AUA’s Suren Manukyan Reelected to the IAGS Advisory Board
2 min readPHNOM PENH, Cambodia – On July 14-19, 2019, Dr. Suren Manukyan, adjunct lecturer at the American University of Armenia (AUA), and head of the Department of Comparative Genocide Studies at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, participated in the 14th Conference of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) titled “The Missing Picture: Rethinking Genocide Studies and Prevention.” The event was jointly hosted by the American University of Phnom Penh (AUPP) and Rutgers University’s Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights.
Dr. Manukyan delivered a presentation titled “Armenian Genocide Studies. Roots and Trends” that outlined the birth of Armenian genocide studies and the parallel development of three main schools: those of the Diaspora (mainly in Lebanon and France, the U.S., and Soviet Armenia). He also touched upon the progress made with the publication of the first collection of documents, the original studies published earlier, the pioneering works by the pillars of Armenian Genocide scholarship – Richard Hovhannisian and recently deceased Vahakn Dadrian, as well as the establishment of many research centers and university programs on the Armenian Genocide.
“In recent years, interest in research of the Armenian Genocide within Genocide studies has somewhat diminished. Other genocides, ongoing or more recent (the Rwandan and Darfur genocides), as well as the Holocaust, have attracted more attention by scholars. But the Armenian Genocide, as a classic case of the crime of genocide, can be reinterpreted from the perspective of newly discovered archival documents and new research methods. My presentation was intended to provide impetus for international genocide scholars to utilize new insights from Armenian genocide scholarship in their own research,” noted Dr. Manukyan.
At the conference Dr. Manukyan was reelected to serve as one of six members of the IAGS Advisory Board, which coordinates the work of this largest international network of genocide scholars. Dr. Henry Theriault, a prominent researcher of the Armenian Genocide, also was reelected as president of IAGS.
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.
