CONFERENCE HELD IN ARGENTINA ON "ARMENIANS AND PROGRESSIVE POLITICS"

ArmRadio.am
15.06.2007 10:18

Progressive activists and intellectuals from North and South America
gathered in Buenos Ayres on June 1-2 for a conference entitled
"Armenians and Progressive Politics in the 21st Century." Organized
by the ARF’s "Armenia" Cultural Association, the conference sought
to build on the enthusiastic discussions generated by last year’s
"Armenians and the Left" project begun in New York and Boston. The
conference was held in conjunction with the ARForganizations of
the Eastern and Western US, and included prominent Armenian and
non-Armenian participants from throughout South America.

The program began with an opening plenary on Friday, June 1, featuring
renowned journalist Fabian Bosoer. A columnist for the Clarin newspaper
of Buenos Aires, Bosoer explored what a progressive politics might
mean today, focusing especially on South America. He especially noted
that "progressivism" is not a fixed, static concept, but fluid and
changing depending on the social context at hand. Bosoer’s comments
were well-received by the largely Armenian audience, which stayed to
discuss these points during a reception held afterward.

The bulk of the program took place in three panels held on Saturday,
June 2, at Buenos Aires’s Cultural Center for Cooperation. The first
panel was entitled "Progressivism in the US: Agendas, Protagonists,
Perspectives," and featured US-Armenian panelists who spoke in English
with simultaneous translation into Spanish. Moderated by Antranig
Kasbarian, the panel featured topics including 1) Neoliberal Economics
and their Impact; 2) Armeno- Turkish Dialogue; 3) Globalization and
US Hegemony; 4) US Development Assistance; and 5) The Role of the
Armenian Diaspora. These were presented, respectively, by scholars
Ara Khanjian, Dikran Kaligian, Levon Chorbajian, Markar Melkonian,
and Razmig Shirinian, who offered views alternative to–and sometimes
scathingly critical of–US-led mainstream approaches.

The second panel dealt with "Progressive Politics in Latin America,"
and featured South American panelists who spoke in Spanish with
translation into English. Moderated by Khatchik Derghougassian, the
panel featured topics including 1) Argentina’s Socioeconomic Collapse
and the Progressive Political Solution; 2) Electoral Processes in
Latin America; 3) The Political Experience of the "Frente Amplio"
Party in Uruguay; 4) The Political Experience of the "PT" Party
in Brazil; and 5) Social Movements in Latin America. These were
presented, respectively, by Jorge Halperin, Wilfredo Penco, Armen
Garo Sarkissian, Onnig James Tamdjian, and Julio Gambina, who are
affiliated with various academic and governmental bodies in Argentina,
Brazil, and Uruguay.

The third panel dealt with "Armenian Participation in Progressive
Politics," featuring many of the same participants as above. Here was
a wide-ranging discussion of strategic and organizational issues in
building movements on both continents–relating both to Armenian causes
and to the wider politics in which they are embedded. Discussion was
followed by energetic and sometimes contentious audience participation.

The conference closed with summary remarks by Pedro Tateossian of the
host committee. He underlined that the conference served as a link in
an ever-widening chain of outreach and discussion. With this in mind,
organizers are now considering a publication based on the conference,
as well as a larger, international gathering to be held in North
America next year.