The History Department partnered with Armenian Club to host Taner Akçam, a Turkish historian who studies the Armenian Genocide, in Ahmanson Lecture Hall on April 11. The lecture was planned in advance of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day on April 24.
The Armenian Genocide, which involved the mass deportation and killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, is largely denied by Turkish scholars today, according to Akçam. In his lecture, he discussed the causes of the genocide and the Turkish attempt to conceal the event. History Teacher Jennifer Golub-Marcus said she organized the presentation because her sophomore history class, The Rise of the Modern World, studied World War I and examined the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
Akçam said the Armenian Genocide occured because the Ottoman rulers believed violence would break out between Muslims and Christians.
“There are always reasons for genocides,” Akçam said. “You hardly hear from perpetrators that they were bored and they decided to kill millions of people. They think that they are doing something good. The Ottoman rulers made a decision that they could not live with Christians in peace in their country, and they should get rid of them. Then, in 1913, they implemented a plan which we call homogenization of Anatolia.”
Golub-Marcus said Akçam’s lecture was meaningful because of the large Armenian population in Los Angeles and Akçam’s background as a Turkish scholar.
“There are more Armenians that live in Los Angeles than anywhere outside Armenia, and their history is important to the mosaic of Angeleno communities,” Golub-Marcus said. “Akçam has a unique perspective because, as a Turkish historian, he has had to take great personal sacrifices to acknowledge the genocide and excavate the historical record, which has been intentionally obfuscated and buried.”
Luke Touloumian ’27 attended the event because Akçam’s lecture related to his capstone research paper for his history class. Touloumian said Akçam’s lecture explained the Armenian Genocide clearly, which helped him explore the event in his paper.
“It’s important that people like Akçam highlight the Armenian Genocide because it helps promote justice and challenge denial,” Touloumian said. “Professor Akçam helped my research by outlining the motives and actions of the Ottoman Empire. He helped me understand and explain why it happened.”
Riley Romans ’27 said the presentation spread awareness of the Armenian Genocide and respected those who were persecuted.
“The lecture showed how events like the Armenian Genocide still affect the world today,” Romans said. “Remembering the Armenian Genocide helps us make sure something like that doesn’t happen again. It teaches us about the dangers of hate and unfairness, it honors the people who suffered, and it keeps their story alive so they’re not forgotten.”
Mattin Tasbihgoo ’27 said Akçam’s lecture will encourage students to acknowledge the past and work to avert any similar events in the future.
“We can only move forward once we’ve learned from our mistakes,” Tasbihgoo said. “I gained more insight into the reasoning behind the Armenian Genocide and how it can be prevented, and I would love for there to be more speakers like Akçam.”
