Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
STAFF WRITER
Dr. Roberta Ervine, Kazan Visiting Professor of Armenian Studies at Fresno State, gave a series of three public lectures in the Spring 2016 semester, under the general theme of “In the Harsh Light of Genocide: Insights of Selected Armenian Thinkers.”
Dr. Ervine’s research in preparation for the lectures focused on questions those who survived the Genocide asked in the immediate aftermath of the catastrophe. These questions reflected deep, human, and Armenian matters and reveal a range of experience and willingness to engage with difficult issues.
In her first lecture on February 29, Dr. Ervine spoke on “Armenians on Immortality,” exploring how the Genocide forced Armenians to reconsider their human experience in the light of mass death and dislocation. Where could the Armenians look for inspiration and consolation in the aftermath of the Genocide?
Dr. Ervine’s presentation on March 30, “Armenians on What Matters Most,” explored the thinking of post-Genocide writers, who had to ponder a way to preserve the Armenian identity. Among the characteristics they identified were adaptability, a moral compass, in harmony with traditional Armenian cultural values, and the necessity to be creative.
Her final lecture on April 27 covered the topic of “Holy Vengeance: Three Hierarchs of the Genocide Speak to America’s Armenians.” Three leaders of the Armenian Church, Yeghishe Tourian (Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem), Karekin Hovsepiants (Primate of the Armenian Church of America, 1938-1943 and later Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia), and Papken Gulleserian (Locum Tenens in the Armenian Church of America), thought deeply about the foremost issues of the day. Their writings reflect a message to today’s Armenian-Americans. Each of the high-ranking clergy was creative, inspirational, and hard-working, providing a model for Armenians throughout the world.
In Catholicos Hovsepiants’ words, “Armenian people, believe in your past, in your history, in the God of your fathers, in their immortal and alive soul, and you will not die. Believe that you will live and act with that believe, work and hope… and you will not die.”