Category: General Interest

Grace and Paul Shahinian Armenian Christian Art and Culture Lecture on March 27th in Washington DC

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The Zohrab Center is pleased to share that the third annual Grace and Paul Shahinian Armenian Christian Art and Culture Lecture, established through the generosity of Mr. Dean Shahinian, will take place on March 27th in Washington, D.C. Please find the details below:

Lecture Title: “When Things Fall Apart: Disentangling Christian-Muslim Relations in Medieval Armenia”
Speaker: Prof. Sergio La Porta
Place: Heritage Hall in O’Connell Hall at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
Date and Time: March 27 at 5 pm
Lecture open and free to the public. Reception to follow
For more information and to register, click here https://trs.catholic.edu/lectures-and-events/grace-and-paul/index.html

Dr. Sergio La Porta is currently the Acting Dean of the Kremen School of Education and Human Development at California State University, Fresno. Prior to assuming this role, he was the Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities and the Haig and Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian Studies. His most recent book publication, co-authored with Dr. Alison Vacca, is entitled, An Armenian Futūḥ Narrative: Łewond’s Eighth-Century History of the Caliphate (Chicago: Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, 2024). In addition, Dr. La Porta has published on the Armenian commentaries on the works attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite, and numerous articles on medieval Armenian intellectual history and cultural interactions with the Islamicate, Byzantine, and Latinate worlds.

The Byzantine annexation of Armenia in the eleventh century followed by the Seljuk invasions brought dramatic political and demographic changes to the region. Nonetheless, a modus vivendi between Christians and Muslims in Armenia was established by the end of that century. This condition of “rough tolerance,” to borrow a phrase used by MacEvitt in the context of the Crusades, lasted until the second half of the twelfth century. This talk will argue that contemporary Armenian stories of martyrdom both shed light on the previous state of affairs and document the disintegration of intercommunal relations during this period.

Past Lectures in the Grace and Paul Shahinian Armenian Christian Art and Culture Lecture Series:

(1) The inaugural lecture was on March 23, 2023 at 5 pm (Heritage Hall, The Catholic University of America). The speaker was Prof. Christina Maranci (Harvard University) who spoke on the topic “Armenia and the World in Art and Text.”  For a video of the lecture, see  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBccQFf1Tmg&t=15s 

(2) On March 21, 2024 we hosted the Second Annual “The Grace and Paul Shahinian Armenian Christian Art and Culture Lecture Series.” The speaker was Prof. Zara Pogossian (University of Florence) who spoke on the topic “Women and Power in Medieval Armenia: Beyond Local Dynasties and Eurasian Empires.”  For a video of the lecture, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-Uyg8VUfzc&t=212s 

Dr. Jesse Arlen interviewed on the life and work of his late sister, poet Tenny Arlen

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The poetry of Tenny Arlen (1991–2015) was recently featured in the LAdige Review, the home of “California Poets” an ongoing online anthology and interview series conceived in 2020 by David Garyan.

Featured alongside the work of other California poets are 10 poems by Tenny Arlen, 8 from her book Կիրքով ըսելու՝ ինչո՞ւ հոս եմ (To Say with Passion: Why Am I Here?) (Yerevan: ARI Literature Foundation, 2021). The poems from the book appear in Armenian with the author’s own English-language translations. Additionally, 2 previously unpublished poems in English appear here for the first time.

Following the poems is an interview with the late poet’s brother, Zohrab director Dr. Jesse Arlen, on Tenny’s life and work. You may read the poems and interview by following this link to LAdige Review.

Tenny Arlen (1991–2015)

Dr. Jesse Arlen to speak at Hamazkayin Western Region Literary Unit on January 16th over Zoom

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On Thursday, January 16th at 7:00pm PT / 10:00pm ET, Dr. Jesse Arlen will give a presentation hosted by the Hamazkayin Western Region Literary Unit on St. Nersess Shnorhali and the recently published book by co-authors Jesse Arlen and Matthew Sarkisian Odes of St. Nersess the Graceful: Annotated Translation (New York: Tarkmaneal Press, 2024).

Please register for this online event, whose proceedings will take place primarily in Armenian, at this link.

Zoom meeting ID: 864 7185 3213
Passcode: 406800

The book is available for purchase from the Prelacy Bookstore, NAASR bookstore, Abril Books, AGBU Bookstore or on Amazon.

HMML Summer Course: Introduction to Classical Armenian

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In partnership with Dumbarton Oaks and the Zohrab Center of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, HMML will host an intensive four-week course as an introduction to the Armenian language and paleography in the summer of 2025. This course is intended for doctoral students or recent PhDs who can demonstrate a need for Classical Armenian in their research. Priority is given to students who lack opportunities to study Armenian at their own institutions. The program welcomes international applicants but does not sponsor J visas.

  • Funder

    Dumbarton Oaks

  • Location

    The 2025 summer course will be taught on the beautiful campus of Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, USA.

  • Course level

    Introduction to Classical Armenian

  • Course length

    Four weeks

  • Dates

    July 7, 2025 to August 1, 2025

  • Course size

    Up to 14 students

  • Costs

    All course costs are covered by Dumbarton Oaks for the 2025 course. Participants must pay their own travel costs to and from Collegeville, Minnesota, USA.

  • Accommodations

    Students will be housed in dormitory apartments on the Saint John’s University campus. Each participant will have an air-conditioned, private bedroom and bathroom, with shared kitchen and laundry facilities.

    A meal contract at the college Refectory will be provided.

Course overview

  • Sessions are held Monday–Friday in the morning and afternoon.
  • Total instruction time equals 110 hours.
  • The Dumbarton Oaks/HMML 2025 summer course “Introduction to Classical Armenian” will introduce students to the fundamentals of Classical Armenian grammar at the introductory level.
  • The goal of the course is to give students an active command of the language through grammar instruction and reading texts.
  • The textbook for the course will be: An Introduction to Classical Armenian, Robert W. Thomson (Delmar, NY: Caravan Books, 1989, 2nd. ed.), now out of print. Students will be provided in advance with a PDF copy of this book — which they are encouraged to print physical copies of — and any other materials needed for the course. Other supplemental materials prepared by the instructors will also be distributed to the students.
  • Once a sufficient basis of grammar has been covered, a portion of the daily work will be devoted to reading and translating Classical Armenian texts, which may be chosen based on student interest and will include both published texts as well as manuscript images.
  • During the course, students will also be introduced to the primary lexica, manuscript repositories, and print and online resources available to aid them in their subsequent research on pre-modern Armenian texts.
  • By the end of the course, students will be able to independently approach Classical Armenian texts with a comprehensive grasp of grammar and syntax and translate from Armenian into English with confidence.
  • Following this intensive course, students will be able to continue reading on their own or to enter reading courses at other institutions.

Prerequisites

  • Students will be required to learn the Armenian alphabet and practice reading and pronunciation before the course begins.
  • Students will be introduced to both Eastern and Western pronunciation and will be encouraged to pick one pronunciation to make their own.
  • Materials will be provided to aid in mastering the alphabet and for practicing reading and pronunciation.
  • Those with significant prior study of Armenian (e.g., a semester-long class) will not be considered.

Faculty for 2025

  • Guest faculty: Dr. Jesse Siragan Arlen, director, Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America; postdoctoral research fellow, Orthodox Christian Studies Center, Fordham University; and Dr. Christopher Sprecher, postdoctoral researcher, Austrian Academy of Sciences/Institute for Medieval Research, Cluster of Excellence “EurAsian Transformations”

Application deadline

February 24, 2025

Application submission

  • Letter of no more than two single-spaced pages describing the applicant’s academic background, including language skills, and an explanation for why learning Armenian is important for future research and teaching. Address letter to HMML Executive Director Columba Stewart, Ph.D.
  • Updated curriculum vitae
  • A transcript of graduate school coursework for those who are currently doing graduate study. This is not required for those who completed a PhD
  • Two letters of recommendation

Applicants

  • Send all materials as email attachments to scholarlyprograms@hmml.org.
  • Add “Armenian 2025 Summer School” in the subject line.

Letter of recommendation authors

  • Letters of recommendation should be sent directly from the author of the letter to HMML. Please send the letter as email attachment to scholarlyprograms@hmml.org.
  • Add “Armenian 2025 Summer School and the applicant’s name” in the subject line.

Selection criteria

  • Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of previous academic achievement, demonstrated need for intensive study of Classical Armenian, and research promise.

Notification of acceptance

  • All awards will be announced by March 14, 2025.
  • Students accepting a place in the course will need to notify HMML by March 28, 2025.
  • Alternates, if space becomes available, will be announced March 31, 2025.

Questions

About Dumbarton Oaks: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection is an institute in Washington, D.C., administered by the Trustees for Harvard University. It supports research and learning internationally in Byzantine, Garden and Landscape, and Pre-Columbian studies through fellowships and internships, meetings, and exhibitions. Located in residential Georgetown, Dumbarton Oaks welcomes researchers at all career stages who come to study its books, objects, images, and documents.

About the Zohrab Center of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America: The Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center at the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America was founded in 1987 through a perpetual endowment by Dolores Zohrab Liebmann, in memory of her parents. Her father, Krikor Zohrab, was a renowned Ottoman-Armenian community leader, parliamentarian, lawyer, and writer, who was murdered in the early days of the genocide of 1915. Today the Zohrab Center functions as a research library and community center that promotes the full range of Armenian studies and assists students, scholars, the Armenian community, and general public in deepening their appreciation for Armenian history, civilization, and culture, especially within their overwhelmingly Christian ambit.

Zohrab Center director to give talks in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles

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Zohrab Center director, Dr. Jesse S. Arlen, will be on the road to present talks in the coming days. On Monday, October 28th at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., he will present on the rich manuscript heritage of Grner monastery in Cilicia under Bishop John (Yovhannes Arkayeghbayr), brother of King Hetum I.

Then on November 7th at the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of America he will participate in a program put together by the Western Diocese and the UCLA Narekatsi Chair of Armenian Studies, Prof. Peter Cowe, entitled “An Evening Honoring the Legacy of St. Nerses Shnorhali,” a literary, musical, artistic, and visual celebration of the saint’s liturgical music, including the Odes (տաղք), newly translated to English by Dr. Arlen and Matthew J. Sarkisian.

Both programs are open to the public.

While in Washington, D.C., Dr. Arlen presented today on medieval Armenian colophons at the Armenian Relief Society Norian “Youth Connect” Program at the Library of Congress and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, organized by Dr. Khatchig Mouradian.

Assist with Fordham PhD student dissertation research and data collection

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If you are a graduate from a 4-year college or university from the NYC/Tri-State area between 2019-2024 and were involved in your school’s Armenian Club or ASA, please consider taking this survey to assist Fordham University PhD candidate Melissa Gazal with her dissertation research.

Recording of Odes of Saint Nersess the Graceful discussion now available

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The recording of the conversation between Prof. George Demacopoulos with Dr. Jesse S. Arlen and Matthew J. Sarkisian on their book Odes of Saint Nersess the Graceful: Annotated Translation (New York, NY: Tarkmaneal Press, 2024) is now available to view on YouTube.

The Zoom webinar was hosted by the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University and co-sponsored by NAASR and the Zohrab Information Center.

The book is available to purchase from Armenian booksellers, including the NAASR bookstore, AGBU bookstore, Abril Books, and the Prelacy Bookstore as well as via Amazon.

Watch the Recording of the St. Nersess Shnorhali Conference in Rome on YouTube Now

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The international conference “Plenitude of Grace, Plenitude of Humanity: St Nerses Shnorhali at the Juncture of Millennia” took place Thursday and Friday (Nov 30–Dec 1) at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. The recordings of all sessions from both days are available to view online through the YouTube Channel of the Pontifical Oriental Institute or below.A conference flyer and schedule are also available to view below.

Conference on St. Nersess Shnorhali in Rome Available to Stream on YouTube

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The international conference “Plenitude of Grace, Plenitude of Humanity: St Nerses Shnorhali at the Juncture of Millennia” is taking place this Thursday and Friday (Nov 30–Dec 1) at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. Among the invited speakers are Zohrab Center director Dr. Jesse S. Arlen, former Diocesan primate Bp. Daniel Findikyan, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary Emeritus Professor Dr. Abraham Terian and current St. Nersess Seminary Professor Dr. Roberta R. Ervine, along with an impressive lineup of scholars and clergymen.

The sessions will be broadcast live (and available for later viewing) through the YouTube Channel of the Pontifical Oriental Institute (www.youtube.com/@Orientale).

The conference was organized in conjunction with a series of events that were to take place in Rome and the Vatican, including concerts and an ecumenical prayer service, to honor the 850th year since the death of St. Nerses Shnorhali. Unfortunately, all events apart from the conference have been indefinitely postponed.

A conference flyer and schedule are available to view below:

Watch the Recording of David Hotson on Saint Sarkis Church

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If you missed David Hotson’s talk on “Raising Awareness of Armenian History through the Design of Saint Sarkis Armenian Church” then you can watch the recording of the talk below (or a previous and similar talk given at an international conference on Eastern Christian architecture and Modernity at Fordham University.


“The Making of Saint Sarkis Church,” Fordham University, June 1, 2023


“Raising Awareness of Armenian History through the Design of Saint Sarkis Armenian Church,” Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center, Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), November 1, 2023