Two-Day International Conference: “A New History-Writing on Late Ottoman-Turkish History: The Impact of Memoirs” at Fresno State, October 17 18
The Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State is organizing a two-day international conference, “A New History-Writing on Late Ottoman-Turkish History: The Impact of Memoirs,” taking place on October 17 and 18, on the Fresno State campus.The conference organizers are Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian (Fresno State) and Dr. Ümit Kurt (University of Newcastle, Australia). The conference is sponsored by the Thomas A. Kooyumjian Family Foundation, the Leon S. Peters Foundation, the Ralph Shapazian Memorial Fund, and the Florence Hamparson Memorial Fund.
The conference will feature keynote speaker Dr. Taner Akçam (director of the Armenian Genocide Research Project, the Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA) and presentations by eight scholars from around the world.
A reception will be held in the University Business Center Gallery from 6:00-7:00pm, immediately preceding the start of the conference.
The conference will begin at 7:00PM on Friday, October 17, with the keynote presentation by Taner Akçam, followed by Panel 1, with Moderator Ümit Kurt. The panel will feature presentations by Janet Klein (University of Akron), “Reading Against the Grain of Memoirs and Diaries in Researching Late-Ottoman Kurdish and Armenian Histories” and Michael Provence (University of California, San Diego), “How Damned Defenders of Doomed Empires Become Heroes of the Nation.”
The first day’s session will take place in the University Business Center, Alice Peters Auditorium, 5245 N. Backer Ave., Fresno State. Admission to the conference is free and parking in Lot P6 or P5 is free as well.
The second session of the conference will begin at 10:00AM on Saturday, October 18, with two panels, which will take place in the Smittcamp Alumni House, 2625 E. Matoian Way, Fresno State. Admission to the second and third sessions is free and parking in Lots P1 or P2 near the Smittcamp Alumni House is free as well.
The first panel, moderated by Barlow Der Mugrdechian, includes presentations by Ümit Kurt (University of Newcastle), “Republic of Perpetrators: Talat Pasha’s Genocide Technocrat Mustafa Reşat Mimaroğlu”; Yiğit Akın (Ohio State University), “Local Politics, Intellectual Periphery, and the End of the Empire: The Diaries of Yusuf Cemil Bey of Simav”; and Duygu Tasalp (University of Louvain), “The Father Figure in the Memoirs of Unionist Young Turks: Between Victimization, Betrayal and Regeneration.”
The second panel, moderated by David Zakarian, includes presentations by Kent Schull (Binghamton University), “Reassessing the Role of Ottoman Prison Convicts in the Armenian Genocide: Triangulating CUP Memoirs and Trial Proceedings with Ottoman Prison Statistics”; Merisa Sahin (Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor), “Ahmed Riza and Selma Riza: An Ittihadist Glance on Women’s Rights”; and Ekrem Yener (Bilgi University) “An Examination of Mehmed Cavid Bey’s Newly Disclosed Diary for Insights into the Thoughts and Relationships of Unionist Leaders.”
The conference will also be live-streamed on YouTube at: https://bit.ly/armenianstudiesyoutube.
———- Forwarded message ———
From: Barlow DerMugrdechian <barlowd@csufresno.edu>
Date: Fri, Oct 3, 2025, 9:45 AM
Subject: Armenian Studies Program to Hold Two Day International conference-October 17-18-2025
To: Barlow DerMugrdechian <barlowd@csufresno.edu>
—
BarFor Immediate Release
Armenian Studies Program
Contact: Barlow Der Mugrdechian
Two-Day International Conference:
“A New History-Writing on Late Ottoman-Turkish History:
The Impact of Memoirs”
Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18, 2025
The Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State is organizing a two-day international conference, “A New History-Writing on Late Ottoman-Turkish History: The Impact of Memoirs,” taking place on Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18, 2025 on the Fresno State campus. The conference organizers are Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian (Fresno State) and Dr. Ümit Kurt (University of Newcastle, Australia). The conference is sponsored by the Thomas A. Kooyumjian Family Foundation, the Leon S. Peters Foundation, the Ralph Shapazian Memorial Fund, and the Florence Hamparson Memorial Fund.
The conference will feature keynote speaker Dr. Taner Akçam (director of the Armenian Genocide Research Project, the Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA) and presentations by eight scholars from around the world.
A reception will be held in the University Business Center Gallery from 6:00-7:00pm, immediately preceding the start of the conference.
The conference will begin at 7:00PM on Friday, October 17, with the keynote presentation by Taner Akçam, followed by Panel 1, with Moderator Ümit Kurt. The panel will feature presentations by Janet Klein (University of Akron), “Reading Against the Grain of Memoirs and Diaries in Researching Late-Ottoman Kurdish and Armenian Histories” and Michael Provence (University of California, San Diego), “How Damned Defenders of Doomed Empires Become Heroes of the Nation.”
The first day’s session will take place in the University Business Center, Alice Peters Auditorium, 5245 N. Backer Ave., Fresno State. Admission to the conference is free and parking in Lot P6 or P5 is free as well.
The second session of the conference will begin at 10:00AM on Saturday, October 18, with two panels, which will take place in the Smittcamp Alumni House, 2625 E. Matoian Way, Fresno State. Admission to the second and third sessions is free and parking in Lots P1 or P2 near the Smittcamp Alumni House is free as well.
The first panel, moderated by Barlow Der Mugrdechian, includes presentations by Ümit Kurt (University of Newcastle), “Republic of Perpetrators: Talat Pasha’s Genocide Technocrat Mustafa Reşat Mimaroğlu”; Yiğit Akın (Ohio State University), “Local Politics, Intellectual Periphery, and the End of the Empire: The Diaries of Yusuf Cemil Bey of Simav”; and Duygu Tasalp (University of Louvain), “The Father Figure in the Memoirs of Unionist Young Turks: Between Victimization, Betrayal and Regeneration.”
The second panel, moderated by David Zakarian, includes presentations by Kent Schull (Binghamton University), “Reassessing the Role of Ottoman Prison Convicts in the Armenian Genocide: Triangulating CUP Memoirs and Trial Proceedings with Ottoman Prison Statistics”; Merisa Sahin (Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor), “Ahmed Riza and Selma Riza: An Ittihadist Glance on Women’s Rights”; and Ekrem Yener (Bilgi University) “An Examination of Mehmed Cavid Bey’s Newly Disclosed Diary for Insights into the Thoughts and Relationships of Unionist Leaders.”
The conference will also be live-streamed on YouTube at: https://bit.ly/armenianstudiesyoutube.
For information about upcoming Armenian Studies Program presentations, please follow us on our Facebook page, @ArmenianStudiesFresnoState or at the Program website, https://fresnostate.edu/armenianstudies.low Der Mugrdechian
Associate Professor
Berberian Coordinator, Armenian Studies Program
Director, Center for Armenian Studies
Armenian Studies Program
5245 N. Backer Ave. PB4
Fresno CA 93740-8001
Tel. 559.278.2669
