CLARK’S EXCELLENT CHOICE FOR ARMENIAN STUDIES CHAIR

TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
June 2, 2008 Monday
Massachusetts

Clark University’s choice of a Turkish-born professor, Taner Akcam,
as chairman of Armenian genocide studies is a welcome demonstration
of a firm commitment to free inquiry, academic fairness and historical
truth.

Mr. Akcam has for more than 20 years been a fearless critic of Turkish
policies toward its Kurdish minority, as well as its longstanding
denial of the Armenian genocide carried out by the Ottoman Turks. He
found political asylum in Germany and in 2002 became a visiting
professor at the University of Minnesota.

As a lecturer and author of "A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and
the Question of Turkish Responsibility," Mr. Akcam has demonstrated
a courageous and lasting commitment to the pursuit of historical truth.

Equally heartening, Clark’s choice of Mr. Akcam appears to have
been undertaken for the best of reasons. That he is a Turk leading
inquiries into a most sensitive chapter of Armenian history bears a
symbolism that is lost on no one, but as Clark’s Deborah Dwork told
The Boston Globe, "Ethnic or religious identity is not crucial to
any appointment. We hire the best scholars in the pool."

Mr. Akcam told the Globe that he expects to be the target of hate
from Turkish nationalists, but his commitment to accurately teaching
the history of relations between Turkey and her ethnic minorities
presents Clark students, and indeed the world, with valuable learning
opportunities.