David Safrazian Staff Writer “Much of Armenian history has been expunged from Turkey, not only in a physical sense, but also in the sense of memory as the names of Armenian villages have been systematically erased,” stated Ara Sarafian. “States write history, and they can write people out of history, and if Armenians don’t write their own history, then ...

  Staff Report The July 23, 1908 Revolution in the Ottoman Empire was a significant moment in the history of the Empire. There was great hope that the reinstatement of the 1876 Constitution would guarantee equal rights among all of the citizens of the Empire, including the Armenians. The new ruling party, the Committee of Union and Progress, represented these ...

  Dustin Vartanian Staff Writer For thousands of years Armenia’s history has been filled with literary masterpieces. Oral epics such as Hayk and Bel and David of Sassoun are a rich part of the fabric of Armenian culture. There are also stories that explain the process of Armenia’s conversion to Christianity. In addition, Armenia’s literature has several masterful poems written ...

  Claire Kasaian Staff Writer The Armenian Studies Program and the CineCulture film series presented the Fresno premiere of the movie “Roots” on Friday, November 2, to an audience of Fresno State students and community members. Directed by Vahe Yan, the 89-minute movie was filmed on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Lilit Martirosyan, who producer ...

              Staff Report The Knights and Daughters of Vartan announced that Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian and news anchor Stefani Booroojian are to be honored as “Man of the Year” and “Woman of the Year” at a special Banquet to be held on Sunday, March 30, 2019. Der Mugrdechian has been teaching at Fresno State ...

  Staff Report The Armenian Studies Program held an international conference on “The Committee of Union and Progress: Founders, Ideology, and Structure” on Friday, October 12, and Saturday, October 13, 2018 on the Fresno State campus. The Conference focused on the Committee of Union and Progress, who were the political leaders of Ottoman Turkey throughout most of the period 1908-1915. ...

  Matthew Pajouh Staff Writer An Exhibit on “Early Armenians in Fresno County” has recently opened on the second floor of the Fresno County Historical Museum, located at the Fresno Fairgrounds. The Exhibit displays many interesting artifacts and focuses on the early history of Armenians in Fresno County. The Exhibit is centered on religion, agriculture, business, and important Armenian monuments ...

  David Safrazian Staff Writer “My Armenian identity is shaped by the Armenian flag and it gave me a sense of purpose. It was to be idealistic and not a realist,” said Dr. Richard Hovannisian.  Dr. Hovannisian was invited to give a lecture titled “The Republic of Armenia: A Daring Endeavor, 1918-2018,” on Thursday, November 1, in the Charles and ...

Staff Report It was more than 100 years ago that an independent Republic of Armenia was established, the first Armenian state since the fall of the Kingdom of Cilicia in 1375. The Society for Armenian Studies organized an international conference, “Innovative Approa-ches to the History of the First Republic of Armenian, 1918-1920,” to mark this anniversary and to bring together ...

Andrew Hagopian Staff Writer National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) artist Richard Hagopian gave a performance and lecture, April 26, 2018, titled “Armenian Song Repertoire of the Middle East.” Accompanying him were his grandsons, Phillip and Andrew Hagopian, who were showcased on the Kanun (the Middle Eastern Lap Harp) and the Dumbeg (goblet shaped hand drum). Together, the Hagopian trio ...