ARMENIAN SCHOLARS AT THE CENTER OF GENOCIDE DENIAL
Absolut Denial of the Armenian Genocide
BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN
The Turkish Studies Project of the University of Utah convened its
fourth conference on on Wednesday in Tbilisi, Georgia. The conference
is entitled “The Caucasus at Imperial Twilight: Nationalism, Ethnicity,
and Nation-Building (1870s-1920s).”
The Turkish Studies Project at Utah, directed by Prof. M. Hakan Yavuz
of the Department of Political Science, is funded by the Turkish
Coalition of America (TCA), one of the most active U.S.-based groups
promoting denial of the Armenian Genocide (the TCA is also specified
as a sponsor of the conference). The Project was established in 2009
through the TCA’s financial support.
The Turkish Coalition of America has gained notoriety since
its establishment in 2007 for its aggressive promotion of “the
contra-genocide narrative” through funding scholarship that casts
doubt on the facts of the Genocide, pursuing aggressive legal measures
such as its lawsuit (which was dismissed) against the University
of Minnesota and its Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and
working against U.S. recognition of the Genocide by the U.S. Congress
and Executive Branch.
In light of the TCA’s support of the conference, it is not surprising
to find such names as Norman Stone, Justin McCarthy, Michael Gunter,
and Kemal Cicek among the participants. Each is well known for writings
that attempt to undercut the veracity of the Armenian Genocide.
What is surprising, however, is the presence of a number of Armenian
scholars, both from the Republic of Armenia and from the United States,
including one member of the organizing committee.
[1. Gerard Libaridian (University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Retired)
2. Richard Antaramian (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor)
3. Asbed Kotchikian (Bentley University) 4. Garabet K Moumdjian
(Independent Historian) 5. Ruzanna Tsaturyan & Mkhitar Gabrielyan
(Yerevan State University)
6. Anush Hovhannisyan (Institute of Oriental Studies, NAS, Armenia)
7. Ara Papian (Head of Modus Vivendi Centre, Yerevan, Armenia) 8. Ruben
Melkonyan (Department of Oriental Studies, Yerevan State University)]
Lately, certain elements in Armenian academia have been advancing the
warped notion that by taking part in denialist or denialist-organized
conferences they can counter claims by Turkey and its mouthpieces
whose careers have hinged on historical revisionism. Yet we have seen
no proof of that.
As these Armenian academicians gallivant around the world from one
conference to another, the government of Turkey continues to invest
millions to infiltrate academic circles in the US and elsewhere.
The participation of some of the Armenian scholars on the roster of
the Tbilisi conference is not surprising as they “sold out” a long
time ago. What is more disturbing is the participation of a younger
generation of academicians who fervently argue that their presence at
such conferences bolsters the Armenian position when, in reality, it
goes a long way in advancing Turkey’s decades-long denialist policies.
The Armenian scholars’ participation in the conference does not
end with presenting papers and includes Armenians who are listed as
organizers on the program.
In the absence of efforts by Armenia to produce a new generation
of multi-lingual Armenian scholars, coupled with the laissez-faire
attitude of those who make it a point to be at the forefront of
denialist scholarship, the academic pursuit of the Armenian Cause is
taking a step backward.
Therefore, these Armenian scholars who are participating in these
conferences should be accountable to the public and through the
Armenian press must report on their efforts to “counter” Genocide
denial in these forums. After all, the same scholars took great
advantage of the arena presented by the Armenian press during their
nascent days as burgeoning scholars.
/
http://asbarez.com/110451/armenian-scholars-at-the-center-of-genocide-denial