USC Institute of Armenian Studies Unveils Dynamic Lineup for Artsakh Uprooted Symposium

LOS ANGELES — Distinguished scholars, artists, and civil society change-makers from around the world will participate in Artsakh Uprooted: Aftermaths of Displacement, a symposium hosted by the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies on Saturday, November 2, 2024, from 9 AM – 6 PM.

Through interactive panel discussions, academic presentations, and artistic performances, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by displaced communities. The event will explore themes of resilience, identity, and hope, highlighting the voices of the people of Artsakh in the face of immense adversity.

Interested attendees can find a narrative snapshot of the program below and scroll to the end of the newsletter to access the full agenda.

In a fireside chat, Viet Thanh Nguyen, USC’s Aerol Arnold Chair of English and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sympathizer, and filmmaker Eric Nazarian will reflect on the power of narratives as a tool for the dispossessed.

A collaborative team of USC and UCLA researchers will reveal the findings of a pioneering study examining intergenerational trauma and resilience following the 2020 Artsakh War.

Institute Director Shushan Karapetian will moderate a panel on the role of the Armenian dialects of Artsakh as witness to survival and dispossession. The discussion will feature prominent linguist Hrach Martirosyan, who is currently working on a book on the subject, and journalist and Artsakh native, Lika Zakaryan.

Investigative researcher Simon Maghakyan will give a visual presentation on cycles of Armenian cultural erasure and avenues for safeguarding Artsakh’s heritage. Historian Sebouh Aslanian, Richard Hovannisian Endowed Chair of Modern Armenian History at UCLA, and sociologist Artyom Tonoyan of Hamline University, will follow with a conversation on the appropriation and falsification of history for nation-building, unpacking the Caucasian Albanian narrative deployed by Azerbaijan.

In addition to the scholarly conversations, major artistic contributions will define the vibrant program, including a rap performance by Artsakh war veteran Lyoka, who will be introduced by USC Vice Provost for the Arts and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, Josh Kun.

USC School of Architecture professor and media artist Aroussiak Gabrielian and Editor-in-Chief of Hyperallergic Hrag Vartanian will offer a multimedia performance lecture told primarily through the perspective of Artsakh’s “Tnjri” plane tree.

Balin Schneider, graduate of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, will screen his documentary My Dearest Artsakh for the first time. USC School of Cinematic Arts professor Ted Braun will moderate a discussion with filmmakers Emily Mkrtichian and Alexis Pazoumian on the complexities and challenges of documenting a neglected conflict.

Raffi Wartanian, UCLA writing professor and Inaugural Poet Laureate for the City of Glendale, will facilitate a community poetry project for guests to reflect on the event and its larger themes in real time.

Through this monumental program at USC’s Bovard Auditorium, the Institute will center Armenian experiences in the global conversation on dispossession and cultural erasure.

The symposium is co-sponsored by Massis Kabob, USC Visions and Voices, USC Divisional Dean for the Social Sciences, NAASR, Armenian Film Society, and UCLA Promise Armenian Institute.

The symposium will not be live-streamed — RSVP here to join in person for this free, daylong experience. Lunch will be provided for all attendees.