Zohrab Center at UMich for Workshop on Linguistics and Armenian

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Last week, the University of Michigan hosted a workshop for graduate students entitled “Language Revitalization and Resurgence: The Case of Modern Armenian.” Zohrab Information Center Special Projects Coordinator Arthur Ipek presented a paper among a panel of linguists ranging from syntax, psycholinguistics, and dialectology.

As a recipient of the Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund Fellowship for his continuing research in Cognitive Neuroscience at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, Arthur has proposed a novel approach to studying semantics and lexicography—namely, by incorporating insight from the cognitive sciences. In a working paper entitled “The Task of the Lexicographer: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Comparative Lexicography and the Case of Western Armenian,“ Arthur has outlined how insight from psychology and neuroscience can help compare lexical morphology patterns across languages—7 to be exact—and subsequently implement this knowledge into dictionary usage in the case of Western Armenian. It is no surprise that a polyglot like Arthur has been able to undertake this feat.

Arthur Ipek presenting his paper “The Task of the Lexicographer: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Comparative Lexicography and the Case of Western Armenian”

The presentation was followed by professorial commentary by Dr. Benjamin Fortson, a historical linguist at the University, with much experience in the documentation of English’s hefty word-hoard. He emphasized one of the central themes of Arthur’s study, “inclusive coverage,” as an attempt to capture a responsible number of foreignisms that accurately reflect colloquial speech in Armenian. In addition, Arthur has been cautious to advocate for loanwords at whim and refers lexicographers to use systematicity in their decisions, and that these systematic decisions may rely on newer technological innovations such as brain and behavioral methodologies to tease apart the subtleties of senses for a given word.

Additional insightful feedback was provided by Dr. Kevork Bardakjian and Dr. Michael Pifer, former and current chairs of Armenian Language & Literature at the university. They alluded to how a proper account of lexicography can inform proximal domains of study such as bilingualism, translation, and literature, underlining the multidisciplinary approach that Arthur has incorporated to grapple with these issues. In addition, Ms. Sosy Mishoyan, university preceptor in Armenian language, commented on the applicability of the research to classroom settings, specifically with the idea of helping students disentangle the previously discussed sense discrepancies in the lexicons of English and Armenian.

The Zohrab Center thanks University of Michigan’s Center for Armenian Studies and especially Arakel Minassian, Emma Portugal, and Vicken Mouradian for the conception and organization of this event.

Presenters and Panelists at the workshop. Arthur Ipek is second from the left.
Listening to a talk beside Sosy Mishoyan

Zohrab Director Dr. Jesse S. Arlen to speak on Armenian monasteries at “Stone & Candle” book presentation with Ted and Nune at AGBU

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The Zohrab Information Center cordially invites you to a book presentation and signing of Ted and Nune‘s Stone & Candle: Armenian Monasteries (Kehrer Verlag Heidelberg, 2023) to take place on Wednesday, April 10th from 7–9pm at the AGBU Central Office (55 East 59th Street, 7th floor, New York, NY 10022). At the event, Dr. Jesse S. Arlen will speak on “The Function of Monasteries in Medieval Armenian Society.”

Stone and Candle is a long-term photographic project examining ancient Armenian Monasteries.

Register for the event here.

Zohrab Intern and NYU undergraduate Luiza Ghazaryan (’26) featured as Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholars Program “Scholar in Service”

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Luiza Ghazaryan, a Neuroscience undergraduate student at New York University (’26) and an intern at the Zohrab Information Center was featured as an NYU Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholars Program “scholar in service” for her work at the Zohrab Center.

Luiza was recently interviewed based on her work at the Zohrab Center. To read more about her involvement, click here or continue reading below:

How long have you been working with the organization?
My delightful work with the Zohrab Center started in the Summer of 2023 and since then I have been inseparable from the Armenian treasures in the library!

Why are you passionate about this organization and cause?
Located in the heart of New York City and among skyscrapers, the Zohrab Center is dedicated to preserving Armenian cultural knowledge through research and public programming, and holds a vast collection of books, manuscripts, archival materials, and masterpieces by Armenian intellectuals. I am grateful for this opportunity as I get to learn more about my culture and encounter remarkable stories of the 1915 Armenian Genocide survivors and their resilience. I believe that even by only cataloging the donated books in the online system, I become part of the vital mission to maintain Armenian history and contribute to the flourishing of my nation in the diaspora. Moreover, I relish the tranquility I feel when I am around the literature in this small but cosmic library, away from the cacophony of the city.

How should other Scholars get involved?
Follow the announcements on the ZIC website (or @zohrabcenter on Instagram) for new opportunities posted or literary events that you can attend!

______________________________

Thank you Luiza for your wonderful and impactful ongoing work at the Zohrab Center and for helping to promote Armenian culture at NYU!

“The Backbone of the Country” and “A Wedge Driven into the Turkic World”: Historical and Geographical Imaginations in Siunik after the Second Karabakh War by Dr. Nareg Seferian on Wed., April 3rd at 7:00pm

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The Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center cordially invites you to a public lecture by Dr. Nareg Seferian, entitled “”The Backbone of the Country” and “A Wedge Driven into the Turkic World”: Historical and Geographical Imaginations in Siunik after the Second Karabakh War.” The lecture will take place on Wednesday, April 3rd at 7:00pm in Guild Hall at the Diocesan Center.

Abstract: The Second Karabakh War of 2020 had far-reaching repurcusions in the South Caucasus. The province of Siunik (Syunik) in southern Armenia turned into a particularly sensitive area as a result. Almost overnight, the inhabitants of the province unexpecedly found themselves facing new borders with Azerbaijan. Spaces that had never been frontiers suddenly had to accommodate armed forces flying three flags while dealing with blocked transportation networks and disrupted economic activity. Those substantial material security challenges found their reflections in ideological discourses and narratives as well.

How do the Armenians of Siunik perceive their new geography? Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the province in the autumn of 2021, this talk presents local perceptions on the changing dynamics of Siunik and Armenia as they navigate through the trauma and shock of the Second Karabakh War, and the developments since.

Nareg Seferian received his PhD from the School of Public and International Affairs, Virginia Tech, in 2023. He served on the faculty of the American University of Armenia from 2013 to 2016 and also taught at Virginia Tech during and after his doctoral studies from 2019 to 2023. His published writings are available at naregseferian.com.

Save the Date (Monday, April 15, 4:00pm ET) — Odes of Saint Nersess the Graceful: Annotated Translation book release (online)

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The Zohrab Center cordially invites you to a virtual book release and webinar discussion of Odes of Saint Nersess the Graceful: Annotated Translation (New York, NY: Tarkmaneal Press, 2024) on Monday, April 15th, at 4:00pm ET, with authors Matthew J. Sarkisian and Dr. Jesse S. Arlen. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. George E. Demacopoulos, Professor of Theology and Fr. John Meyendorff & Patterson Family Chair of Orthodox Christian Studies at Fordham University.

The webinar is hosted by the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University and co-sponsored by the National Association for Armenian Studies & Research (NAASR) and the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center.

To register for the Zoom webinar, click here. To purchase the book on Amazon, click here.

St. Nersess the Graceful (Nersēs Shnorhali, 1102–1173 AD), Catholicos from 1166 until his death in 1173, was one of the great figures of the medieval Armenian Church. His most popular work is the prayer of twenty-four stanzas commonly known as “With Faith I Confess” (Havadov Khosdovanim), which has been translated into more than thirty languages. He was also a prolific author and composer of hymns and other poetic works, many of which remain little known today. This volume presents the Armenian text and an English translation of sixty of St. Nersess’s liturgical odes (tagh), fifty-eight of which have never been previously translated into English. These profound songs of praise were composed to enhance the celebration and reflect on the mystery of the various feasts and commemorations that make up the Christian liturgical year. The translation is accompanied by an introduction and extensive annotation, which brings to light the Biblical, theological, and poetic features of these literary treasures, making them accessible to the general reader in the twenty-first century.

About the Authors
Jesse S. Arlen is the director of the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center at the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America in New York and a postdoctoral research fellow at the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University. He has published a number of studies on medieval Christian spirituality, monasticism, and literature.

Matthew J. Sarkisian is a self-taught translator of Classical Armenian who lives in the Binghamton, New York area. He previously collaborated with Jesse Arlen on an annotated translation of an Armenian prayer scroll (hmayil), published in 2022 by the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center.

Praise for the Volume
“St. Nersess Shnorhali, Nersess the Graceful, belongs to the rank of those Church Fathers and Doctors who rightfully can be declared “the lyre of the Holy Spirit.” One of the earliest European Armenologists, the Jesuit Fr. Jacques Villote, admiring the sublime touches of heavenly inspiration emanating from Shnorhali’s verses, called his poetic masterpiece — named in Armenian Յիսուս, Որդի (Jesus, Son) from its incipit — “The Divine Elegy.” Nersess Shnorhali is one of the most exceptional figures in the history of the universal Church for more than one reason, but above all for his passionate search for the unity of the Church, and for his deep understanding, in the wake of St. Gregory of Narek, of the fragility, the conventionality, the inadequacy of human language in speaking of Divine mystery. The Odes in this volume, masterfully translated and commented upon by Matthew J. Sarkisian and Jesse S. Arlen, are among the most vibrant, genuine, and touching expressions of Shnorhali’s spirituality.”
— Abp. Levon Zekiyan, Emeritus Professor of Armenian Studies, Ca’ Foscari, Venice, and the Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome

“St. Nersess Shnorhali’s hymns are known for their literary beauty and spiritual sublimity. Sarkisian and Arlen convey both aspects in their mellifluous translation. The substantial annotation they provide further defines their mastery of the classical text.”
— Abraham Terian, Emeritus Professor of Armenian Patristics and Theology, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary

“Thanks to Jesse Arlen and Matthew Sarkisian for this carefully prepared labor of love and learning. They have curated for us a trove of lesser-known, spiritual gems from the vast storehouse of St. Nersess Shnorhali’s writings.”
— Roberta Ervine, Professor of Armenian Christian Studies, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary

Book Presentation and Signing! Saturday, March 2, 1:30pm at Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs

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The Zohrab Information Center cordially invites you to a book presentation and signing on Saturday, March 2nd at 1:30pm at Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs in Bayside, Queens.

Fr. Dr. Abraham Manuk Malkhasyan, Dr. Armen Khachikyan, and Dr. Michael Malkhasyan will present their newly published book The Current Stage of the Demographic Transition in the Republic of Armenia (Ժողովրդագրական անցման արդի փուլը Հայաստանի հանրապետութիւնում).

The event is co-sponsored by the Zohrab Center and followed by a research presentation: “Public & Security Problems in Armenia,” with research conducted by ԱՐԱՐ հիմնադրամ / ARAR Foundation and presented by Dr. Armen Khachikyan, moderated by Zohrab director Dr. Jesse Arlen.

NEW BOOK RELEASED — Odes of Saint Nersess the Graceful: Annotated Translation by Matthew J. Sarkisian and Jesse S. Arlen

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The Zohrab Information Center is pleased to announce the release of Odes of Saint Nersess the Graceful: Annotated Translation by Matthew J. Sarkisian and Jesse S. Arlen. The volume is the second in the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center’s series Sources from the Armenian Christian Tradition and is available to purchase on Amazon.

St. Nersess the Graceful (Nersēs Shnorhali, 1102–1173 A.D.), catholicos from 1166 until his death in 1173, was one of the great figures of the medieval Armenian Church. His most popular work is the prayer of twenty-four stanzas commonly known as “With Faith I Confess” (Havadov Khosdovanim), which has been translated into more than thirty languages. He was also a prolific author and composer of hymns and other poetic works, many of which remain little known today. This volume presents the Armenian text and an English translation of sixty of St. Nersess’s liturgical odes (tagh), fifty-eight of which have never been previously translated into English. These profound songs of praise were composed to enhance the celebration and reflect on the mystery of the various feasts and commemorations that make up the Christian liturgical year. The translation is accompanied by an introduction and extensive annotation, which brings to light the Biblical, theological, and poetic features of these literary treasures, making them accessible to the general reader in the twenty-first century.

Tarkmaneal Press was founded in 2024 by Matthew J. Sarkisian and Jesse S. Arlen with the goal of bringing bilingual editions of classical Armenian texts with annotated English translations available to a wide audience. Sarkisian is a self-taught translator of Classical Armenian who lives in the Binghamton, New York area. He previously collaborated with Jesse Arlen on an annotated translation of an Armenian prayer scroll (hmayil), published in 2022 by the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center. Arlen is the director of the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center at the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, and a postdoctoral research fellow at the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University. He has published a number of studies on late antique and medieval Christian spirituality and monastic literature.

Praise for the Volume

“St. Nersess Shnorhali, Nersess the Graceful, belongs to the rank of those Church Fathers and Doctors who rightfully can be declared “the lyre of the Holy Spirit.” One of the earliest European Armenologists, the Jesuit Fr. Jacques Villote, admiring the sublime touches of heavenly inspiration emanating from Shnorhali’s verses, called his poetic masterpiece — named in Armenian Յիսուս, Որդի (Jesus, Son) from its incipit — “The Divine Elegy.” Nersess Shnorhali is one of the most exceptional figures in the history of the universal Church for more than one reason, but above all for his passionate search for the unity of the Church, and for his deep understanding, in the wake of St. Gregory of Narek, of the fragility, the conventionality, the inadequacy of human language in speaking of Divine mystery. The Odes in this volume, masterfully translated and commented upon by Matthew J. Sarkisian and Jesse S. Arlen, are among the most vibrant, genuine, and touching expressions of Shnorhali’s spirituality.”

— Abp. Levon Zekiyan, Emeritus Professor of Armenian Studies, Ca’ Foscari, Venice, and the Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome

“St. Nersess Shnorhali’s hymns are known for their literary beauty and spiritual sublimity. Sarkisian and Arlen convey both aspects in their mellifluous translation. The substantial annotation they provide further defines their mastery of the classical text.”

— Abraham Terian, Emeritus Professor of Armenian Patristics and Theology, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary

“Thanks to Jesse Arlen and Matthew Sarkisian for this carefully prepared labor of love and learning. They have curated for us a trove of lesser-known, spiritual gems from the vast storehouse of St. Nersess Shnorhali’s writings.”

— Roberta Ervine, Professor of Armenian Christian Studies, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary

Aida Zilelian presents her new novel All the Ways We Lied

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Please join us for the launch of our second annual monthly reading series, Literary Lights 2024, featuring Tölölyan Literary Prize recipient Aida Zilelian, author of All the Ways We Lied. Zilelian will be joined by Nancy Agabian, author of Princess Freak (2000), Me as Her Again: True Stories of an Armenian Daughter (2008), and the ​​PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction finalist, The Fear of Large and Small Nations (2023). The event will take place on Zoom on January 27, 2024 at 12:00 PM Eastern (Register here).

Literary Lights is a monthly reading series organized by the International Armenian Literary Alliance (IALA), the National Association for Armenian Studies & Research (NAASR), and the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center. Each event—held online—will feature a writer reading from their work, followed by a discussion with an interviewer and audience members. Keep an eye on our website and socials for the exact dates of each event. Click here to read along with the series by purchasing titles from IALA’s online bookstore powered by Bookshop or the NAASR bookstore.

Set in Queens, New York, while a father deteriorates from terminal illness, three sisters contend with one another, their self-destructive pasts, and their indomitable mother as they face the loss of the one person holding their unstable family together.

Kohar, the oldest sister, is happily married, yet grapples with fertility issues and, in turn, her own self-worth. Lucine, the middle child, is trapped in a loveless marriage and haunted by memories of her estranged father. Azad, the beloved youngest child, is burdened by an inescapable cycle of failed relationships.

By turns heartfelt and heart-wrenching, All the Ways We Lied introduces a cast of tragically flawed but lovable characters on the brink of unraveling. With humor and compassion, this spellbinding tale explores the fraught and contradictory landscape of sisterhood, introducing four unforgettable women who have nothing in common, and are bound by blood and history. Learn more about the novel.

Aida Zilelian is a first generation American-Armenian writer, educator and storyteller from Queens, NY. She is the author of The Legacy of Lost Things, recipient of the Tololyan Literary Award. She has been featured in the Huffington Post, NPR’s Takeaway, Poets & Writers, Kirkus Reviews, among other media and print outlets. Her short story collection These Hills Were Meant for You was shortlisted for Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction. Zilelian was the curator of Boundless Tales, one of the first and longest-running reading series in Queens, NY, which she recently revived. She is on the Board of Directors of Newtown Literary, a Queens-based literary journal that supports emerging writers, and a IALA Advisory Board member. All the Ways We Lied is her second published novel.

Collection of Maps, Atlases, and Guidebooks available at the Zohrab Information Center

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A collection of about one hundred maps has recently been processed and is now available for the interested public to view at the Zohrab Information Center, along with related atlases and guidebooks. The collection was processed by Linda Smith, a graduate student at Simmons University, pursuing a degree in Archives Management, who is concurrently an archival intern at the Zohrab Center.

The collection includes materials that cover over 2800 years of Armenian cartographic history that were acquired and donated over the years by various individuals. The maps, atlases, and guidebooks in this collection were published as early as 1880 and as late as 2003.

Illustrated Guide-Map of Historical Architectural Monuments of Soviet Armenia
Illustrated Guide-Map of Historical Architectural Monuments of Soviet Armenia (publication date unknown). This material is available in English, French, and Armenian.

The first three series of this collection include maps of Armenia and neighboring lands in the past. From consulting these maps, one can see the changes of Armenia’s borders and geographic features over time. There are maps that show its importance as part of the Bible lands, part of the Near East, and when it was in the Byzantine, Persian, Ottoman, and Turkish Empires and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)/Soviet Union.

Political and administrative map of the USSR
There are several maps that show Armenia within empires and unions, including this political and administrative map of the USSR, published circa the 1960s or 1970s.

There are also detailed, illustrated reference maps that highlight specific things within the country, including birds native to different parts of the country, architectural and monument maps, and a style map showing traditional Armenian dress.

Style Map of the Armenian People
Style Map of the Armenian People (publication date unknown). This is one of many available reference maps that give greater detail about the peoples within Armenia.

Birds of Armenia Reference Map

Scans of the Birds of Armenia reference map
Scans of the Birds of Armenia reference map, published in 1999. There are corresponding books available in the Zohrab Information Center catalog. A link in the finding aid will take a user directly to the catalog entries.

A treasured part of this collection includes maps of Havav Village in Palu, which were hand drawn from memory by Hareton Saksoorian after he escaped the massacres.

Maps of Havav Village in Palu (Բալու) by Hareton Saksoorian (Յարութիւն Ձախսուրեան), 1966

Maps of Havav Village in Palu (Բալու) by Hareton Saksoorian (Յարութիւն Ձախսուրեան), 1966. The first picture shows the Palu map drawn by Saksoorian; the second picture is another hand-drawn map showing part of Armenia in the Ortokid period of the 12th century; the third picture shows the border between Turkey and Armenia established by President Woodrow Wilson.

The fourth series includes historical atlases that compile several maps of Armenia over time in one book. One historical atlas in this collection can take someone through Armenia’s history and changing borders from 824 B.C. through 1964 A.D. Another is a road map of Armenia and neighboring countries.

Maps from the Hammond's Historical Atlas
Maps from the Hammond’s Historical Atlas. These depict Armenia as it was from 824 to 625 B.C., the sixth century B.C., and 1000 A.D.

Lastly, the fifth series contains guidebooks. These materials include text, photographs, or both of important and popular places in various Armenian locales. Most of the guidebooks are for the city of Yerevan, though there are some of Etchmiadzin, the island of San Lazzaro in the Venetian lagoon, and Armenian churches as well.

Maps and photos from a Yerevan guidebook published in 1982
Maps and photos from a Yerevan guidebook published in 1982. There are multiple guidebooks in the collection of Armenia’s capital city.

This collection is a visual representation of changes throughout Armenian history due to different leaders and struggles with neighboring countries and former empires. These materials are an invaluable look into the geography and boundaries of this country as they have remained the same and changed at various points in history, as well as places of interest that can still be seen in Armenia today.

Images from an Etchmiadzin guidebook
Images from an Etchmiadzin guidebook (publication date unknown).

This collection is now available for visitors looking to conduct research or consult maps and guidebooks to learn more about Armenia, its lands, and landmarks of the past and present. A searchable finding aid of the collection is available to view here.