Distinguished scholars, artists and activists convened at USC’s Bovard Auditorium on Nov. 2 to address the displacement of Armenians from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Organized and hosted by the Institute of Armenian Studies at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the “Artsakh Uprooted: Aftermaths of Displacement” symposium included panel discussions, artistic performances and cultural exhibits exploring dispossession, resilience and the impact of ethnic cleansing on cultural identity.
Symposium participants probed the challenges of conflict-induced displacement, revealing connections and similarities between Artsakh’s struggles and global instances of forced migration and cultural erasure.
USC Dornsife Interim Dean Moh El-Naggar delivered welcoming remarks for the event, which featured Artak Beglaryan, former State Minister of Artsakh, and several USC Dornsife faculty, including:
- Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, University Professor and professor of English, American studies and ethnicity and comparative literature
- Hrag Papazian, Turpanjian Early Career Chair in Contemporary Armenian Studies and assistant professor of anthropology
- Steve Swerdlow, a human rights lawyer and associate professor of the practice of political science and international relations
- Josh Kun, professor of communication and American studies and ethnicity
USC Dornsife’s William Deverell, divisional dean for the social sciences and professor of history, spatial sciences and environmental studies, delivered closing remarks.
Read more about Artsakh Uprooted from USC Annenberg Media, The Armenian Weekly and The Armenian Mirror-Spectator.