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.
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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