The Armenian Weekly April 2023 special issue magazine, now available to download here, is a testament to the work that has been done globally to bring genocide education into school curricula and specifically to include the Armenian Genocide in those studies. Research in genocide studies continues to expand, along with ongoing analysis and improvement of educational materials and pedagogy. Eyewitness accounts from survivors are regularly included in genocide studies, and stories of resistance, both armed and unarmed, have become important additions. Armenian Genocide educational materials have grown in leaps and bounds, and more states have made genocide education a requirement, as our communities’ grassroots efforts spread across the country and beyond.
As Armenia, Artsakh and other countries around the globe are grappling with human rights abuses, racism and oppression, there is a pressing need for genocide education. Armenians bear the scars of the Genocide, including the rupture of our families and displacement from our homeland. Artsakh continues to be under blockade by Azerbaijan. Baku, along with its partner in aggression Turkey, remains intent on depopulating Artsakh of its indigenous Armenian residents. At the same time, Azerbaijan attacks and encroaches on the Republic of Armenia with the stated goal of completely eliminating Armenians from the region.
Educators present information to students on a variety of subjects. In the case of genocide studies, the teaching tools should engage students through factual materials and civil discourse toward a better understanding of and the ways to confront man’s inhumanity to man. Ultimately, genocide education will shape characters and create future leaders who will actively combat and help eliminate these crimes against humanity. I am the granddaughter of Armenian Genocide survivors – unwavering, determined ancestors upon whose shoulders I stand and present to you a collection of works dedicated to “Genocide Education for the 21st Century.”
Below is the table of contents of the special issue, with links to each article.
Genocide Education Around the Globe
From the Conference of Berlin to Bronx Science
– By Kevork Khrimian
Seventeen Inspiring Years teaching “Genocides of the Twentieth Century” in RI
– By Rob Petrucci
Expanding Armenian Genocide Studies in the UK
– By Andy Lawrence
Sectarianism and the Armenian Genocide: The Politics of the Absence of Genocide Education in Lebanon
– By Yeghia Tashjian
Yerablur, loss and the continuing cycle of genocide
– By Sara Cohan
Photographs are the Last Witnesses: Project SAVE Archives
– By Arto Vaun, Ph.D.
Research and Analysis
“Facts are Stubborn Things”: How Denial Turns Facts Into Opinions and Erodes Truth
– By Marc A. Mamigonian
Pedagogy
Teaching about Resistance to Genocide
– By Khatchig Mouradian, Ph.D.
Genocide and Women: Teaching about the roles women play in genocidal and post-genocidal societies
– By Asya Darbinian, Ph.D.
Genealogy: “Useful in the toolkit of genocide education”
– By George Aghjayan
Fast-tracking Armenian Genocide education in the US
– By Roxanne Makasdjian
The Deadly Gap: Genocide Education and Artsakh’s Right to Survival
– By Henry C. Theriault, Ph.D.
Transformative Education: Genocide education, the Armenian Genocide and reparations
– By Jermaine McCalpin, Ph.D.
On the importance of teaching genocide in high school: A case study from Quebec
– By Lalai Manjikian, Ph.D.
Armenian Genocide Education in Michigan: From Law to Curriculum to Training
– By Ani Boghikian Kasparian and Lara S. Nercessian