On Nov. 21-22, the Society for Armenian Studies (SAS) will hold a two-day conference at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C., titled “Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in the 19-20th Century,” to mark the 40th anniversary of its founding.
Twenty participants representing various international academic institutions will participate in the three panels. They include Heghnar Watenpaugh, Umit Kurt, Rachel Goshgarian, Murat Yildiz, Richard Hovannisian, Anahit Kartashyan, Khatchig Mouradian, and Nora Cherishian Lessersohn.
The first panel, titled “The Contributions of Armenians to Ottoman Culture, Society, Art, and Architecture,” will include papers on such topics as “Reconstructing the Urban and Architectural History of Ottoman-Armenian Communities: Zeytun, 1850-1915” and “Reassessing Cultural Transformation in Early-20th-Century Bolis: Armenian Contributions to a Shared Ottoman Physical Culture.”
Panels two and three will focus on “The Aftermath of the Genocide.” Papers in these two sessions range from “The Emergence of the New Wealthy Class between 1915-1921: The Seizure of Armenian Property by the Local Elites in Aintab,” to “Naim Bey from Sis to Meskeneh: Testimony, Between Survivor Reticence and Descendants’ Consumption Binge.”
“As we are approaching the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, this timely conference not only allow us to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Society for Armenian Studies, one of the most important academic organizations dedicated to Armenian studies, but also to commemorate the Armenian Genocide,” said Prof. Bedross Der Matossian, chair of the Organizing Committee and vice-president of the SAS. “In addition to fascinating papers that concentrate on the contribution of the Armenians to Ottoman society, there are also other captivating papers on the Armenian Genocide viewed from different perspectives that range from fresh studies on the concentration camps, humanitarian interventions, to denial of the genocide.”
The conference will conclude with a reception on Saturday night. All sessions are free and open to the public. No registration is required. The conference will take place in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA), which is going to be held in Washington from Nov. 22-25.
“We urge the Armenian community at large and the academic community to attend this fascinating event and learn more about different aspects of the history of Armenians in the late Ottoman period,” said Der Matossian.
The full program can be viewed by visiting http://societyforarmenianstudies.com/2014/10/14/sas-40th-anniversary-conference-armenians-in-the-ottoman-empire-in-the-19th-20th-centuries.
The Society for Armenian Studies was founded in 1974 by a group of scholars on the initiative of Richard G. Hovannisian, Dickran Kouymjian, Nina Garsoian, Avedis Sanjian, and Robert Thomson. It is dedicated to promoting the study of Armenian culture and society; facilitating the exchange of scholarly information pertaining to Armenian studies around the world; and sponsoring panels and conferences on Armenian studies.
SAS programs include the publication of a newsletter on both its activities and current research on Armenia, and the publication of the peer-reviewed Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies, as well as the encouragement, sponsorship, and publication of research on all facets of Armenian culture and society.
For more information on the Society for Armenian Studies, visit www.societyforarmenianstudies.com.
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