Sharing their research in a variety of fields related to
Armenian studies, several graduate students spent Friday painting a
detailed portrait of specific aspects of Armenian culture and
history.
Planned by the Armenian Graduate Students Association, the 2003
International Graduate Student Colloquium drew a crowd that kept a
70-seat room in Royce Hall full throughout the daylong event. In
attendance were students, Armenian studies experts and members of
the community interested in the field.
The colloquium featured a dozen presentations covering a number
of disciplines related to Armenian studies, including art history,
literature and archaeology.
One main purpose of the colloquium was to provide graduate
students with a forum to discuss their research and connect with
other students researching in related fields.
“I think there’s a need for it,” said Ramela
Grigorian, co-director of the colloquium. “UCLA has one of
the strongest Armenian studies programs in the Western hemisphere
… (It’s important) to engage in these dynamic discussions
in relevant issues regarding Armenian studies.”
Grigorian’s research on Armenian artist Arshile Gorky was
one of 12 abstracts selected to be presented Friday.
Gorky was one of the founders of the abstract expressionist
movement in America. He was also a survivor of the Armenian
Genocide, an event not recognized by the U.S. government in which
1.5 million out of 2 million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire
were allegedly killed.
After Gorky’s death in 1948, his nephew translated
Gorky’s Armenian letters into English and published them. The
translated letters contained deep insight into the artist’s
work, but some scholars have suggested those letters were
forged.
Grigorian’s research compared the allegedly forged letters
to authentic letters by Gorky, ultimately reaching the conclusion
that the letters were likely fake.
Seeing graduate students come together to discuss and present
their work in the area of Armenian studies was refreshing, said
Vartan Achabahian, a fourth-year international development studies
student.
“It’s really important to see what the new
generation of future historians are researching and what levels
they are taking in Armenian studies,” Achabahian said.
Gevork Nazaryan, a graduate student studying Near Eastern
languages and cultures at UCLA, presented his research on
international trade and commerce in Cicilian Armenia, which spanned
about three centuries and culminated in the fourteenth century.
Nazaryan’s research depicted Cicilian Armenia as an
ethnically diverse landscape that served as a middle-ground between
European and Asian merchants.
The day ended with a musical performance featuring Armenian
song.
“It really is quite taxing to focus on analytical
perspectives, one after another,” said Peter Cowe, a Near
Eastern languages and cultures professor who was instrumental in
the planning of the colloquium.
“It’s nice to end with a different sort of
presentation … more cultural,” he added.
Cowe said among other potential changes, next year’s
colloquium could become a two-day event.
“We were very impressed,” Cowe said, referring to
both the turnout at the event and the number of abstracts the
planning committee received. The committee received enough
abstracts to fill triple the number of spots available for this
year’s colloquium.
Armenian studies has grown considerably since its American
inception in the 1960s, Cowe said, and the past and continued
contributions of Armenians in fields ranging from film and art to
technology is another reason to make the colloquium an annual
event.
“This is an idea whose time has come,” Cowe said.
“It really makes sense that this sort of thing be
established.”