On September 29, the majority of current Armenian
Studies Chairs and Directors in the United States, along with
representatives of the Society for Armenian Studies (SAS), National
Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), and Calouste
Gulbenkian Foundation met for an “Armenian Studies Chairs and Directors
Workshop: Current Challenges & Future Prospects” at the University
of California – Irvine. The meeting which was the first of its kind in
the west coast was organized by UCI’s Armenian Studies Program, the UCI
Meghrouni Family Presidential Chair in Armenian Studies (Professor Houri
Berberian), the UCLA Richard Hovannisian Endowed Chair in Modern
Armenian History (Professor Sebouh Aslanian), and the Society for
Armenian Studies (Professor Bedross Der Matossian, SAS President).
The goal of the workshop was to begin serious discussions of the
challenges facing Armenian Studies in the present and the future. In
addition, the participants concentrated on the prospects lying ahead for
the field. This meeting took on even more importance given that the
last such meeting took place ten years ago, in 2008, at the University
of Michigan.
The day began with welcoming remarks by Professor Berberian who
stressed the importance of meeting regularly and keeping lines of
communication open among chairs and directors. These remarks were
followed by brief “state of the program” reports by the attendees. The
focus of discussions centered on the following key items: (1) the past,
present, and future of graduate student training, specifically currently
available sources for funding, the importance of interdisciplinary
research and training as well as language training; (2) contribution to
the Armenian Studies field in the context of other fields and
disciplines, in particular ways in which Armenian Studies may benefit
from greater engagement with other fields, making interventions not only
within Armenian Studies but in other fields as well; (3) job market
challenges for graduate students, especially ways in which graduate
students can be trained and equipped with the skills and experience for
employment more broadly for academic and non-academic job markets beyond
Armenian Studies; (4) the importance of cooperation, collaboration, and
collegiality among chairs and directors as well as the SAS, including
increased participation in the SAS and creation of an email forum for
chairs and directions to facilitate discussions about the future
of Armenian Studies programs and for exchanges of ideas and material as
well as an avenue through which to take collective action if/when
necessary; (5) resources – both financial and library/archival; (6)
fundraising possibilities and challenges; and (7) the future of chairs,
specifically those at Harvard and Columbia.
That many Armenian Studies leaders traveled long distances to attend
the workshop and that those who were unable to attend were nevertheless
enthusiastic about the prospect, served as a reminder of just how
important it is to collaborate and be in conversation with each other
for the continued development of the field of Armenian Studies. Those in
attendance agreed to continue to converse, consult, and collaborate for
the greater good of the Armenian Studies field, current and future
students, and the future of the programs.
The next two meetings of current chairs and directors is scheduled to
take place in Boston, hosted by NAASR (2020), and USC, hosted by the
Institute of Armenian Studies (2022). The fruitful and productive
workshop was followed by a reception open to the public where – after
welcome remarks by School of Humanities Dean, Dr. Tyrus Miller, and
Professors Berberian and Der Matossian – community members, faculty,
graduate students, and workshop attendees had the opportunity to meet
and converse.
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