On February 8, 2022, the Middle East Center was pleased to host Ani Schug, Anoush Baghdassarian, and Rebekah Mills to discuss the Rerooted Archive, which preserves over 200 testimonies of Syrian-Armenians impacted or displaced by Syrian Civil War. See below for an event description, as well as a link to the event recording.
Event Description:
Armenians have formed a part of Syrian society for centuries as their own ethnic, linguistic and religious community. Then, in the aftermath of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, hundreds of thousands of survivors and orphans fled to Syria seeking refuge and safety. Once in Syria, they put down roots and preserved their cultural identity by creating schools, churches, and cultural societies. Syrian-Armenian organizations and transnational Armenian organizations created a thriving community, one of the strongest in the whole Armenian Diaspora. The Syrian Civil War completed disrupted this community through violence, displacement over half of the community, and destruction of key cultural heritage sites.
Cultural heritage destruction is a lasting consequence of warfare, with the possibility of permanent losing important pieces of history and culture. Longstanding international law protects cultural property and cultural heritage from destruction. Yet, even if cultural heritage is legally protected, it can be a complicated process to prosecute offenses or rebuild destroyed cultural heritage.
Ani Schug, Anoush Baghdassarian, and Rebekah Mills will discuss the destruction and rebuilding of Syrian-Armenian cultural heritage, and the role of local, national, and international actors to rebuild cultural heritage destroyed in conflict. The presentation will showcase examples of Armenian cultural centers across Syria before and after their destruction, concluding with a discussion on what international legal tools exist to promote cultural heritage preservation and how they could possibly be implemented.
For those unable to attend, CLICK HERE FOR EVENT RECORDING.