News

  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 ...

Marine Vardanyan Special to Hye Sharzhoom For more than 40 years, Armenian-American students have gone through Fresno State’s Armenian Studies Program, enrolling in courses, participating in activities, and building relationships with professors and peers. Since its inception, more than 12,000 students have taken courses offered by the ASP and more than 130 students have graduated with a Minor. Many alumni ...

Arshak Abelyan Staff Writer The perspectives of two artists on war and violence are expressed in the works of Armenian artists Varaz Samuelian and Henrik Abedian, who are featured in an exhibition on “The Business of Regret: War, Chaos, and the Rejection of Violence.” The exhibition is a collaboration between the Center for Creativity and the Arts (CCA), the Armenian ...

Dustin Vartanian Staff Writer What is an Armenian? Why did Armenians choose Fresno as one of their early destinations? How did they get here? These were some of the questions posed during the “Armenians in Fresno” weekend course taught by Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian of the Armenian Studies Program. This Armenian Studies course was a rare opportunity to learn about ...

Staff Report The Society for Armenian Studies held an Armenian Studies Chairs and Directors Workshop on the campus of the University of California, Irvine, on Saturday, September 29. Armenian Studies Program Directors and holders of endowed Chairs in Armenian Studies from across the nation met to discuss a variety of issues and challenges facing the field. The workshop was co-organized ...

Staff Report The Saroyan House Museum was inaugurated on Friday, August 31, with a festive ribbon-cutting ceremony and the unveiling of a Saroyan plaque on his former home at 2729 West Griffith Way.  The ceremony, which took place immediately before the celebration at the Satellite Student Union at Fresno State, culminated more than two years of planning and construction, which ...

Suzanna Ekmekchyan  Staff Writer The Armenian Student Organization (ASO) started its year off with elections for a new executive at the first general meeting of the year which took place on Tuesday, September 4. Elected were Claire Kasaian, President; David Safrazian, Vice-President; Kara Statler, Treasurer; Suzanna Ekmekchyan, Secretary; and Violeta Aghabekyan, Public Relations. New and continuing members of ASO came ...

Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Prof. Sergio La Porta, and the Armenian Studies Program would like to thank the donors, authors, and publishers for the following books, periodicals, videos, and archival gifts, either offered personally, or to the Program.  Hambersom Aghbashian, Glendale, California, for a copy of his new book Turkish Intellectuals Who have Recognized the Reality of the Armenian Genocide ...