Dear Friends,
Welcome back to a new academic year. And welcome to the second decade of the Institute of Armenian Studies. Here’s a quick rundown of what we’re up to. And you’re invited!
CINESILK: Afternoon of Film, Discussion, and Reflection as Armenia Marks 25 Years of Independence. 2016 will be the 25th year of independence for Armenia.
The fall of the Soviet Union and the establishment of new independent republics have special significance for our area of study. The Institute’s first program marking this anniversary is an afternoon of film and discussion on the occasion of Independence Day. CINESILK is a new series; it will feature the films of the Caucasus countries and the people around the Caucasus on the old silk route, but part of the modern cinematic experience. Look for programs throughout the year. The first one is an afternoon of film and discussion on Sunday, September 20, from 3 to 7 pm at the Laemmle Theater in Pasadena. More on this and other CINESILK programs here.
Decades After Genocide: Is Justice Possible?
International Prosecutor Nicholas Koumjian will be in conversation with USC Gould Law Professor Hannah Garry. Their topic: Decades After Genocide: Is Justice Possible? This is the first in the noon-time IN CONVERSATION series this new year. Come hear two experts talk about the most difficult of topics. Thursday, September 3, at the USC Ground Zero Coffeehouse. Lunch is included. The program will be livestreamed here.
The Presence of Absence: Photographing Loss and Violence
The next IN CONVERSATION guest is Armen Marsoobian of Southern Connecticut State University and author of the recently-published FRAGMENTS OF A LOST HOMELAND. On September 16 at noon, USC Dean of Religious Life Varun Soni will lead Marsoobian in conversation about his family’s unique collection of photographs from 19th and early 20th century Ottoman life. These photographs, which have been exhibited in Turkey, portray a story of vibrant culture, exile, memory, and history. The program will be livestreamed here.
Fall Armenian Classes at USC and Q&A With Professor Richard Antaramian, Turpanjian Early Career Chair in Armenian Studies
Introduction to Armenian Studies and Armenian HistoryHist 185, Tu/Th 3:30 – 4:50 pm
Ottomans and Empire: Anatolia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean World Hist 278, Tu/Th 11 am – 12:50 pm
PROF ANTARAMIAN, THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF YOUR SECOND YEAR. TELL US ABOUT THE COURSES YOU WILL BE OFFERING.
This semester I am teaching two classes, one a survey of Armenian history and the other an introductory course to Ottoman history. In both cases, I hope to provide students a critical lens for understanding the past. Generally, Armenian history is portrayed as melancholy story of poor Armenians pitted in a heroic struggle against foreigners. Ottoman history, meanwhile, is told as an ethnically Turkish enterprise. In addition to being pockmarked with inaccuracies, such interpretations tend to conceal more than they reveal. In both these classes I present a more complex picture that will hopefully leave students with sharper tools for thinking critically about the past.
YOU OFFERED A UNIQUE CLASS ON THE DIASPORA LAST YEAR. COULD YOU DESCRIBE IT PLEASE?
I taught an intensive four-week course that used oral history to look at the Armenian diaspora community of southern California. As a special course, we were not confined to the traditional seminar or lecture setting you would encounter during a regular semester. Instead, we visited a number of Armenian and non-Armenian diasporic institutions including schools, political parties, newspapers, as well as a number of restaurants‹where students conducted field research. We also hosted a number of visitors, both in person and via Skype. Among our guests were a number of journalists, intellectuals, political representatives, and even a former Armenian diplomat.
IN ADDITION TO TEACHING, YOU ARE OF COURSE FOCUSING ON YOUR RESEARCH. WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?
My teaching and research interests are intimately intertwined. Presently, I am working on two book projects. The first looks at how Armenians navigated Ottoman politics and society. I do this not to provide a reappraisal of Armenian political thinking though my work does do that implicitly but instead to investigate heretofore unexplored areas of Ottoman history. Despite the protests of nationalists, Armenians were of course Ottomans. They were native Anatolians who used Ottoman currency, petitioned the Ottoman state, had Ottoman land deeds and travel documents, and generally knew at least two Ottoman languages—Turkish and Armenian—and sometimes more, such as Kurdish Greek, or Arabic. They were Ottoman social and historical actors, and it’s time we stopped pretending they weren’t. My second project, which is in its formative stages, will be about the Armenian diaspora.
Lucie Agbabian Hubbard
We are saddened to inform you that Lucie Agbabian Hubbard, singer and musicologist, who had played a key role in establishing the Friends of Armenian Music at USC, succumbed to cancer in June. She had a strong hand not only in organizing and developing the Friends of Music, but also served as instructor for many years. A memorial service will be held at the United Armenian Congregational Church in Los Angeles on September 20 at 3 pm.
It’s going to be a year full of new programs. We will communicate with you often — but not too often.
If you want to reach us, call (213) 821-3943 or write to armenian@….
About the Institute
Established in 2005, the USC Institute of Armenian Studies supports multidisciplinary scholarship to re-define, explore and study the complex issues that make up the contemporary Armenian experience — from post-Genocide to the developing Republic of Armenia to the evolving Diaspora. The institute encourages research, publications and public service, and benefits from communication technologies that link together the global academic and Armenian communities.
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