Colloquium on Genocide & Literature: Israeli and Armenian Comparative Perspectives – Day 2

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YEREVAN, Armenia – On April 14th, the American University of Armenia (AUA) College of Humanities & Social Sciences hosted Israeli colleagues for an all-day panel discussion on the topic of genocide in literature: Jewish and Armenian perspectives. This event was part of a two-day public colloquium organized by AUA Visiting Professor Yair Auron.

The second day of the colloquium was held at the AUA Akian Gallery, where the public was invited to watch presentations by visiting Israeli scholars, Armenian scholars, and international members of the AUA community. The presentations were focused on the common Israeli and Armenian experience of traumatic collective memory. Scholarly works on genocide trauma, genocidal violence, and identity, as well as literary works on Jewish and Armenian persecution, were explored. Each presentation was followed by an interactive discussion.

Professor Auron was confident that Israel would soon recognize the Armenian Genocide. In his closing comments, he stated that: “These two days have been more about the experience of human beings and scholars.” He was pleased to announce that this colloquium is the first of many yet to come. Professor Auron has served as the head of the Department of Sociology, Political Science and Communication at the Open University of Israel. Auron received his MA from the Hebrew University and his Ph.D from the Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle. He has been a strong advocate of raising awareness of the Armenian Genocide in Israel and has published a series of books in Hebrew and English on various major cases of genocide, including one on the Armenian Genocide earlier this year. As part of his time at AUA, Professor Auron has been making visits to other institutions around Armenia, including the UWC Dilijan College, where he gave a lecture on genocide to the students, academic staff, and Dilijan locals.

The full list of the participants and video of the colloquium can be found at: http://newsroom.aua.am/event/colloquium-on-genocide-literature-israeli-and-armenian-comparative-perspectives/.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.