The Society for Armenian Studies
Newsletter Volume XLII, No. 1, Fall 2018
Message From the President:
Since its inception in 1974, the Society for Armenian
Studies has played an important role in advancing
the field of Armenian Studies in the U.S. However,
the field has changed and developed dramatically in
the last forty four years. From a handful of Arme-
nian Studies chairs and programs and a small group
of scholars, today there are more than 14 chairs and
programs in the United States that are extensively in-
volved in research and teaching on the undergraduate
and graduate levels.
Research in the field of Armenian Studies in the U.S.
has also advanced. More and more graduate students
are conducting interdisciplinary research, bridging
Armenian Studies with history, literature, linguistics,
sociology, and political science among others. Despite
these developments, Armenian studies faces substan-
tial challenges with the major challenge being how
to make the field relevant in the 21st century with the
changing nature of the academic world and staying
strong in an era of declining interest in the humanities.
SAS is currently involved in addressing these issues.
We are revamping the organization to stay current
with the ever-changing pace of the academic world.
With this aim in mind, SAS is bringing in new energy.
This year more than twenty members joined the
organization. We also intend to involve SAS members
in the activities of the Society. We believe that through
collective work, we will be able to achieve our goals.
Furthermore, we understand that today’s graduate
students are tomorrow’s leaders in the field and the or-
ganization. Hence,
we are planning on focusing a great deal of energy
on developing and mentoring the more than 40 or so
graduate student members. Since I assumed the
presidency of the Society in January of this year, we
are pursuing the following projects:
1) In order to understand the condition of the So-
ciety, we have undertaken two surveys: One dealt with
the relations of the SAS with the Armenian Chairs
and Directors of Programs and the other dealt with the
general membership. The surveys were conducted by
Executive Council member Dr. Vahe Sahakyan. The
results are published in this newsletter.
2) We are updating our membership on a
bi-monthly basis with the latest scholarship produced
by its members. To date, we have sent out six an-
nouncements.
3) We have launched the SAS Podcast Series,
which interviews the authors of the latest books in
Armenian Studies. To date, we have conducted 8 inter-
views and more are on the way.
4) We have prepared an extensive list of the digi-
tal archives of primary sources pertaining to Armenian
Studies so that scholars can have easier and faster
access to these sources.
5) We are collaborating with other Armenian
chairs and academic programs.
6) We are continuing with our Annual Conference
Series. This year it is dedicated to the Centennial of
the Republic of Armenia (1918-1920)
7) Inauguration of the SAS-Fresno State Arme-
nian Studies Series-Publication Series is underway.
I am confident that with your involvement we will be
able to develop these projects and add new ones. It is
my hope that the SAS will become a strong organiza-
tion. I am looking forward to meeting all of you at our
annual meeting in November 15, 2018 and welcome
any comments or suggestions you might have.
Best,
Bedross Der Matossian
President of the Society for Armenian Studies (SAS)
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