian, Michelle Tusan, and Keith
Watenpaugh.
The conference will focus on four themes that had been previously
under-researched but which in recent years have gained more scholarly
attention and analytical depth. These themes are Humanitarianism and
Humanitarian Intervention in the Armenian Genocide, Women and Children
in the Armenian Genocide, Comparative Dimensions of the Armenian
Genocide, and the Impact of the Armenian Genocide. Specific papers
focus on Armenian property issues in French Mandated Cilicia
(1918-23), gendered violence and Genocide's opponents inside the
Ottoman Empire.
"In the past couple of years there has been substantial interest with
the Armenian Genocide in Academia," Der Matossian told the Armenian
Reporter. "As we are approaching the centennial many academic
conferences are being organized across the United States. In terms of
publications, university presses are also interested to publish new
work on the Armenian Genocide. We will see new books by such scholars
as Ronald Grigor Suny, Benny Morris and Dror Zeevi, Stefan Ihrig, and
Michelle Tusan.
"What is unique about the UNL conference is that it is organized
mostly by the efforts of Harris Center for Judiac studies with the
co-sponsorship of NAASR and SAS," Der Matossian continued. "We do not
have an Armenian chair, nor an Armenian program here but the interest
about the Armenian genocide is increasing. I myself teach a seminar on
Crimes Against Humanity at the History Department in which we
concentrate a lot on the Armenian Genocide along with the other
genocides of the 20th century."
When asked if he thinks this interest in the Armenian Genocide studies
will continue post-centennial, Der Matossian responded: "Of course the
Anniversary is an important occasion to commemorate the Armenian
Genocide. And I think that all Armenians are working hard towards that
goal both on the academic and political fronts.
"I am a bit concerned that the international interest might taper off
after the centennial. The current turmoil in the Middle East and the
significant role that Turkey plays in the region will discourage some
major countries to tackle with the issue. Though the political
dimension of the Armenian genocide is important, I think that
concentrating on academia is equally important. As an educator I would
like to see that the Armenian Genocide be taught at different
universities here in the U.S. I would like to see that more young
scholars get involved in researching the Armenian Genocide not only
from the perspective of Armenian history, but in the context of global
waves of mass violence that inflicted societies in the 20th centuries.
More support needs to be given to scholars who do research on the
Armenian Genocide, regardless of their background.
"From the perspective of a historian the centennial is just three
numbers: one and two zeros. For me personally nothing is going to
change. Armenians will continue with their recognition efforts. The
debates in Turkey about the Armenian Genocide will continue and
hopefully it would not only be limited to a couple of universities and
a tight circle of leftist intellectuals in Istanbul writing for Taraf
or Radikal.
The regional situation in the Middle East will dictate the future with
regard to the attitude of different regional or global powers to the
Armenian Genocide. We might even see more morally bankrupt
authoritarian regimes in the Middle East "recognizing" the Armenian
genocide which itself is an insult to the memory of the victims.
"In one sentence things will continue to be the same as they were
during the 99th anniversary," Der Matossian concluded.
Bedross Der Matossian is Assistant Professor of History at University
of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is the author of Shattered Dreams of
Revolution: From Liberty to Violence in the Late Ottoman Period
(Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, 2014).
http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2014-09-27-nebraska-to-host-international-conference-on-armenian-genocide