News
Two Classic Works on Artsakh
While taking note of the anniversary of the capture of Shushi this week in 1992, one of the key events in the Nagorno-Karabakh war, we look back at two noteworthy books from NAASR’s Mardigian Library from the late 19th century that explore the then recent past of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabagh: Khamsayi Melikʻutʻiwnnerě (Խամսայի Մելիքութիւններ) by Raffi and Gaghtnik‘ Gharabaghi (Գաղտնիք Ղարաբաղի) by Apresi Beknazareants‘.
“Come On-a My House” and the Armenian-American Pop Music Invasion That Never Was
Not everything in NAASR’s Mardigian Library is a book. There are also, among other things, a huge number of recordings—78s, LPs, tapes, CDs, etc., all with some Armenian connection or another. Some of these will be topics of future installments; most of them are obscure, except to specialists and collectors. For this installment we will go in a totally different direction and focus on a record that was a huge hit in its day, and its Armenian connections.
Hushamatean Mets Egherni, 1965, and the Rebirth of Armenian Genocide Scholarship
Fifty-five years ago, April 1965, can truly be seen as, in the words of author (and NAASR Board member) Michael Bobelian, “the birth of the modern campaign of justice” for the Armenian Genocide. 1965 may also be seen as the year of the re-birth of efforts to document the Armenian Genocide, which would lead to the creation, in more recent years, of a growing body of scholarship on the Genocide.
NAASR Becomes Visual History Archive Full Access Site
In remembrance of the Armenian Genocide, we wanted to share with you the news that NAASR is offering the public full access to all of the testimonies of witnesses and survivors of the Genocide, recorded in the Visual History Archive of the USC Shoah Foundation.
In Memoriam: Rouben Shougarian
NAASR joins with all Armenians and many others in the worlds and diplomacy, academia, and elsewhere in mourning the untimely death of Amb. Rouben Shougarian on April 20, 2020.
Franz Werfel’s "The Forty Days of Musa Dagh"
Franz Werfel’s novel Die Vierzig Tage des Musa Dagh (The Forty Days of Musa Dagh), originally published in Berlin by Paul Zsolnay Verlag in 1933, is undoubtedly the most famous work of literature that focuses on the Armenian Genocide. We pause to remember the contribution Werfel (1890-1945) made, in the year 2020 which marks the 130th anniversary of his birth and the 75th anniversary of his death.
NAASR Annual Assembly Postponed
Due to continuing health and safety concerns arising from the coronavirus, NAASR has postponed its Annual Assembly originally set for May 9, 2020. We regret having to make this decision but look forward to seeing you in person in our beautiful new headquarters when it is possible. We will let you know the date once the situation becomes clearer than it is at the moment.
Treasures From The Guerguerian Archive at NAASR
To bring the treasures of NAASR’s rare book Mardigian Library to you, we are featuring some extraordinary masterpieces from our 30,000 volume collection. For Easter week, we have chosen Bats‘atrut‘iwn sharakanats‘: Ork‘ pashtin i hasarakats‘ zhamakargut‘ean Hayastaneayts‘ Ekeghets‘woy (Բացատրութիւն շարականաց: Որք պաշտին ի հասարակաց ժամակարգութեան Հայաստանեայց Եկեղեցւոյ), by Gabriel Awetikean (Գաբրիէլ Աւետիքեան), published in 1814 at San Lazzarro in Venice (Վենետիկ Ի Վանս Սրբոյ Ղազարոյ). The book is 807 pages long and is 27 cm. in height.
IN MEMORIAM: Jack M. Medzorian, NAASR Board Member and Community Benefactor
Jack M. Medzorian, NAASR Board Member and Community Benefactor NAASR is deeply saddened to inform our members and friends of the passing of long-serving Board Member Jack M. Medzorian of Winchester, MA, at the age of 93. A ceaseless worker for Armenians throughout the diaspora and in the Republic and a dedicated family man, Jack was a stalwart member of the NAASR Board since 1995, serving on the Executive Committee for most of those years and remaining an active part of NAASR until his death. NAASR Board Chairman Yervant Chekijian remarked with sadness that “We lost the wise man of...
NAASR and Knights of Vartan Issue Most Scholar Grants To Date
During the second half of 2019, NAASR and the Knights of Vartan Fund for Armenian Studies received the largest ever number of requests and issued the most grants to scholars around the world since the beginning of their partnership in 2007. The following recipients received grants during this period (July-December 2019). Nora Bairamian, graduate student, Columbia University, Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies, Columbia University, travel grant to conduct research for MA thesis, “Reassessing the Legacy of Mkrtich Khrimian.” Grant issued by NAASR. Sargis Baldaryan, Ph.D. student, Armenian History Chair, Yerevan State University, travel grant to access manuscripts for...