GLENDALE—To mark and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first Republic of Armenia, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Western United States, in collaboration with the California State University, Northridge Armenian Studies Program, has organized a two-day academic conference, “Armenian Statehood Reborn: Achievements and Reflections.” The conference will take place on Saturday, May 5, 2018 and Sunday, May 6, 2018 at the Plaza del Sol Hall on the campus of CSU Northridge.
The conference is sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Harry and Cheryl Nadjarian.
The conference will critically examine new interpretations, paradigms, and narratives about the political, social, economic and cultural factors that shaped the history of the first Armenian Republic. Two of the acclaimed speakers at the conference will be Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian and Dr. Rubina Peroomian.
Dr. Rubina Peroomian is an independent scholar/author who has taught courses in Armenian Studies at UCLA. She has lectured widely, presented at international symposia, and has contributed several research articles to scholarly journals and book chapters. Aside from her four volumes dedicated to the study of Armenian Genocide literature and her teachers’ guide (teaching the Armenian Genocide through grades K-12), Dr. Peroomian authored an article on relations between the ARF and Bolsheviks from 1917-1921. She holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from UCLA.
During the conference, Dr. Peroomian will discuss the destructive activities of Armenian Bolsheviks who labeled the First Republic as “a dashnak hell.” In their haste to hand the country over to Soviet Russia, the Bolsheviks used every means to thwart the government’s attempts to secure the goodwill of Moscow and Russia’s recognition of Armenia’s independence. She will also expound, with contemporary examples, that the perception of the “independent republic” by Armenian Bolsheviks and their anti-Dashnak stance have not only distorted Armenian historiography but have also left the legacy of a mindset harmful to the unity of the nation and national interests.
Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian is the Associate of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the London School of Economics. He served as Director of the Research on Eurasia region at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School from 2002 to 2012. Dr. Tchilingirian has lectured internationally and is the author of numerous studies, academic publications, and articles.
Dr. Tchilingirian will present on the ideological legacy and relevance in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. With the emergence of neoliberalism, political representation, policy making and makers, and public discourse were influenced by the rich and powerful, rather than represent the interest of the majority. Thus, Dr. Tchilingirian will focus on what lessons could be learned from the ideological legacy of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation during the First Republic of Armenia. Even as the founding ideological and strategic pillars of Armenian political thinking in the late 19th century were social democracy and the “liberation of the Armenian people” living under suppression and injustice, many of the fundamental political principles remain relevant in the 21st century, an era that is being “disrupted” by the Fourth Industrial Revolution of technological advancements.
The event will be free and open to the public. Further information about the program and speakers will be presented in the coming months. Please check the conference website the1strepublic.org for information and updates.
