Armenian Genocide Studies Takes a New Approach

By GEORGE DULGERYAN
Gdulgeryan88@ucla.edu

Dr. Richard G. Hovannisian, the Armenian Educational Foundation (AEF) Chair in Modern Armenian History at UCLA, has hosted two on-campus events in commemoration of the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The first event was a public lecture on April 13 by Matthias Bjørnlund titled “Smyrna/Izmir, 1914‐1916: A Special Case during the Armenian Genocide.” The second event, held on April 15, was a public lecture by Dr. Ugur Ümit Üngör titled “Confiscation and Colonization: The Young Turk Seizure of Armenian Property,” which is the title of his forthcoming book. In addition to these two, Dr. Richard G. Hovannisian also hosted a symposium at the Glendale Public Library titled “Looking Backward, Moving Forward.”

An archival historian from Copenhagen, Denmark, Matthias Bjørnlund has explored Scandinavian sources relating to the Armenian Genocide. These archives hold a great deal of information about the genocide by diplomats, missionaries, and humanitarians. Bjørnlund continues to research and create an in-depth analysis of specific regions during the genocide, such as Smyrna (presently Izmir). One significant point raised in his lecture was that one of the goals of the Young Turk Party was to rid the region of Smyrna of Christian Greeks and Armenians and to replace them with Muslims. This “ethnic-cleansing” was not very “clean,” said Bjørnlund. He also explained why Smyrna was largely exempt from the deportations and massacres that affected all the surrounding areas, but noted that sadly in 1922, the city would be occupied and burned by the armies of Mustafa Kemal.

One of Bjørnlund’s studies titled “A fate worse than dying: Sexual violence during the Armenian Genocide” is included in the book Brutality and Desire: War and Sexuality in Europe’s Twentieth Century. Bjørnlund argues, “There is ample evidence that the destruction of the Ottoman Armenians was characterized by distinct gendered aspects, especially the particular timing and the methods of killing women and children, that females were subjected to massive, systematic sexual abuse, and that a number of women and children were allowed to survive as Muslim Turks.”

Dr. Ugur Ümit Üngör, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for War Studies, University College Dublin and an associate of the Center of Holocaust and Genocide Studies in Amsterdam, discussed several aspects of his forthcoming book, Confiscation and Colonization: The Young Turk Seizure of Armenian Property. One of his initial points was the Turks had the developing ideology of National Economy, Milli Iktisat in Turkish. Dr. Üngör states, “National economy was impossible without the disappearance of the Armenians.” He went on to explain how Young Turk legislation in 1915 used “the justice system for injustice,” in order to confiscate the property of the Armenians and distribute them to new Muslim proprietors or to escheat them to the state.Dr. Ugur Ümit Üngör, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for War Studies, University College Dublin and an associate of the Center of Holocaust and Genocide Studies in Amsterdam, discussed several aspects of his forthcoming book, Confiscation and Colonization: The Young Turk Seizure of Armenian Property. One of his initial points was the Turks had the developing ideology of National Economy, Milli Iktisat in Turkish. Dr. Üngör states, “National economy was impossible without the disappearance of the Armenians.” He went on to explain how Young Turk legislation in 1915 used “the justice system for injustice,” in order to confiscate the property of the Armenians and distribute them to new Muslim proprietors or to escheat them to the state.

Dr. Üngör followed with an in-depth analysis of Diyarbakir, the ancient Tigranakert region. He spoke of its specific misfortune under zealous Young Turk officials who also enriched themselves at the expense of the Armenians. He emphasized that, aside from the businesses in the city, the plunder revolved around three major economic fields: vineyards, copper mines, and silk and textile works. His research is unique in the sense that it examines and analyzes a specific region and specific henchmen of the Turkish regime, such as Mehmed Reshid and the Pirinjizade clan.

As for the “Looking Backward, Moving Forward” symposium, more than 200 people gathered in the Glendale Public Library auditorium on Sunday, April 18, for a very stimulating discussion commemorating the 95th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Dr. Richard G. Hovannisian initiated the program by giving a brief introduction of the history of Armenians and the modern day issue of genocide recognition and remembrance. He emphasized the fact that “the history of the Armenians is not just one of tragedy but also, and even more, one of survival and optimistic rebuilding.”

Following a brisk discussion from a fully engaged audience, Dr. Richard G. Hovannisian concluded with these final words:

“We now are witnessing a new generation of scholars who are exploring the genocide from the bottom up, from micro to macro point of view, and we look forward to new and valuable studies of this type from a new generation of well prepared, conscientious scholars.”