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UCLA: Interculturalism and the integration of Syrian-Armenian refugees lecture by Gabriella Djerrahian

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Gabriella Djerrahian (Concordia University, Montreal)

Gabriella Djerrahian (Concordia University, Montreal)

The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law

Interculturalism and the integration of Syrian-Armenian refugees to Montreal, Quebec A lecture by Gabriella Djerrahian (Concordia University, Montreal)

In the wake of the civil war in Syria, over a thousand Syrian-Armenians arrived to Montreal, Quebec as refugees privately sponsored by Hay Doun, a non-for profit founded by volunteers from the local Armenian community. As the latest wave of arrivals weaved into the tapestry of Montreal’s long-established Armenian community, religious and cultural organizations as well as two Armenian schools mobilized their efforts to answer the needs of Syrian-Armenian newcomers. In this talk, anthropologist Gabriella Djerrahian provides an overview of the sponsorship program and explores some of the challenges concerning the arrival, settlement and integration of Syrian-Armenians to the city. Unlike immigrants who choose to live in other Canadian provinces where English is the main language, integration to Quebec requires learning French and becoming familiar with its history and political struggles. By tracing the intercultural, social and relational premise of a French learning program devised for these refugees, Djerrahian explores how Syrian-Armenians are making their way in Québécois society and the local Armenian community we well.

RSVP Here

Cost : Free and open to the public

Sponsors: Center for Near Eastern Studies; The Promise Institute for Human Rights; The Richard G. Hovannisian Chair in Modern Armenian History

UCLA The Promise Institute: The integration of Syrian-Armenian refugees lecture by Gabriella Djerrahian Concordia University,

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The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law

Interculturalism and the integration of Syrian-Armenian refugees to Montreal, Quebec

A lecture by Gabriella Djerrahian (Concordia University, Montreal)

In the wake of the civil war in Syria, over a thousand Syrian-Armenians arrived to Montreal, Quebec as refugees privately sponsored by Hay Doun, a non-for profit founded by volunteers from the local Armenian community. As the latest wave of arrivals weaved into the tapestry of Montreal’s long-established Armenian community, religious and cultural organizations as well as two Armenian schools mobilized their efforts to answer the needs of Syrian-Armenian newcomers. In this talk, anthropologist Gabriella Djerrahian provides an overview of the sponsorship program and explores some of the challenges concerning the arrival, settlement and integration of Syrian-Armenians to the city. Unlike immigrants who choose to live in other Canadian provinces where English is the main language, integration to Quebec requires learning French and becoming familiar with its history and political struggles. By tracing the intercultural, social and relational premise of a French learning program devised for these refugees, Djerrahian explores how Syrian-Armenians are making their way in Québécois society and the local Armenian community we well.

Cost : Free and open to the public

Sponsors: Center for Near Eastern Studies; The Promise Institute for Human Rights; The Richard G. Hovannisian Chair in Modern Armenian History

Evening with DR Armine Ishkanyan Lecture, UC Irvine School of Humanities, Armenian Studies VIDEO

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front-pictureDr Armine Ishkanian
Programme Director of the MSc in Social Policy and Development (State and NGO Streams)
London School of Economics, Department of Social Policy, Houghton Street

The challenges facing Armenia today,

Civil society – range of actors from NGOs to social movements and grassroots groups

The private sector -small & medium businesses, large corporations

International organisations and financial institutions – e.g., the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, the UN agencies

Individuals – in Armenia and in the diaspora.s

Defining civil society

A concept with a long heritage in Western thought – from Ancient Greece, Rome to the 17th-18th Century Enlightenment

 

 

Also see other interveiws Exploring Armenia, Episode 2 The Coffee Shop Success with a touch of love Story

Video Interveiw Armenian Honorary Consul Bangkok

Exploring Armenia’s potential, Episode 1 Inaugurating Adopt A Village Project

The challenges facing Armenia today.

Actors & institutions in policy processes

Defining civil society

A concept with a long heritage in Western thought – from Ancient Greece, Rome to the 17th-18th Century Enlightenment

Turkey Continues Campaign of Denial at Lecture in OC

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turkish ambassador LAMISSION VIEJO—On the eve of Germany’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Turkish Consul General of Los Angeles, Raife Gulru Gezer, continued Turkey’s campaign of denial during a presentation hosted by the World Affairs Council of Orange County (WACOC).

During her presentation, she discussed the Syrian refugee crisis and Turkey’s humanitarian efforts in the region, claiming Turkey was actually helping millions of Syrian refugees. She omitted discussing Turkey’s relations with ISIS (Dayesh), the strained relations with Russia and Israel and failed in her attempt to portray the Republic of Turkey and Erdogan as compassionate and caring champions of human rights.

At the end of the presentation, as is customary during WACOC event, attendees wrote their questions on cards and submitted them for the moderator to read aloud.

When asked about land records and deeds, and personal property belonging to Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians that had been lost during World War I and the Armenian Genocide, the Gezer’s response was dismissive: she simply stated that in times of war property is lost and gained by many people.

When asked about Turkey’s terrible record with countless journalists in jail, she reached for a handbook under the podium and read aloud the number of journalists in prison and arrogantly stated their incarceration is due to doing more than reporting facts as a journalist.

The Consul General was also asked how Turkey reconciles its position regarding the Armenian Genocide with the fact that the architects of the Genocide, Talaat, Enver and Jemal Pashas were tried and convicted in Turkey for war crimes and mass killing of Armenians, and sentenced to death in Absentia. Her response was that that the three pashas were acquitted of committing many crimes.

Finally, when asked about the Armenian Genocide and Turkey’s continued campaign of denial in light of world opinion and historical fact, she took a stern approach and restated the Republic of Turkey’s policy of denial as she stared down a few of the Armenians that were present. After which the Armenians left the event in protest.

Prior to the presentation, an Armenian woman was singled out by the numerous attendees of Turkish descent in an attempt to intimidate her and force her to leave. She was quietly seated at her table with the Orange County Board of Supervisors who passed a resolution designating April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day when a Turkish woman started arguing about the resolution stating that it was offensive. The Armenian woman responded by saying Turkey’s denial of the Genocide is offensive and that it would be best for the two of them to not talk.

Soon after, others attempted to engage the Armenian woman in an aggressive manner. Some complained to the WACOC and venue’s management who came to her table to warn that police were on their way, suggesting she should leave. She was told it was a private event, and that the organizers had complained even though the Armenian woman was a member and purchased her ticket. WACOC board members, including the chairwoman, helped deescalate the situation while defending the Armenian woman’s right to be present and ask questions.

Unfortunately, the Armenian woman was a victim of ethnic persecution here in the United States just as Armenians continue to be victims in Turkey, where even members of parliament such as Garo Palyan are attacked simply for being Armenian.

The World Affairs Council of Orange County held an event in 2015 during the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide where the ANCA Orange County chapter was one of the sponsors.

Amnesty International Press Release from April 2016 about actual events occurring in Turkey which were omitted in Gezer’s presentation:

“TURKEY: ILLEGAL MASS RETURNS OF SYRIAN REFUGEES EXPOSE FATAL FLAWS IN EU-TURKEY DEAL.

New research carried out by the organization in Turkey’s southern border provinces suggests that Turkish authorities have been rounding up and expelling groups of around 100 Syrian men, women and children to Syria on a near-daily basis since mid-January. Over three days last week, Amnesty International researchers gathered multiple testimonies of large-scale returns from Hatay province, confirming a practice that is an open secret in the region.

It is reported that refugee “registration is required to access basic services. In Gaziantep, Amnesty International met with the son of a woman requiring emergency surgery to save her life but who was denied the ability to register – and therefore have the surgery. She eventually was able to register elsewhere and receive the life-saving treatment.

All forced returns to Syria are illegal under Turkish, EU and international law.”

For more information on Turkey’s human rights violations, visit:  

Amnesty International: http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/countries/europe/turkey

Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/europe/central-asia/turkey

Reporters without Borders: https://rsf.org/en/turkey

Getty Museum to lecture on medieval Armenian manuscript illumination

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212725The Armenian American Museum and Ararat-Eskijian Museum will co-host “Curator in the Spotlight: Illuminating the Armenian Middle Ages” at the Brand Library & Art Center, Glendale on Thursday, May 26. The event will present a lecture by Dr. Elizabeth Morrison, Senior Curator of Manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

As the Armenian American Museum reports, Morrison will discuss the fascinating world of medieval Armenian manuscript illumination, also focusing on the work of Toros Roslin, the most celebrated Armenian artist of the Middle Ages, whose innovations were integral to the conception of the painted page for centuries to come.

Morrison has curated numerous exhibitions and published articles on both Flemish and French illumination. She has served on the Board of Directors of the International Center of Medieval Art and is currently a counselor for the Medieval Academy of America.

This program is one in a series taking place in conjunction with “Armenia: An Open Wound” an exhibition presented by The City of Glendale and the Library, Arts & Culture Department in partnership with the Armenian American Museum and curated by the Museo Memoria y Tolerancia [Museum of Memory & Tolerance] in Mexico City. The exhibit will be on view at the Brand Library Art Galleries through June 11, 2016.

BELMONT: Richard Hovannisian to Discuss First Republic of Armenia at Lecture in Belmont

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naasr-RGHBELMONT, Mass.—On Thurs., Dec. 3, Dr. Richard G. Hovannisian will present a lecture entitled, “The First Republic of Armenia and Its Importance Today,” at 7:30 p.m., at the First Armenian Church of Belmont, 380 Concord Ave., in Belmont. The lecture is sponsored and organized by the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) and is co-sponsored by the Armenian Assembly of America, the Armenian National Committee of Eastern Massachusetts, the First Armenian Church, and the Hamazkayin Armenian Cultural and Educational Society.

Next year will mark 45 years since the publication of the first volume of Hovannisian’s magnum opus The Republic of Armenia, and the completion of its translation into Armenian. The volumes stand as a foundational work for the study of modern Armenian history and a unique contribution to the field of Armenian studies.

Covering the years 1918-21 and drawing on a vast array of archival and published sources, Hovannisian’s work chronicles in painstaking detail the brief lifespan of the first independent Armenian state in more than half a millennium. Although, as Hovannisian observed, “the historical moment was unpropitious for enduring Armenian freedom,” and when he wrote those words the existence of the present-day Republic was 20 years off, today we are afforded a different perspective and the time is right to reexamine those crucial few years of the First Republic’s existence.

Richard G. Hovannisian is the author of Armenia on the Road to Independence, the four-volume history The Republic of Armenia, and has edited and contributed to more than 35 books, including The Armenian Genocide in Perspective; The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times; Remembrance and Denial; Looking Backward, Moving Forward; The Armenian Genocide: Cultural and Ethical Legacies; and 14 volumes of proceedings from the UCLA conference series “Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces.” A member of the UCLA faculty since 1962, he was the first holder of the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History, which is today renamed in his honor, and is presently an adjunct professor at USC, advising the Shoah Foundation on its Armenian Genocide testimony collection.

A reception at NAASR and the Bookstore will follow the program. Copies of The Republic of Armenia and other books by Hovannisian will be available the night of the lecture.

For more information, contact NAASR by calling (617) 489-1610 or e-mailing hq@naasr.org.

Fresno State to host Armenian Genocide lecture

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By Ricardo Cano
Published on The Fresno BeeFebruary 7, 2015

History-of-armeniaFresno State’s Armenian Studies Program will host a lecture on the Armenian Genocide Feb. 17 featuring author Matthew Karanian.

The lecture, held at 7:30 p.m. in the University Business Center’s Alice Peters Auditorium, is part of a spring lecture series that coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

For more information, contact the Armenian Studies Program at (559) 278-2669.

Contact Ricardo Cano: rcano@fresnobee.com, (559) 441-6024

VIDEO: Russo-Iranian relations and the formation of Modern Armenian

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Lecture by Professor George Bournoutian
UCI-Lecture-640

UC IRVINE Armenian Studies

An evening with George Bournoutian he is professor, Historian, and author. he is a Senior professor of History at Iona College and the author of over twenty-eight books, primarily on Armenian history. He has taught Armenian history at Columbia University, tufts University, new York University, Rutgers University, the University of Connecticut, Ramapo College, and Glendale community College. He is currently the visiting professor of Armenian History at Columbia.

Professor Bournoutian earned his bachelors, master, and doctorate degrees from UCLA.

To Order Professor Bournoutian Books: www.mazdapublishers.com

The Vahe and Armine Meghrouni Lecture Series in Armenian Studies

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Thursday, November 6, 2014
1010 Humanities Gateway, UC Irvine Campus

6:00 PM Reception
6:30 PM Lecture 
 “Memory and Identity:  A Journey Through Historic Armenia”
by Professor Barlow Der Mugredchian
Please join us on Thursday, November 6th for the first lecture in the Vahe and Armine Meghrouni Lecture Series of the 2014-2015 academic year.  UCI School of Humanities had a last-minute opportunity to secure Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Professor of Armenian Studies at Fresno State, to come speak at UCI next week, and we wanted to capitalize on this fabulous opportunity. 
Complimentary Parking in Lot 7
A formal invitation with full details will be sent by week’s end.  Please contact Marijana Lekousis at marijana@uci.edu with any questions. 

 

Sydney to host lecture on destroyed khachkars of Nakhichevan

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Sydney will host a lecture on destroyed khachkars of Nakhichevan Friday, July 11, Armenian National Committee of Australia reported.

180606-SydneyThe 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee (100th AGCC) announced a lecture evening with special guest, Dr. Judith Crispin.

Crispin is a Director at Manning Clark House (MCH), a noted and respected Australian ‘think tank’ based in Canberra, named after the leading historian, Manning Clark.

In November 2013, MCH began working on a ground-breaking project to digitally recreate the ancient Armenian cemetery at Djulfa. The Djulfa cemetery, which is located in the border area between Iran and Nakhichevan, was once home to more than 10,000 khachkars, traditional Armenian cross-stones, which dated back to the 15th century.

In 2005, the military of Azerbaijan began a systematic campaign to finally rid the Julfa cemetery of all the Armenian khachkars by conducting destroying operations in the area. The international community condemned these attacks, however the cemetery could not be salvaged.

A document submitted by an international parliamentary delegation to UNSECO noted that “given the impossibility of any reconstruction of the destroyed site and its khachkars – now literally pulverised – and in consideration of the fact that under the surface there are still the buried bodies of people to whose memory the former khachkars had been erected, we suggest to transform this gross act of out-spoken hatred into a positive step towards confidence-building and reconciliation.”

Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of Australia, Vache Kahramanian, stated: “We are delighted that Manning Clark House has undertaken this remarkable project. As a partner on this project, ANC Australia looks forward to working with Dr. Crispin and her team to make this project a success.”

Crispin will provide graphic evidence from her recent trip to the region, and advise specific details of MCH’s recreation project.