LOS ANGELES–The fifth UCLA international conference series on Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces will feature Armenia Minor or Lesser Armenia encompassing the region of Sebastia/Sivas–with Marsovan–Amasia–Tokat–Shabin-Karahisar–Divrig–Gurun–and Gemerek. The all-day conference will be held on Saturday–May 15–from 9:15 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. in Dickson Auditorium on the UCLA campus. The conference is sponsored by the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History–in cooperation with the Grigor Narekatsi Chair in Armenian Studies–at UCLA. The series is organized by Professor Richard Hovannisian. The public is cordially invited to attend without charge. Parking will be available in Structure 3–on Hilgard Ave.
The morning sessions–from 9:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.–will focus on Lesser Armenia in ancient and medieval times. Presenters for these sessions include Doctors Richard Hovannisian–"Introduction–Lesser Armenia or Pokr Hayk"; Nora Manoukian–formerly of the Matenadaran–Yerevan–"The Legacy of the Forty Martyrs of Sebastia"; Robert Hewsen–Rowan University–"The Historical Geography of Lesser Armenia"; James Russell–Harvard University "Teprike/Divrig and Paulician Christianity"; Suren Kolangian–formerly History Institute–Yerevan–"Bishop Ukhtanes of Sebastia"; Peter Cowe–UCLA–"Armenian Emigration Patterns to Sebastia–10th-11th Centuries"; Bernard Coulie–Universite catolique de Louvain–"Armenian Manuscripts and Scriptoria of Sebastia"; and Christina Maranci–Massachusetts College of Arts–"Armenian Art and Architecture of Sebastia."
The afternoon session–2:30-6:15 p.m. will be devoted to the modern history of Sebastia. Presenters include Doctors Frank S. Stone–Emeritus–University of Connecticut–"Anatolia College of Marsova and the Sivas Teachers’ College"; Barbara Merguerian–Journal of Armenian Studies–"The View from the United States Consulate"; Hilmar Kaiser–European University Institute–and ARC–University of Michigan-Dearborn–"Marsovan in 1915: The Diary of Bertha Morley"; Helen Sahagian–Independent Scholar–Boston–"Mary Louise Graffam–Ernest Partridge–and the Armenia’s of Sivas"; Simon Payaslian–UCLA–"The Armenian Resistance at Shabin-Karahisar in 1915"; and Richard Hovannisian–"Postscriptum: Sebastia/Sivas after the Genocide." An exhibit of historic monumen’s of the region will be mounted by Richard and Anne Elizabeth Elbrecht of Davis–California.
The sixth in the UCLA series on Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces is scheduled for mid-November and will feature Tigranakert/Diyarbekir and Edessa/Urfa.