La Porta Gives Lecture on Armenian Genocide at Sonoma State University

Staff Report

On February 12, 2013, Dr. Sergio La Porta returned to Sonoma State University to deliver a lecture as part of the 30th Annual Holocaust Lecture Series, organized by the Center for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide of SSU and the Alliance for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide.

Dr. La Porta has lectured in the series in the past and has continued to enjoy the opportunity to reach out to students from other campuses, and inform them about the history and repercussions of the Armenian Genocide, as well as to make them aware of the tactics employed by denialists.

The theme of this year’s program was “Seeds of Remembrance” and Dr. La Porta focused on how the Armenian Genocide went from being an internationally known cause for which the United States raised tremendous amounts of funds to a relatively forgotten and debated issue.

Dr. La Porta discussed the politics and psychology behind denialist positions and urged students to remain vigilant in combating those who try to explain away the death of approximately one and a half million Armenians from the Ottoman Empire.

Dr. La Porta highlighted the role of the Armenian experience in the formation of Raphael Lemkin’s ideas on crimes against humanity and of his coinage of the term genocide. He also surveyed how the veil of silence regarding the Genocide lifted beginning in the 1960s, as well as current topics in Genocide study. During his visit, Dr. La Porta was also able to meet with members of the Armenian community and the Alliance for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide.