Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Musa Dagh: Theme Of Conference On Genocide Studies In Czech Republic

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Musa Dagh: Theme Of Conference On Genocide Studies In Czech Republic

    MUSA DAGH: THEME OF CONFERENCE ON GENOCIDE STUDIES IN CZECH REPUBLIC

    Armenian Weekly
    July 2, 2012

    "Mountains of Moses: Revolt, Resistance and Rescuing of the Victims
    of Mass Extermination in the 20th Century" was the theme of the First
    International Conference on Genocide Studies in the Czech Republic,
    held in the capital of Prague from June 18-20, 2012. The theme drew
    inspiration from the Musa Dagh resistance to the Armenian Genocide
    in 1915, a saga that was immortalized by Franz Werfel in the novel
    The Forty Days of Musa Dagh.

    The theme drew inspiration from the Musa Dagh resistance to the
    Armenian Genocide in 1915, a saga that was immortalized by Franz
    Werfel in the novel The Forty Days of Musa Dagh.

    The conference was organized by the Archaeology of Evil Research Centre
    (AERC) as part of the NINE GATES Festival that annually promotes
    Jewish culture in the Czech Republic and elsewhere in Europe.

    This year's festival, including the conference, enjoyed the patronage
    of the president of the Czech Parliament, the prime minister, a number
    of ministries, and the embassies of China, Spain, and Sweden.

    The mission of the AERC is "to reflect causality and motives of
    historical genocides and mass violence on the basis of comparative
    interdisciplinary research, to gather specific primary and secondary
    data on genocides and mass murders during the world history, and
    explore new ways of dissemination of research results. Long-term
    objective of the centre is to introduce and establish the Genocide
    Studies discipline in the Czech Republic."

    The objectives of the conference were to introduce the scope
    and method of genocide studies in the Czech Republic; to analyze
    historical events of revolt, resistance, and rescue of the victims
    of mass extermination/genocides in the 20th century with regard to
    the relevant historical context; and to compare selected historical
    events on the basis of common aspects.

    The opening ceremony took place on June 18 at the Viola Theater. Pavel
    Zuna, a well-known Czech TV personality, introduced the conference
    participants and invited Tigran S. Seiranian, the ambassador of the
    Republic of Armenia to the Czech Republic, to deliver the inaugural
    address. In his statement, Seiranian made reference to Werfel as a
    native son of Prague, informing the audience that on April 24 of
    each year the Armenian community in Prague places wreaths at the
    homes where the author was born and lived. Seiranian also indicated
    that the Turkish government continues to deny the Armenian Genocide,
    thereby continuing the process of genocide. A representative group of
    Armenians-including the Very Reverend Barsegh Pilavjyan, spiritual head
    of the Armenians in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary; Hakob
    Asatryan, chief editor of the local Orer (Days) Armenian periodical;
    artists; and professionals-were also present.

    The ambassador's speech was followed by an impressive thematic
    performance of Czech poet Pavel Zajchek, titled "Lives? Or Vicious
    Circles?" with the accompaniment of the underground DG 307 band. The
    evening concluded with a reception.

    On the following day, June 19, the conference began at the Protestant
    Theological Faculty of Charles University with a keynote lecture
    by Dr. Paul A. Levine, associate professor and docent of Holocaust
    history at the Hugo Valentin Centre, Uppsala University, Sweden.

    Titled "Genocide Studies Today: An Overview and Analysis," the
    lecture briefly explored "the 'histories' of the two fields [Jewish
    Holocaust and Armenian Genocide], their conflicts and areas of
    growing comity, and what the future might hold for these two dynamic
    and multi-disciplinary scholarly fields, both of which have high and
    still growing social relevance."

    Next, in order to provide the audience-comprised mainly of professors,
    university students, diplomats, and other interested persons-with a
    general background about the Armenian extermination and dispossession,
    Andrew Goldberg's hour-long documentary, "The Armenian Genocide"
    (2006), was shown on a large screen.

    After the screening, Dr. Vahram Shemmassian, associate professor
    and director of the Armenian Studies Program at California State
    University, Northridge, and foremost scholar on Musa Dagh, took
    the podium to discuss and analyze "The Musa Dagh (Mountain of
    Moses) Resistance to the Armenian Genocide." Based on Ottoman,
    German, French, British, American, and Armenian archives, his paper
    covered the following issues: causes of the genocide; pockets of
    resistance; introduction to Musa Dagh society; conditions on the eve
    of the deportation order; existential dilemmas and hard choices;
    the resistance machine (consisting of two components, one civil
    and one military); major battles; rescue operations by the French
    3rd Mediterranean Squadron; the relocation of survivors to a camp
    near Port Said, Egypt; echoes of the episode in the contemporary
    international press; and the impact of Werfel's novel on Armenians
    and Jews especially.

    "The Musa Dagh struggle continues after 97 years," Shemmassian
    concluded. "It is a fight against the denial of the Armenian Genocide,
    because denial is the last act of any genocide. This struggle belongs
    to all of us, not just the Armenian people. If the slogan 'Never
    Again' should mean anything, we must unite to prevent criminal minds
    from being born. No economic, political or strategic considerations
    should take precedence over the recognition and prevention of
    genocides. Realpolitik cannot be more important than humanity itself;
    a line must be drawn to preserve civilization. It is my ardent wish
    and hope that international conferences such as this will bring us
    closer to forming a united front, not just intellectually but also
    practically, in defeating genocidal tendencies before they are hatched
    and actualized."

    Shemmassian also gave a PowerPoint presentation of vintage photos
    from his extensive private collection depicting the rescue scenes by
    the French Navy, the Port Said refugee camp, the Red Cross flag that
    saved the Musa Dagh-ians, and the inauguration in 1932 of a memorial
    monument at Damlajik on Musa Dagh dedicated to the heroic feat, as
    well as a fenced graveyard for the 18 fighters who had lost their
    lives during the 1915 battles. A question-and-answer session followed.

    Tatevik Lazaryan of "Azatutyun" (Liberty) radio in Armenia and Hakob
    Asatryan of Orer magazine then interviewed Shemmassian separately
    on a broad range of Armenian issues including, but not limited to,
    the controversial protocols signed between Armenia and Turkey, and
    planned activities pertaining to the 100th anniversary of the genocide
    worldwide. Shemmassian similarly granted an interview to Reflex, a
    respected weekly magazine published in Prague with a wide circulation
    (60,000 printed copies and a total readership of 270,000 as of January
    2010, according to Wikipedia). The interview is scheduled to appear
    in mid-July 2012.

    The "Nanjing Massacre" video presentation constituted an introduction
    to the Chinese component of the conference. Zhang Boxing and Li
    Jiangyong from the Nanjing Massacre Museum in China, subsequently
    lectured on the "Nanjing Safety Zone: The Rescue of Citizens during
    the Massacre in Nanjing." They analyzed the establishment, role,
    and significance of that zone in the context of the Sino-Japanese
    War in the 1930's. The day ended with Charlie Chaplin's 1940 movie,
    "The Great Dictator."

    On June 20, Alejandro Baer, from the Institute of Sociology, Ludwig
    Maximillians-Universitat, Munich, Germany, talked about "The Rescue
    of Jews by Spanish Diplomats during the Holocaust: Facts, Myths,
    and Memory Politics." He explained that the close ties that Spain
    maintained with Germany throughout World War II enabled some diplomats
    to grant protection to the victims. This fact was later used as an
    argument by the Franco government to try to escape from the isolation
    to which the international community had condemned Spain after the
    war. The myth that Franco helped the Jews during the Holocaust is
    sustained in Spain until today.

    A related subject was examined by Prof. Paul A. Levine, namely, "Raoul
    Wallenberg's Rescue Activities in Budapest: Myth, or History?" He
    clarified the fascinating but often troubling relationship between
    myth and history, a distinction that is of particular importance for
    the field of Holocaust/genocide studies.

    The afternoon session began with two documentaries, "Revolt
    in the Sobibor Camp" and the "Living Dead." Dr. Igor Bartosik,
    a historian-researcher at the Museum Auschwitz Birkenau, Poland,
    then delved into the "Underground Activity and Revolt of Prisoners
    from the Sonderkommando KL Auschwitz" in a comparative approach, all
    along showing hitherto unknown documents and pictures. The conference
    ended with concluding discussions and remarks by the organizers and
    participants.

    Following the conclusion of the conference, the Turkish Embassy in
    Prague contacted and held a meeting with two of the main organizers
    of the conference, Simon Krbec and Pavel Chalupa, to lodge a complaint
    regarding the inclusion of Musa Dagh (i.e., the Armenian Genocide) in
    the program. It was a "controversial historical event," the Turkish
    officials contended, and therefore other scholars should also have
    been invited to tell the "other side" of the story. Krbec responded:
    "We are not dividing historical research into some national or
    opposite sides, that we follow the mainstream of research on genocide
    studies in the world. ... [t]he International Association of Genocide
    Scholars recognized the Armenian Genocide as genocide. So we don't
    see a reason to invite some Turkish researchers." Krbec and Chalupa
    also mentioned President Barak Obama's annual statements about the
    "Great Calamity." At the end of the encounter the two organizers
    were given books about the Turkish version of what happened, and were
    invited to Istanbul to study the Turkish archives.

    "Mountains of Moses" was a serious and successful event, one that
    added to the growing number of international conferences on the subject
    of genocide. The organizers plan to publish the proceedings and hold
    similar symposia annually, with different themes.

Working...
X