Armenian Institute - Talk by Dr Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian

ARMENIAN INSTITUTE

OTTOMAN PERIOD BOOKS

IN THE ARMENIAN INSTITUTE LIBRARY

An illustrated talk by Dr Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian

Saturday, 13 November 2010 at 4 pm
Armenian Institute Library
Lower Ground Floor of N Gulbenkian Hall, Iverna Gardens, W8 6TP. (Tube: High Street Kensington)

Admission: £3; Free for AI Friends

Dr. Stepan–Sarkissian will talk about books in the AI library published in the Ottoman Empire, including books written in Turkish with Armenian characters, dictionaries, religious books by foreign missionaries. The library also holds an important collection of books of historiographic interest published in Ottoman Turkish script.

A biochemist by training, Dr Stepan–Sarkissian is a partner in a consultancy partnership responsible for making detailed assessment of technology between overseas industrial clients and European companies. He also works part–time at the Armenian Institute as librarian, research advisor and administrator.

A CANDLELIT DINNER OF ARMENIAN SPECIALITIES

Saturday, 13 November 2010 at 6 pm
N Gulbenkian Hall

Iverna Gardens, W8 6TP

(Tube: High Street Kensington)

Followed by

FOOD, CULTURE AND IDENTITY

An illustrated talk about Armenian food traditions by Dr Susan Pattie

Saturday, 13 November 2010 at 7.30 pm
N Gulbenkian Hall

Iverna Gardens, W8 6TP

(Tube: High Street Kensington)

Admission:
Dinner & Lecture (including dessert): £15; £12 for AI Friends
Lecture (including dessert): £5; £3 for AI Friends

While some try hard to uncover food that is somehow uniquely Armenian, others insist that there is no such thing as Armenian food – it is all Middle Eastern (or Caucasian) and not worth mentioning as a marker of ethnic identity. However, it is through the senses that impressions last the longest and food is one of the most powerful and pervasive of these, connecting generations through smells and tastes as well as memories of foods and feasts no longer available. Dr. Pattie will explore ways in which Armenians create and maintain identity through hospitality and food and how Armenian food traditions have changed considerably over time and around the world. Cookbooks will be included in a discussion of the creation of a “national cuisine” as we look at the role of food in Armenian social life.

Dr. Susan Pattie is a Senior Research Fellow at University College London (anthropology), teaches for the Syracuse University London Program and is director of the Armenian Institute. She was a Visiting Scholar in the Armenian Studies Program and Anthropology Department at the University of Michigan where she taught two courses for the autumn 2009 term. Author of Faith in History: Armenians Rebuilding Community (Smithsonian Institution Press) and numerous other publications, Dr. Pattie’s research has focused on Armenians in diaspora, beginning with fieldwork in Cyprus.

The Armenian Institute is a London-based registered charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a living experience, through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, exhibits and performances. Its work is supported by friends, patrons and voluntary donations. For more information about the Armenian Institute or to find out about supporting the important work of the Institute, please visit our website at www.armenianinstitute.org.uk, contact us at info@armenianinstitute.org.uk or call 020 7978 9104. If you would like your email address to be removed from the list, please send an email with "remove" in the subject heading to info@armenianinstitute.org.uk.