As part of the ongoing Kurdish exhibition NO FRIENDS BUT THE MOUNTAINS, the John G. White Collection at the Cleveland Public Library, in association with Gomidas Institute, was honored to screen the first Kurdish film, ZARE (1927).

Starring Maria Tenazi-Tadevosyan, this silent drama depicts a Yazidi romance in Russian Armenia.

The screening was held at the library on 16 March 2019.
Zare
New publication from the Gomidas Institute – GRIT AND GRACE IN A WORLD GONE MAD by Wendy Elliott.

This work is a personal history of a dedicated group of American and Canadian missionaries and relief workers who saved thousands of Armenian, Greek and Turkish orphans from starvation in the final days of the Ottoman Empire.

It is an extraordinary account of the first massive humanitarian aid effort.
Grit and Grace in a World Gone Mad
The Gomidas Institute is proud to present the first English translation of VAN 1915 by the brilliant Armenian intellectual A-Do.

This detailed report of the events in Van in 1915 was first published in Yerevan in 1917.

In publishing it, we hope to create a critical discussion around A-Do’s work and draw attention to such sources that should be at the heart of current debates on the Armenian Genocide.
Van 1915
JOURNEY TO ARARAT

In 1829, Friedrich Parrot and Khachatur Abovian reached the summit of Mount Ararat in the first recorded expedition of the mountain in history.

A new edition of Parrot's gripping account of the first ascent is now available from the Gomidas Institute.

It is an invaluable resource on Armenia and the Caucasus in the 19th century.
Journey to Ararat
TRUTH HELD HOSTAGE
AMERICA AND THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
- WHAT THEN? WHAT NOW?

Former American Ambassador, John M. Evans discusses his understanding of the Armenian Genocide and argues that the State Department should recognise it in the interest of the United States, Armenia and Turkey.

Memoir published by the Gomidas Institute
Truth Held Hostage
The Gomidas Institute is an independent academic organisation dedicated to modern Armenian and regional studies.  Established at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) in 1992, it began with the publication of books and evolved into a major institution undertaking research, lectures, conferences and exhibitions. The Institute is currently based in London and its executive director is Ara Sarafian.

PROJECTS AND STUDIES

GOMIDAS INSTITUTE ONLINE EVENTS

The Gomidas Institute is at the cutting edge of modern Armenian Studies. Its publications and ongoing projects are second to none. Join our new online presentations, meetings and discussions with scholars and academic activists who bring our field alive. Join our mailing list today.

Sunday, 26 March 2023 - London (7.pm) [Watch Recording]
Soghomon Tehlirian and the Assassination of Talaat Pasha: Notes from the German Archives. A Presentation by Osik Moses followed by a Panel Discussion with Carla Garapedian, Bedo Demirdjian, and Ara Sarafian.
A fascinating presentation on the complexities related to German records related to Talaat Pasha's assassination on 15 March, 1921. These include the machinations of German authorities to manage the police investigation that followed the assassination and to limit the scope of the trial that followed. The speaker showed the volume of extant police, judicial, and other records related to the case and suggested future avenues of research. This discussion also linked German records to the Gomidas Institute's publication of Tehlirian's memoir in English translation, Remembrances: The Assassination of Talaat Pasha.

Wednesday, 8 December 2021 - Sydney (21:30) Hong Kong (18:30)  Yerevan (14:30) [Watch Recording] [Publication link]
National Identity, Diaspora, and Space of Belonging. A presentation and discussion with Dr. Vahagn Vardanyan (Han Academy, Homg Kong), Simon Manoukian (Editor, Mioutun Magazine, Sydney) and Ara Sarafian (Gomidas Institute, London).

6 November 2021, Missak Khralian, PALAHOVID: AN ANCESTRAL MEMOIR, presented by Ara Sarafian. Sponsored by Ararat Eskijian Museum, Armenian Film Foundation and Gomidas Institute. [Closed event, no recording]

Saturday, 31 July 2021 - 8 pm (London), 3 pm (New York) [Watch Recording] [Publication link]
Bringing the Village Back to Life. A presentation and discussion with Gerard J. LibaridianHarry Parsekian and Ara Sarafian (discussant).
Following the Armenian Genocide, many survivors worked together to memorialize their lost communities in the Ottoman Empire with special publications or "compatriotic studies." Some of these works were several thousands of pages, covering history, geography, customs, culture, local dialects and more. They all aimed at preserving the memory of their lost communities for future generations. A Brief History of Nirze Village of Gesaria was probably the first of such studies. It was published in Boston, in 1918, while the Armenian Genocide was still in progress. This Armenian language publication has now been translated into English with critical annotations and an introduction by Gerard J. Libaridian. In this meeting, we will discuss A Brief History of Nirze within a broader context of issues surrounding such works. Gerard J. Libaridian is a renowned historian and retired diplomat. He was the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia (1993-94) and his numerous publications include Modern Armenia: People, Nation, State (Transaction Publishers).  Harry Parsekian is a retired Armenian professional with active links to the Kayseri region. 

Saturday, 17 July 2021 - 7 pm (London), 2 pm (New York) [Closed event, no recording] [Publication link]
My Dear Son Garabed, I Read Your Letter: I Cried, I Laughed - KOjaian Family Letters from Efkere/Kayseri to America (1912-1919) A presentation by H. Sukru Ilicak and Jonathan Varjabedian with Ara Sarafian (discussant).
This meeting focuses on the above publication, which was a collaborative venture between Jonathan Varjabedian and H. Sukru Ilicak, and reflected on history, politics and better Turkish-Armenian relations. In this meeting we will discuss some of the core issues and important nuances that went into the compilation of this book. We will also assess the impact of such publications in promoting better Turkish-Armenian relations. H. Sukru Ilicak is a historian born and raised in Ankara. His publications include A Radical Rethinking of Empire: Ottoman State and Society During the Greek War of Independence (1821-26) (Harvard University Press)Jonathan Varjabedian is a physician and historian focusing on his ancestral village of Efkere (www.efkere.com)

COMMEMORATE THE CENTENNIAL OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN BITLIS, MUTKI AND DIYARBAKIR



Kharpert 1915: A Proposal to Turkish Colleagues for a Case Study on the Armenian Genocide

This project was a proposal to Turkish historians to focus on a single case study of the Armenian Genocide. The proposal was made by the Gomidas Institute and applauded by large sections of the Turkish press. Although the head of the Turkish Historical Society, Yusuf Halaçoğlu, agreed to work on such a project when asked by Turkish journalists, he soon pulled out, stating that the relevant Ottoman records that were supposed to exist in Turkish archives today did not actually exist. This was a bizarre statement that brought the proposed project to an end. The veteran Turkish journalist Mehmet Ali Birand stated that Halaçoğlu had scored an own goal.

all projects »

CAMPAIGNS

THE TURKISH PARLIAMENT AND THE DENIAL OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

On 28 April 2005, after months of preparation, the Turkish Grand National Assembly launched a new initiative to deny the Armenian Genocide, with an attack on the 1916 British Parliamentary Blue Book, The Treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, 1915-17. The Turkish effort soon turned into a debacle, raising questions about the judgment of Turkish Parliamentarians when dealing with Armenian issues.


TALAAT PASHA'S REPORT ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE



WHAT HAPPENED ON 24 APRIL 1915? THE AYASH PRISONERS


all campaigns »

PRESS

Reading Zabel Yessayan as Never Before in a New Edited Collection Inbox books
03 May 2023

Nora Vosbigian
Gomidas Institute is pleased to announce the publication of a probing, cutting edge work on Zabel Yessayan as an Ottoman Armenian writer, social critic, and political activist. This is an incisive work, as Nanor Kebranian she takes issue with the extant historiography on Yessayan and adds new, original translations for our consideration.


read-more »

Project Kharpert 2022
17 September 2022 by Nora Vosbigian


Remembering the Armenians of Kharpert. 

read-more »

Armenians Show Dignified Presence at Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration in Acton
28 January 2018 by Nora Vosbigian (London)

read-more »

New GI USA Branch Announced
03 January 2018

by Gomidas Institute Staff (London and Cleveland)

The Gomidas Institute is pleased to commence 2018 by announcing the establishment of a new United States branch of our organisation in the Northeastern US city of Cleveland.

Painting: Terminal Tower, Downtown Cleveland by Berdj Gumushdjian (1915-2010), 1984.

read-more »

A Process of Reconciliation : Kurds, Armenians, and Turks Discuss the Legacy of the Armenian Genocide
20 September 2016 Report by Nora Vosbigian

(Photo: At
the ruins of St. Sarkis church, Diyarbakir: Kurdish politicians and activists praying for the victims of the Armenian Genocide, 24 April 2015.)

read-more »

Building Bridges: Kurdish Mayors Make Historic Visit to London
11 September 2016 Ara Sarafian

read-more »

Officials and Society in Eastern Turkey Confront Legacy of the Armenian Genocide
01 May 2015

read-more »

An Eye-Opener
21 October 2015 A Prodding and Contentious Work on the Armenian Genocide.

Anoush Melkonian (London)

read-more »

Karen Jeppe and Armenians: An Interview with Prof. Jonas Kauffeldt
01 February 2016 Nora Vosbigian (London)

Jonas Kauffeldt is Assistant Professor of History at the University of North Georgia and a relative newcomer to the Armenian world. His recent translation of Karen Jeppe’s Danish book, Misak: An Armenian Life (Gomidas Institute, 2015) is a masterful work and includes a fascinating 70 page introduction by Kauffeldt.

read-more »

British Parliamentary Blue Book on Armenian Genocide Sent to the Turkish Parliament for a Second Time
22 February 2013

Nora Vosbigian (London)


The Gomidas Institute and the Turkish Human Rights Association remind the Turkish Grand National Assembly that the latter still owes an explanation for its 2005 allegations against the British Parliament and the Armenian Genocide thesis.

read-more »

Besmirching Armenians
21 March 2013 Anush Melkonian (London)

London was the venue for a conference sponsored by the Federation of Turkish Associations UK. The event took place in an auditorium hired at the London School of Economics by the sponsors. The thrust of the meeting was the vilification of Armenians and the denial of the Armenian Genocide.

read-more »

Making it Happen: Rehabilitating Armenians in Bitlis
17 July 2014 GI Press Release.

read-more »

A Ground-Breaking Turkish Conference : The Social and Economic History of Mardin Region, 1838-1938
09 November 2012 Fulya Burke (Mardin)

A truly international and interdisciplinary cutting-edge programme, with the participation of leading Armenian, Assyrian, Turkish and Kurdish scholars.

read-more »

Closer Cooperation between Armenians and Assyrians
11 December 2012

Executive Board, Assyrian American Association of San Jose

Seyfo Centre USA hosted a series of educational lectures in Los Angeles, San Diego, Turlock and San Jose on the Assyrian-Armenian Genocide and Seyfo in 1915. The lectures were organized with the help of local Assyrian American organizations, and given by the British-Armenian historian, Ara Sarafian (Gomidas Institute, London).

read-more »
all press »