YEREVAN, Armenia — On December 17, the Oral History Matters initiative hosted the 10th installment of the Inner Circle Conversations series at the Akian Art Gallery of the American University of Armenia (AUA) with Nyree Abrahamian, featuring her documentary film, Country of Dust: Daughter of the Crying Man.
Abrahamian is a poet, educator, and creative producer based in Yerevan. She is one-third of the trio behind “Country of Dust,” a narrative podcast about Armenia, and co-founder of the Tumanyan International Storytelling Festival. Nyree’s poems are published in Mizna, Poetry Northwest, Protean Magazine, Rusted Radishes, and Nimrod International Journal, among others. Prior to her immersion in the world of storytelling, Nyree developed educational programs and taught at AUA. She holds a B.A. in English from York University and an Ed.M. in International Education Policy from Harvard University.
The documentary charts how an unexpected VHS in a Toronto basement leads to finding a branch of the family that has been lost for 60 years, and uncovering the last Armenian village still surviving in Turkey. For this episode of “Country of Dust,” producer Abrahamian digs deep into her family archive to explore the intergenerational impacts of displacement and the layered, paradoxical implications of homecoming.
After the screening of the documentary, Nyree and the guests engaged in a sustained reflective discussion on the themes of belonging and identity, the concept of home, ethical complexities involved in research and how all these aspects shape one as a person and a researcher. Nyree got to share stories about her father’s village; its past, present, and the post-earthquake reality.
As the discussion went on, the attendees got to define and redefine what it means to be diasporan and what it takes for someone to feel like they belong somewhere. The crowd left with a warm feeling of connectedness to a place most of them had not personally visited, thanks to the beautifully and passionately woven narrative by Nyree Abrahamian.
Oral History Matters is a collaborative research hub and an umbrella initiative established by a core team of AUA alumni and faculty to give more visibility to qualitative research frameworks in general and life history research in particular. It seeks to dismantle dominant research practices by bringing oral history to the forefront and challenging conventional narratives.
To stay updated about all upcoming events, follow @oralhistorymatters on Instagram. All In(Sight) House Talks can also be viewed on YouTube, @oralhistorymatters.
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 and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.
