This presentation explores the emergence of the standard language known today as Western Armenian. In particular, it examines the intellectual labor that led to the acceptance of this language as the dominant written medium among Ottoman Armenians by 1915.
In this special presentation Dr. Claude Mutafian will cover both topics. There will also be a musical presentation by acclaimed composer and pianist Vatche Mankerian.
Dr. Owen Miller, the author of a thesis and several research articles on the Sasun massacre of 1894 and its background, will discuss with Dr. Jelle Verheij his findings and the need for revision of the traditional perspectives, touching on many of the key issues and players: the death toll, characteristics and motivation of the perpetrators, the roles of the Ottoman authorities, foreign powers and Armenian revolutionary parties.
In 2021, Büke Uras published his most comprehensive publication to date, “Balyans, Ottoman Architecture and Balyan Archive.” The Mayor of Istanbul financed the 3rd and 4th editions of the book and decided it to be the official diplomatic gift of Istanbul Municipality, a first in Republic’s history for an item of Armenian subject.
The Horrors of Adana offers one of the first close examinations of these events, analyzing sociopolitical and economic transformations that culminated in a cataclysm of violence. Drawing on primary sources in a dozen languages, he develops an interdisciplinary approach to understand the rumors and emotions, public spheres and humanitarian interventions that together informed this complex event.