News

Staff Report The Society for Armenian Studies (SAS) elected Barlow Der Mugrdechian as its new president, following a meeting of the SAS Executive Council on Saturday, November 30. Der Mugrdechian, Berberian Director of the Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Fresno, succeeds outgoing president Christina Maranci (Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies, Harvard University) in the leadership role. The election ...

Staff Report During the winter break, Dr. David Zakarian participated in the 16th General Conference of the International Association of the Armenian Studies (AIEA), held at the University of Geneva and the University of Lausanne from January 9-11, 2025. The conference brought together many leading scholars in Armenian Studies from around the world, focusing on various aspects of Armenian history, ...

Careen Derkalousdian Staff Writer “At the beginning of the 20th century, after the Armenian Genocide, there were two groups of people among the Armenians: those who survived and those who started to gather the remnants,” said Dr. Talin Suciyan. On Friday, February 28, 2025, Dr. Talin Suciyan, the 21st Kazan Visiting Professor in Armenian Studies presented her second lecture, entitled ...

Sosse Yanez Special to Hye Sharzhoom The Nishkian Family Photo Archive has been made public on the Armenian Studies Program’s Flickr account: https://www.flickr.com/photos/armenianstudies/albums/72177720323171031. The Nishkian Archive contains 60 scanned images, primarily photographs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although some photographs are captioned on the back, most are not labeled. There are also newspaper articles and a partial ...

Careen Derkalousdian Staff Writer “It’s a great event to bring the Armenian community together,” said Kef Time guest Alicia Minasian. “It represents our heritage, and we are so proud of it!” On Saturday, January 25, 2025, the highly anticipated Kef Time Fresno IV took place at the Holy Trinity Armenian Church Social Hall. Featuring the Kef Time Legacy Band, this ...

Staff Report Dr. Talin Suciyan was named the 21st Kazan Visiting Professor in Armenian Studies at California State University, Fresno for the Spring 2025 semester. “We are happy to welcome Dr. Suciyan for the spring semester,” said Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Berberian Coordinator of the Armenian Studies Program. “Dr. Suciyan will bring a new and active element to the Program.” ...

Ani Sargsyan Staff Writer Fresno State’s Armenian Students Organization has been putting together events for students and community members to come together at least once a month. These social gatherings are important in keeping the student body close-knit while also celebrating and preserving Armenian culture. In the fall semester, ASO had several successes, including a celebration for Armenian Independence day, ...

Staff Report J. Michael Hagopian’s “Strangers in a Promised Land” was recently digitally remastered and was screened at The Vineyards-California Armenian Home. Fresno State Armenian Studies Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian was invited to give an introduction for the film and to discuss the film with guests after the screening. Narrated by former California Governor George Deukmejian, “Strangers in a Promised ...

‘Armenia & Byzantium without Borders V: Disruption and Resilience’ – Graduate and Early Career Workshop, Univ of Oxford Dr. David Zakarian reports: In 2018, as a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Oxford, I had the opportunity to participate in a transformative academic experience – the “Armenia & Byzantium” without Borders workshop. Organized by Prof. Claudia Rapp and ...

Anahid Valencia Staff Writer  A childhood lost to war, an entire people’s yearning for their homeland, and the vibrancy of the Armenian heritage – three of the many themes told by the short films in the event “Armenians in Film,” held on Friday, October 4, 2024, in the Leon S. Peters and Pete P. Peters Educational Center on the Fresno ...