News & Events

Crossing the Centennial: The Historiography of the Armenian Genocide Re-Evaluated

University of Nebraska-Lincoln, March 2015

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

The year 2015 marks the centenary of the Armenian genocide. On this
occasion, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is organizing a two-day
conference that will examine the latest developments in the historiography
of the Armenian genocide. The conference that will take place on March
19-20, 2015, is co-sponsored by the Harris Center for Judaic Studies, the
National Association of Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), and the
Society for Armenian Studies (SAS) in cooperation with the Department of
History and the Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Program at UNL. The
conference will focus on five themes that have been conventionally
under-researched but which in recent years have gained more scholarly
attention and analytical depth.
We invite abstract submissions on these themes before the deadline of 1
August 2014.
The travel and accommodation expenses of accepted participants will be
covered. It is the intention to publish the conference proceedings in an
edited volume.

Theoretical interpretations

In the past two decades several interpretations of the Armenian genocide
have emerged. Some of these interpretations benefited from the debate in the
field of Holocaust between the functionalists and the intentionalists.
Whereas some scholars focus on the importance of ideological factors such as
ethnic nationalism, others emphasize the primacy of state formation and
imperial politics. This panel will examine these arguments and macro-level
interpretations.

The Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, and the other genocides: A
comparative perspective  

In recent years comparative studies of the Armenian genocide have been
gaining some ground. Commonalities and differences between the Armenian
genocide, the Holocaust, and the other genocides of the 20th century have
been discussed through the lens of war/civil war, the rise of
authoritarianism, nationalism, paramilitary organizations, revolution, rape,
and international law, among others. The panel will evaluate the research on
the comparative aspects of understanding the Armenian Genocide and highlight
new venues and methodologies of conducting comparative research.

Women and children first

Women and children have been marginalized from the historiography of the
Armenian genocide. Recent attempts at integrating their experiences in the
broader framework of the genocide have focused on survival and adaptation.
This panel will assess how the voices of women and children can be weaved
into the historiography.

 Humanitarian efforts

The United States along with other European countries were deeply involved
in the Armenian genocide as spectators, bystanders, rescuers, and resisters.
Its governmental and non-governmental engagement ranged from humanitarian
relief efforts to diplomatic interventions with the Ottoman government. This
panel will canvass the latest research.

Impacts and aftermaths

The genocide had a complex aftermath in both the short term and long term.
It profoundly altered the socio-political landscape of three regions:
Anatolia, the Levant, and the Caucasus. Recent studies have focused on the
genocide’s effect on victim communities as well as entire societies. This
panel will offer a thorough discussion of these debates.

Those interested in participating should submit an abstract of no more than
250 words along with a short bio to bdermatossian2@unl.edu by 1 August 2014.

For further questions please contact:

Bedross Der Matossian, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of History
637 Oldfather Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
Phone: (402) 472-2417
Fax: 402-472-8839
E-mail: bdermatossian2@unl.edu