PROJECTS AND STUDIES
GOMIDAS INSTITUTE ONLINE EVENTS
The Gomidas Institute is at the cutting edge of modern Armenian Studies. Its publications and ongoing projects are second to none. Join our new online presentations, meetings and discussions with scholars and academic activists who bring our field alive. Join our mailing list today.
Sunday, 26 March 2023 - London (7.pm) [Watch Recording]
Soghomon Tehlirian and the Assassination of Talaat Pasha: Notes from the German Archives. A Presentation by Osik Moses followed by a Panel Discussion with Carla Garapedian, Bedo Demirdjian, and Ara Sarafian.
A fascinating presentation on the complexities related to German records related to Talaat Pasha's assassination on 15 March, 1921. These include the machinations of German authorities to manage the police investigation that followed the assassination and to limit the scope of the trial that followed. The speaker showed the volume of extant police, judicial, and other records related to the case and suggested future avenues of research. This discussion also linked German records to the Gomidas Institute's publication of Tehlirian's memoir in English translation, Remembrances: The Assassination of Talaat Pasha.
National Identity, Diaspora, and Space of Belonging. A presentation and discussion with Dr. Vahagn Vardanyan (Han Academy, Homg Kong), Simon Manoukian (Editor, Mioutun Magazine, Sydney) and Ara Sarafian (Gomidas Institute, London).
6 November 2021, Missak Khralian, PALAHOVID: AN ANCESTRAL MEMOIR, presented by Ara Sarafian. Sponsored by Ararat Eskijian Museum, Armenian Film Foundation and Gomidas Institute. [Closed event, no recording]
Bringing the Village Back to Life. A presentation and discussion with Gerard J. Libaridian, Harry Parsekian and Ara Sarafian (discussant).
Following the Armenian Genocide, many survivors worked together to memorialize their lost communities in the Ottoman Empire with special publications or "compatriotic studies." Some of these works were several thousands of pages, covering history, geography, customs, culture, local dialects and more. They all aimed at preserving the memory of their lost communities for future generations. A Brief History of Nirze Village of Gesaria was probably the first of such studies. It was published in Boston, in 1918, while the Armenian Genocide was still in progress. This Armenian language publication has now been translated into English with critical annotations and an introduction by Gerard J. Libaridian. In this meeting, we will discuss A Brief History of Nirze within a broader context of issues surrounding such works. Gerard J. Libaridian is a renowned historian and retired diplomat. He was the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia (1993-94) and his numerous publications include Modern Armenia: People, Nation, State (Transaction Publishers). Harry Parsekian is a retired Armenian professional with active links to the Kayseri region.
Saturday, 17 July 2021 - 7 pm (London), 2 pm (New York) [Closed event, no recording] [Publication link]
My Dear Son Garabed, I Read Your Letter: I Cried, I Laughed - KOjaian Family Letters from Efkere/Kayseri to America (1912-1919) A presentation by H. Sukru Ilicak and Jonathan Varjabedian with Ara Sarafian (discussant).
This meeting focuses on the above publication, which was a collaborative venture between Jonathan Varjabedian and H. Sukru Ilicak, and reflected on history, politics and better Turkish-Armenian relations. In this meeting we will discuss some of the core issues and important nuances that went into the compilation of this book. We will also assess the impact of such publications in promoting better Turkish-Armenian relations. H. Sukru Ilicak is a historian born and raised in Ankara. His publications include A Radical Rethinking of Empire: Ottoman State and Society During the Greek War of Independence (1821-26) (Harvard University Press). Jonathan Varjabedian is a physician and historian focusing on his ancestral village of Efkere (www.efkere.com)
COMMEMORATE THE CENTENNIAL OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN BITLIS, MUTKI AND DIYARBAKIR
Kharpert 1915: A Proposal to Turkish Colleagues for a Case Study on the Armenian Genocide
This project was a proposal to Turkish historians to focus on a single case study of the Armenian Genocide. The proposal was made by the Gomidas Institute and applauded by large sections of the Turkish press. Although the head of the Turkish Historical Society, Yusuf Halaçoğlu, agreed to work on such a project when asked by Turkish journalists, he soon pulled out, stating that the relevant Ottoman records that were supposed to exist in Turkish archives today did not actually exist. This was a bizarre statement that brought the proposed project to an end. The veteran Turkish journalist Mehmet Ali Birand stated that Halaçoğlu had scored an own goal.
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CAMPAIGNS
THE TURKISH PARLIAMENT AND THE DENIAL OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
On 28 April 2005, after months of preparation, the Turkish Grand National Assembly launched a new initiative to deny the Armenian Genocide, with an attack on the 1916 British Parliamentary Blue Book, The Treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, 1915-17. The
Turkish effort soon turned into a debacle, raising questions about the
judgment of Turkish Parliamentarians when
dealing with Armenian issues.
TALAAT PASHA'S REPORT ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
WHAT HAPPENED ON 24 APRIL 1915? THE AYASH PRISONERS
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PRESS
Reading Zabel Yessayan as Never Before in a New Edited Collection Inbox books
03 May 2023
Nora Vosbigian
Gomidas Institute is pleased to announce the publication of a probing, cutting edge work on Zabel Yessayan as an Ottoman Armenian writer, social critic, and political activist. This is an incisive work, as Nanor Kebranian she takes issue with the extant historiography on Yessayan and adds new,
original translations for our consideration.
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Project Kharpert 2022
17 September 2022
by Nora Vosbigian
Remembering the Armenians of Kharpert.
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Armenians Show Dignified Presence at Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration in Acton
28 January 2018
by Nora Vosbigian (London)
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New GI USA Branch Announced
03 January 2018
by Gomidas Institute Staff (London and Cleveland)
The Gomidas Institute is pleased to commence 2018 by announcing the
establishment of a new United States branch of our organisation in the Northeastern US
city of Cleveland.
Painting: Terminal Tower, Downtown Cleveland by Berdj Gumushdjian (1915-2010), 1984.
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A Process of Reconciliation : Kurds, Armenians, and Turks Discuss the Legacy of the Armenian Genocide
20 September 2016
Report by Nora Vosbigian
(Photo: At the ruins of St. Sarkis church, Diyarbakir: Kurdish politicians and activists praying for the victims of the Armenian Genocide, 24 April 2015.)
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Building Bridges: Kurdish Mayors Make Historic Visit to London
11 September 2016
Ara Sarafian
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Officials and Society in Eastern Turkey Confront Legacy of the Armenian Genocide
01 May 2015
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An Eye-Opener
21 October 2015
A Prodding and Contentious Work on the Armenian Genocide.
Anoush Melkonian (London)
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Karen Jeppe and Armenians: An Interview with Prof. Jonas Kauffeldt
01 February 2016
Nora Vosbigian (London)
Jonas Kauffeldt is Assistant Professor of History at the University of
North Georgia and a relative newcomer to the Armenian world. His recent
translation of Karen Jeppe’s Danish book, Misak: An Armenian Life
(Gomidas Institute, 2015) is a masterful work and includes a fascinating
70 page introduction by Kauffeldt.
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British Parliamentary Blue Book on Armenian Genocide Sent to the Turkish Parliament for a Second Time
22 February 2013
Nora Vosbigian (London)
The Gomidas Institute and the Turkish Human Rights Association remind the Turkish Grand National Assembly that the latter still owes an explanation for its 2005 allegations against the British Parliament and the Armenian Genocide thesis.
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Besmirching Armenians
21 March 2013
Anush Melkonian (London)
London was the venue for a conference sponsored by the Federation of
Turkish Associations UK. The event took place in an auditorium hired at
the London School of Economics by the sponsors. The thrust of the
meeting was the vilification of Armenians and the denial of the Armenian
Genocide.
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Making it Happen: Rehabilitating Armenians in Bitlis
17 July 2014
GI Press Release.
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A Ground-Breaking Turkish Conference : The Social and Economic History of Mardin Region, 1838-1938
09 November 2012
Fulya Burke (Mardin)
A truly international and interdisciplinary cutting-edge programme, with the participation of leading Armenian, Assyrian, Turkish and Kurdish scholars.
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Closer Cooperation between Armenians and Assyrians
11 December 2012
Executive Board, Assyrian American Association of San Jose
Seyfo Centre USA hosted a series of educational lectures in Los
Angeles, San Diego, Turlock and San Jose on the Assyrian-Armenian
Genocide and Seyfo in 1915. The lectures were organized with the help of
local Assyrian American organizations, and given by the
British-Armenian historian, Ara Sarafian (Gomidas Institute, London).
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