KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

A two-day international conference entitled "Movements/Relocation of Armenians and Socio-Political Transformations in the 20th Century and at the Beginning of the 21st Century" started on June 29 on the joint initiative of Armenian State Pedagogical University and Haigazian University in Beirut.

The conference is attended by lecturers from ASPU, Dr. Paul Haydostian, Rector of Haigazian University in Beirut, Ph.D. Dr. Antranik Dakessian, Editor-in-Chief of the Haigazian Armenological Review, historians, and students from Armenia, Artsakh, Beirut and Hungary.

On the first day, the conference participants addressed a number of issues, including the Armenian Genocide and uprooting from the Homeland in the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century, formation of the Armenian Diaspora, repatriation, generation changes, homeland building and transformation of the world order - events that have left an indelible imprint on the national thinking, as well as on the socio-political, socio-economic, educational, cultural, spiritual and religious life, resulting in transformations of the Armenian reality.

"The theme of the conference is of great importance not only in terms of facing global challenges, but also in terms of studying important scientific directions in the life of Armenian people that have a continuous and urgent significance. With its scientific achievements covering different periods of history, the one-century-old university (ASPU) has made a great contribution in terms of ensuring a new quality in teaching and introducing modern methods," ASPU Rector Srbuhi Gevorgyan said in her welcome speech.

As a social psychologist, Professor Gevorgyan notes that group interaction issues have undergone clear changes during the above-mentioned period.

She spoke about atrocities of social groups interacting with each other which result in transformations, forced displacement of Armenians and preservation of Armenian identity, Armenian ethnos, etc.
By the decision of the ASPU Academic Council, Srbuhi Gevorgyan awarded the Rector of Haigazian University with a "Pedagogical University" medal.

"A land must have history and policy," said Dr. Paul Haydostian, Rector of Haigazian University in Beirut. As a Lebanese Armenian he assures everyone that those relocations do not always result in losses, they often bring gains. "No matter how much we try to keep science and be scientific, we are not neutral in preserving our identity. You can't be neutral on a moving train. You have to find your station while it is moving.”

Professor Andranik Dakessian says Armenology is cognitive knowledge; it is necessary to realize relocation and transformation, to correctly assess the path we have passed, analyzing the great displacement (relocation) that took place about 30 years ago, and adopt behaviour of a corresponding citizen everywhere, in the Diaspora as well. The editor of the Haigazian Armenological Review also spoke about cooperation between Haigazian University and the centers of Armenology that started about 30 years ago, and stressed the importance of the conference in terms of giving correct assessments to movements of Armenians in Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora.

Edgar Hovhannisyan, Dean of the Faculty of History and Social Sciences at ASPU, said they have been cooperating with many scientific and educational institutions of different countries and opening centres of Armenology but collaboration with Haigazian University, a renowned institution in the Middle East that has the best traditions in the field of Armenology, started recently. The conference is the 'first solid step' to deepen cooperation between the two institutions under question.

The historian says the choice of the conference theme is not accidental: two key words – relocation and movement have been associated with our people throughout history. Mr. Hovhannisyan says for the first time a topic that interests specialists of the two structures is addressed in such a format in scientific circles. The results of the conference will be summed up in Beirut.

In their reports, the conference participants referred to the process of transformation of the Armenian Diaspora, forced deportations as a cause of distortion of linguistic and cultural values, movements of refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and resettlers in the context of the Karabakh conflict, preservation of Armenian literature in Turkish letters, urbanization and transformations of urban life in the Soviet Armenia in the 1920s and 1930s, etc.

The participants of the international conference also dwelt on assimilation of Armenians, the transformations of Armenian identity in Georgia in the 1920s and 1930s, relocation and transformations, had theoretical discussions and heard reports on other topics as well.

In a conversation with old.aspu.am, Khachatur Stepanyan, Head of the Chair of World History and its Teaching Method,s said the conference theme was both 'interdisciplinary' and new from the point of view of historiography.

He says the history of the Armenian people is a history of movements and transformations. The historian hopes that the issues raised during the conference will be assessed not only from the historical, but also from the interdisciplinary perspective, and the proposals made during the discussions will help people get prepared, avoid and prevent further relocations, transformations and ensuing consequences.

In that context, Khachatur Stepanyan particularly underscored the report of a representative of Artsakh State University on forced movement and resettlement of refugees, internally displaced persons and settlers in the context of the Karabakh conflict, both in terms of recording the existing fact and making the right decisions. “We have a task to turn scientific capital into political capital," he stressed.

The conference will continue on Thursday – June 30.