PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)
395 Concord Ave.
Belmont, MA 02478
Tel.: 617-489-1610
E-mail: [email protected]
IMPACT OF WORLD WAR II ON ARMENIAN-AMERICAN
IDENTITY TO BE DISCUSSED IN NAASR LECTURE
Gregory Aftandilian, author and consultant on Middle East affairs, will
give a lecture entitled "The Impact of World War II on Second-Generation
Armenian-American Identity," on Thursday, May 14, at 8:00 p.m., at the
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) Center,
395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA.
Aftandilian, a member of the NAASR Board of Directors since 2004, has
previously worked at the National Democratic Institute for International
Affairs, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the U.S. Department
of State. A recognized expert on Middle East affairs, he is the author
of two books: Egypt’s Bid for Arab Leadership: Implications for U.S.
Policy and Armenia: Vision of a Republic: The Independence Lobby in
America, 1918-1927. He holds degrees from Dartmouth College, the
University of Chicago, and the London School of Economics.
A Defining Era
Sociologists and historians have long considered World War II a
watershed period for millions of ethnic Americans. A 1970s study stated
that "The war afforded a way of openly affirming (and asserting through
proof) that one was American" and children of recent immigrants "outdid
themselves and sought to outdo everyone else" in being "more American
than the Americans."
Through research interviewing Armenian-American World War II veterans,
studying the letters they wrote to their families and to the
Armenian-American newspapers, and reading the anthologies on
Armenian-American service men and women, Gregory Aftandilian applied the
earlier studies on ethnic Americans in general to the Armenian-American
second generation experience in particular.
By and large, the Armenian-Americans who served in the military during
World War II were the sons and daughters of genocide-survivor
immigrants, and grew up in tight-knit ethnic enclaves in the cities of
the East Coast or Midwest or on farms or in "Armenian Town" in Fresno.
Their parents were mostly laborers or farmers, eking out a meager living
to the best of their abilities given the language barriers and social
discrimination they faced, and tried to instill a sense of ethnic
solidarity and pride in their children. Outside of their neighborhoods,
many encountered an unfriendly world where they were demeaned as
"foreigners."
For many of these second-generation Armenian-Americans, the war was a
defining life experience that not only enhanced their American identity
but also their Armenian identity, as the conflict made them more
conscious of their parents’ suffering as genocide survivors and brought
these soldiers into contact with the worldwide Armenian diaspora.
Admission to the event is free (donations appreciated). The NAASR
Bookstore will open at 7:30 p.m. The NAASR Center is located opposite
the First Armenian Church and next to the U.S. Post Office. Ample
parking is available around the building and in adjacent areas. The
lecture will begin promptly at 8:00 p.m.
More information about the lecture is available by calling 617-489-1610,
faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing [email protected], or writing to NAASR, 395
Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.