More than 1,000 people gathered at USC’s Bovard Auditorium on Saturday, November 2 for “Artsakh Uprooted: Aftermaths of Displacement,” a groundbreaking symposium hosted by the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies.
The program included a vibrant mix of academic panel discussions, multimedia artistic presentations, and live performances that highlighted the Armenian experience in the global conversation on dispossession and cultural erasure.
Interim Dean of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences Mohamed El-Naggar opened the program with remarks on how exile grants unique insights, as displaced peoples often exist in a liminal space between their original and adopted societies.
“There is no question that the loss of Artsakh and the ethnic cleansing of its indigenous Armenian population is the most catastrophic development in contemporary Armenian history. Armenian religious and cultural heritage is being desecrated, destroyed, and erased in front of our eyes. Armenian prisoners of war, political prisoners, and civilian captives in Azerbaijan are subjected to torture and degrading treatment with no justice in sight. For the over 100,000 Artsakhtsis who have been displaced, the war has not ended because they are in a war of survival every single day. The global Armenian nation is still reeling from collective trauma, trying to come to terms with the loss of an Armenian homeland and the dispossession of its people. The uprooting of Artsakh has and continues to reshape the Armenian world, the Armenian psyche, and indeed the Armenian narrative,” said USC Armenian Institute Director Shushan Karapetian in her opening remarks.
“Dispossession, cultural erasure, and ethnic cleansing are not unique to Armenians. Increasingly we are all witness to the atrocious disregard for human life and human dignity as we watch the horrors in Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan, Yemen, and across the world. We, in the 21st century, are facing a profound moral, political, and cultural crisis that has penetrated all our homes and hearts,” she added.
“At the Institute, we felt the urgency of being part of a larger global conversation. Not to give voice to the voiceless, because as you will see today, we all have a voice. But to rectify the selective hearing of the rest of the world and ensure that in light of more legible and visible conflicts, Artsakh doesn’t get lost,” Karapetian emphasized.
“It is no coincidence that this symposium is taking place in Los Angeles,” Karapetian said. “Los Angeles is not only one of the world’s most important metropolises, where economic, cultural, political, and social roads intersect to create new models for the world, it is also home to the largest, most dynamic, and most important Armenian community in the world.”
“Without a doubt we are the epicenter of the Armenian diaspora, with the people of Artsakh representing the newest facet of this vibrant mosaic. Artsakh is quite visible and palpable in the topography of our city. We have Artsakh street in Glendale, Republic of Artsakh square in West Los Angeles, Zhengyalov Hats in the Micheline Guide, and students in LAUSD whose birthplace now says Artsakh. Armenians are not the only group for whom this is the case –– our city serves as the capital for myriad diasporas,” she outlined.
Karapetian told Asbarez’s Nane Avagyan in an interview that the idea for the conference was borne from the understanding that an in-depth and multifaceted analysis about Artsakh has not taken place in Los Angeles, one of the most important Armenian communities. People are still emotionally and psychologically reeling from the war.
“After the war and the loss of Artsakh, it seems that the community had not to come together to collectively comprehend—and grieve—the reality,” Karapetian told Asbarez.
“Aside from small local conferences, there was no platform dedicated to Artsakh, which meant that, once again, the people of Artsakh were being erased. Not having the opportunity to discuss and talk about their displacement, and the situation that followed that tragedy, meant that our people—we—were being erased again on another level,” Karapetian added.
“This conference was an attempt to allow the voice of Artsakh Armenians to be heard, to recount their experience. At the same time it was an opportunity to bring the community together around the topic. To cry; to ponder and to renew that hope that not all is lost,” Karapetian emphasized.
The program approached the topic of displacement through diverse angles and perspectives, including those of people from Artsakh, Armenian Studies experts, and USC scholars from across disciplines.
In a panel discussion moderated by Institute Associate Director Margarita Baghdasaryan, Ashot Gabrielyan, Shoushan Keshishian, and Nina Shahverdyan shared unfiltered accounts of their displacement from Artsakh and the challenges that have followed.
Institute Director Shushan Karapetian moderated a panel on the role of the Armenian dialects of Artsakh as witness to survival and dispossession. The discussion featured prominent linguist Hrach Martirosyan and Artsakh-born journalist Lika Zakaryan.
Stephan Astourian, Director of the Turpanjian Center for Policy Analysis at the American University of Armenia, and former Artsakh State Minister Artak Beglaryan delivered keynote lectures that traced the history and path forward for Artsakh.
In a rousing conversation with filmmaker Eric Nazarian, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and USC Aerol Arnold Chair of English Viet Thanh Nguyen emphasized the importance of abolishing the conditions that render certain groups voiceless.
The day also included an array of artistic content that allowed guests to learn about Artsakh through different mediums and modes of expression.
In an original performance lecture, USC School of Architecture Assistant Professor Aroussiak Gabrielian and Hyperallergic Editor-in-Chief Hrag Vartanian offered a multimedia journey derived from the ancestral wisdom of Artsakh’s Tnjri Plane tree. The presentation featured musical accompaniment by Raffi Wartanian on oud and Armen Adamian on duduk, and attendees received seeds of the tree as living mementos.
Investigative researcher Simon Maghakyan delivered a dynamic visual presentation on how Armenians can reclaim agency in response to destruction of their ancient cultural heritage around the world.
Filmmaker and USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism graduate Balin Schneider premiered his short film “My Dearest Artsakh,” which centers the story of a displaced teenager who seeks to find her place in Armenia against the backdrop of unimaginable longing.
USC Vice Provost for the Arts and MacArthur Fellow Josh Kun introduced Artsakh-born rapper Lyoka with captivating remarks that underscored the power of sound for displaced communities across the globe. Lyoka delivered an electric performance that captured the day’s dual themes of loss and resilience.
Through this monumental program, the Institute debuted a pioneering form of intellectual engagement with Armenian Studies — combining academia and the arts to touch both the mind and soul.
The symposium was co-sponsored by Massis Kabob, USC Visions and Voices, USC Divisional Dean for the Social Sciences, NAASR, Armenian Film Society, and UCLA Promise Armenian Institute.
