March 9, 2015

Conference to focus on Armenian genocide


Armenian artist Ruben Malayan created the conference poster, which portrays the experiences of Armenian women and children during the genocide death marches. It is based upon a photograph of an Armenian family taken in 1915, when Armenians living in Turkey were removed from their historic homelands through forced deportations and massacres.

Scholars from seven nations and 17 different academic institutions are to attend an international conference marking the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, to be held March 19-20 at UNL.

“Crossing the Centennial: The Historiography of the Armenian Genocide Re-Evaluated” will focus on under-researched aspects of the genocide, which launched in 1915 and left 1.5 million dead at the hands of the Young Turks regime of the late Ottoman Empire.

Humanitarian intervention, the impact on women and children, comparisons with other genocides of the 20th Century, and the genocide’s impact on society, culture and politics are the themes to be addressed by the conference.

During the featured panel, Richard G. Hovannisian of the University of California-Los Angeles will present his paper “The Centenary of the Armenian Genocide: What Have We Learned?;” Michelle Tusan of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, will present “Humanitarian Empire: Britain’s Response to the Armenian Genocide;” and Keith Watenpaugh of the University of California-Davis will present “Armenia, Armenians, the League of Nations and Modern Humanitarianism.”

Speakers scheduled for other panels will come from Armenia, Cambodia, Canada, Holland, Hungary and Israel, as well as the U.S.

The conference begins at 2 p.m. March 19 at the Wick Alumni Center’s Great Hall, 1520 R St. in Lincoln.

It is sponsored by the Norman and Bernice Harris Center for Judaic Studies at UNL; the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research in Belmont, Mass.; and the Society for Armenian Studies based in Fresno, Calif. Additional sponsors are the Department of History, the Faculty Senate Convocation Committee, the Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Program, the Women’s and Gender Studies program and the Institute of Ethnic Studies, all at UNL.

Bedross Der Matossian, assistant professor of history, is the conference organizer.