Author James Robins to Discuss Book on Australia, New Zealand, and the Armenian Genocide

BELMONT — The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) and the Society for Armenian Studies (SAS) will present a webinar with author James Robins who will discuss his recent book When We Dead Awaken: Australia, New Zealand, and the Armenian Genocide, on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, at 7:00 pm (Eastern). The program will be accessible live on Zoom (registration required) and on NAASR’s YouTube Channel.

On April 25, 1915, during the First World War, the famous Anzacs landed ashore at Gallipoli. At the exact same moment, leading figures of Armenian life in the Ottoman Empire were being arrested in vast numbers. That dark day marks the simultaneous birth of a national story—and the beginning of a genocide.

When We Dead Awaken draws these two landmark historical events together. James Robins explores the accounts of Anzac Prisoners of War who witnessed the genocide, the experiences of soldiers who risked their lives to defend refugees, and Australia and New Zealand’s participation in the enormous post-war Armenian relief movement. By exploring the vital political implications of this unexplored history, When We Dead Awaken questions the national folklore of Australia, New Zealand, and Turkey—and the mythology of Anzac Day itself.

James Robins is an award-winning journalist and historian. His work has appeared in the Guardian, Times Literary Supplement, the Spectator, Current Affairs, and the New Statesman. He is the former managing editor of TheBigQ.org, and the creator of The Great Crime: A Podcast History of the Armenian Genocide. He lives in London.

For more information contact NAASR at hq@naasr.org.