USF Tampa Library Hosts Armenian Culture & History Symposium “Rediscovering Armenia” Forges Ties with Local Communities

Richard G. Hovannisian, preeminent scholar of Armenian history and UCLA Holder of the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History, speaks Friday, October 29th at the USF Tampa Library, during a symposium on Armenian history and culture.
Kicking off the USF Libraries Holocaust & Genocide Studies Center’s Armenian programming and collections focus, the one-day event will examine lesser-known elements in the Armenian past, with an emphasis on the historical context of the little-known Armenian genocide of 1915-1918.
Dr. Hovannisian’s two lectures at Friday’s symposium are entitled, “Descended from Mount Ararat: An Introduction to Armenian History and Culture,” and “The Armenian Genocide as Prototype.”
The symposium also features USF Professor Manoug Manougian, speaking on “Armenians of the Holy Land,” with reflections on growing up Armenian in Jerusalem; and local Armenian community leader Chris Sassouni, whose talk “Rediscovering my Armenian Roots and the Legacy of My Family” traces the highly improbable journey that led him to rediscover his Armenian heritage.
A full weekend of related programming across the Tampa Bay Area includes outreach visits by Dr. Hovannisian to Kol Ami synagogue, where his Friday evening talk, “Genocide as a Defining Moment: Armenian-Jewish Connections,” draws parallels between shared Armenian and Jewish experiences, and his Saturday morning lecture, “Remembrance and Denial: Armenian and Jewish Experiences,” explores the complex and often highly politicized nature of writing and teaching history.
Saturday evening, Dr. Hovannisian will speak across the Bay at St. Hagop Armenian Church (Pinellas Park), presenting “The Vanishing Landscape of Historic Armenia and Cilicia: A Pictorial Journey,” with visual accompaniment. A cocktail reception honoring Dr. Hovannisian will be held prior to the presentation.
A full schedule of the weekend’s events can be found at:
http://genocide.lib.usf.edu