Recent Articles from the Armenian Weekly...

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Recent Articles from the Armenian Weekly... Examining ‘the Denialist Habitus in Post-Genocidal Turkey’ BDP, ARF Hold High-Level Meeting in Istanbul Hajox: Looking Back at Two Years of Environmental Activism in Armenia Sharing Ownership of Armenia’s Social Issues Sassounian: Armenia Should Renounce Protocols Long Before Genocide Centennial St. Stephen’s Students Celebrate Armenian Cultural Day Search Armenian Weekly Examining ‘the Denialist Habitus in Post-Genocidal Turkey’ An Interview with Talin Suciyan The forced eradication of the Armenians from their homeland in 1915 has generated a unique scholarship that closely examines the genocidal policies from 1915 to 1923. One aspect, however, has remained blurred: the post-genocidal period and the repercussions of the genocide on the remaining Armenian population in Turkey. In this interview with the Armenian Weekly, Talin Suciyan shows the consistency of state policies and internalization of these policies on the level of everyday life by the larger parts of the society. According to Suciyan, the normalization of denial both by the state and the society created a denialist habitus. She also presents tangible examples of how the Armenians had to become part of the denial as there was no other way of existence for them in the public sphere. Talin Suciyan (Photo by Lara Aharonian) Suciyan was born in Istanbul, Turkey. She attended the Armenian elementary school in her town and the Sahakyan Nunyan... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • BDP, ARF Hold High-Level Meeting in Istanbul YEREVAN— A high-level meeting between delegations representing the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) of Turkey was held in Istanbul on Nov. 12. This was the first time since 1923 that an official ARF delegation was visiting Istanbul. A scene from the meeting in Istanbul The BDP delegation was led by Nazmi Gür, head of BDP’s foreign relations committee and member of the Turkish parliament, elected from Van. The ARF delegation was led by Mario Nalpatian, member of the ARF Bureau and vice-president of the Socialist International. The Istanbul meeting was part of an ongoing dialogue about the possibilities of Armenian-Kurdish cooperation, Western Armenia and Kurdistan, as well as the national and democratic aspirations of the Armenian and Kurdish nations. A previous meeting was held on Oct. 29, in Washington, between delegations led by BDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş and ARF Bureau member Hagop Der Khatchadourian.      • Email to a friend • Article Search • Hajox: Looking Back at Two Years of Environmental Activism in Armenia Special to the Armenian Weekly I was fresh out of a 21-year career teaching high school history and United States government, and was looking for something challenging and new. So, I chose to try my luck in Armenia. I knew next to nothing about Armenian culture, politics, and language; and very little of its history. I was hired by the Armenian Environmental Network (AEN) to continue work on providing information to the Armenian Diaspora, as well as on raising the profile of Armenia’s solid waste management problems, and to come up with some sensible solutions. Needless to say, I came with a different perspective than the typical diasporan, which I shared in numerous blog posts in the last two years. Although the saving of Trchkan Waterfall from complete and utter destruction was their first victory, the activists really proved themselves at Mashtots Park. (Photo by Kirk Wallace) I began work for AEN in June 2011. The organization was founded in 2007 by its current president,... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • Sharing Ownership of Armenia’s Social Issues Landlocked, blockaded, and permanently under threat of attack from hostile neighbors, the Republic of Armenia faces a multitude of national security issues. These issues are further perpetuated by a myriad of social concerns relating to health, education, and poverty, and arising from a government wrought with corruption, a business environment dominated by oligarchs, and a serious emigration problem. But all is not doom and gloom. For the most part, Armenia’s social problems have been tackled by individual- and group-run NGOs, which have done their collective utmost to serve the needs of the country and the people. Coupled with this have been the generous donations of Armenians in Armenia and across the globe who have assisted in funding NGOs in the country. Despite this generosity, however, NGOs face an uphill battle to fund the projects that will help Armenia make the transition from a developing to a developed nation. In the absence of good government and with NGOs constantly... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • Sassounian: Armenia Should Renounce Protocols Long Before Genocide Centennial Expecting a public relations nightmare during the Armenian Genocide Centennial, Turkish officials are anxious to prevent further damage to their country’s already tarnished reputation. Even though they have no intention of opening the border with Armenia, Turkey’s leaders are pretending to do so by constantly issuing fake conciliatory statements. By falsely claiming that Turkey is in the process of patching up its differences with Armenia, Ankara’s hidden agenda is to discourage additional countries from recognizing the genocide. However, given Azerbaijan’s paranoid reaction to any talk of Turkey opening its border with Armenia, Turkish officials are forced to retreat by warning that the Armenia-Turkey border will remain closed unless “progress” is made on the Karabagh (Artsakh) issue. Such contradictory statements have been issued countless times, ever since Armenia and Turkey signed the protocols in 2009 to open their mutual border and establish diplomatic relations. As... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • St. Stephen’s Students Celebrate Armenian Cultural Day WATERTOWN, Mass.—For the 14th consecutive year, St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School (SSAES) held its annual Armenian Cultural Day celebrations on its campus at the Armenian Cultural and Educational Center (ACEC) on Thurs., Oct. 24.  The event brought together students, teachers, administrators, and families to commemorate the rich cultural heritage shared by Armenians around the world. Grade 2 students presenting their family trees The day began with a presentation of Gomidas Varabed by two guest musicians, Ara Sarkissian and Martin Haroutunian.  Both played a medley of traditional Armenian melodies, including “Gakavig,” “Antsrevn Yegav,” “Keleh Keleh,” and “Yeranki.” The performance was followed by a presentation by the grade 5 students, in both Armenian and English, about Armenian language, religion, and history. Next in the program was a talent show featuring the musical gifts of several SSAES students from grades 3-5. “It was heartwarming to see the... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search •