{"id":16133,"date":"2023-07-28T12:22:42","date_gmt":"2023-07-28T19:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=16133"},"modified":"2025-12-01T16:31:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T00:31:40","slug":"preserving-threatened-languages-and-cultures-armenian-studies-institute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/preserving-threatened-languages-and-cultures-armenian-studies-institute\/","title":{"rendered":"Preserving threatened languages and cultures among top priorities for new Armenian studies institute leader"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                          \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/07\/Karapatian_Profile_NewSite-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/07\/Karapatian_Profile_NewSite-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/07\/Karapatian_Profile_NewSite-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/07\/Karapatian_Profile_NewSite-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Shushan Karapetian, director of USC Dornsife\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, hopes to launch an Armenian language program and an Armenian studies minor. (Photos: Meg Aghamyan.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=arts-and-culture\">Arts and Culture<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Preserving threatened languages and cultures among top priorities for new Armenian studies institute leader<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  As Shushan Karapetian takes the reigns at the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies, she hopes to answer a question many Americans with immigrant roots fear to ask: How do I pass down a language and culture I only half know?\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Meredith McGroarty<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">July 28, 2023<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 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     >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>In the early 20th century, as World War I ravaged much of the world, the Ottoman Empire began systematically persecuting and killing Armenian citizens. The Armenian genocide witnessed the deaths of as many as 1.5 million Armenians, and those who fled to find refuge formed diaspora communities all over the world.<\/p>\n<p>The largest of these diasporas \u2014 more than 200,000 people \u2014 now calls Los Angeles home. And for the past two decades, the <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/\">Institute of Armenian Studies<\/a> at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences has been fostering research and collaboration that examines the social, cultural, educational and political issues facing the community.<\/p>\n<p>With L.A. being home to the most Armenians outside of Armenia, there are many first-, second- and third-generation immigrants seeking to establish or maintain ties to their heritage, says Shushan Karapetian, the institute\u2019s new director.<\/p>\n<h2>USC Dornsife expert teaches Armenian culture<\/h2>\n<p>Southern California lays claim to some of the most vital spaces for the preservation and cultivation of Armenian culture in the diaspora: the event halls of La Ca\u00f1ada Flintridge in the San Gabriel Valley, the comedy clubs of North Hollywood, and the auditoriums of Glendale and Burbank, says Karapetian.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16134\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16134\" style=\"width: 315px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16134 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/07\/Karapatian_Profile_InStoryA.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"315\" height=\"490\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-16134\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shushan Karapetian hosts the <em>Language Therapy with Dr. K<\/em> podcast series.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cHumor is very, very important for culture. The children of immigrants may not actively engage with Armenian in any other format, but they love comedy in Armenian,\u201d she explains. \u201cAnd they can connect with it because it&#8217;s a reflection of their bilingual, bicultural lives, from language to religion to dance and food.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How Armenian culture is transmitted through language \u2014 via comedy, literature and other means \u2014 is at the heart of Karapetian\u2019s research and is one of the cornerstones of her course \u201cThe Armenian Heritage: History, Arts, and Culture\u201d (MDA 330), which looks at how narratives about the Armenian experience are transmitted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn the first day of class, I tell students this is not a history course; it is not a genocide course; it is not a culture course or an arts course,\u201d she says. \u201cWe look at the defining narratives in the Armenian experience and the ones we make ourselves. The students really enjoy seeing the trajectory of a people across several millennia through this type of interdisciplinary framing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although the course touches on traditional elements of Armenian culture, such as dance, film and literature, and is popular among students with Armenian heritage, it has also resonated with those from other backgrounds, Karapetian says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had a Colombian American student tell me the class helped him come to terms with his own internalized racism and complexes about his hyphenated identity. I had a Black student write a paper on colorism in the Armenian community. That\u2019s the beauty of working at an academic institution in L.A. \u2014 there\u2019s such a wealth of diversity here, which allows for cross-cultural impact and transformation,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe students really enjoy seeing the trajectory of a people across several millennia.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Armenian epicenter in L.A.<\/h2>\n<p>Karapetian was born in Armenia\u2019s capital \u2014 Yerevan, perhaps not coincidentally, is <a href=\"https:\/\/sistercities.lacity.org\/html\/25.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a Los Angeles sister city<\/a> \u2014 during the twilight of the Soviet Union, which included Armenia as a constituent Republic. When she was 10, after the Soviet Union\u2019s collapse, she and her parents moved to California, where she has lived ever since.<\/p>\n<p>Krapetian earned her PhD in Near Eastern languages and cultures from UCLA in 2014 and went on to spend several years there as a faculty member. In 2019, she moved to USC Dornsife to steer the institute\u2019s academic work. Earlier this year, she was appointed institute director.<\/p>\n<p>In 2020, she created the popular podcast series <a href=\"https:\/\/armenian.usc.edu\/language-therapy-with-dr-k\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Language Therapy with Dr. K<\/em><\/a>, which \u201clooks at language in all kinds of social contexts \u2014 immigrant bilingualism, artificial intelligence, religion, music and dance, translation and interpretation, diaspora guilt, and more \u2014 with an Armenian twist,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Language, Karapetian explains, is one of the most important guarantors of cultural transmission that ties diasporic Armenians together and reinforces their links to Armenia itself. She points to an episode of her podcast during which she interviewed comedian <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingthechainsfoundation.org\/team\/mary-basmadjian\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mary Basmadjian<\/a> \u2014 whom she calls \u201cboundary-defying\u201d \u2014 about how important humor is to creating and solidifying those ties.<\/p>\n<p>The two discussed the role of comedy not only as a means for holding a mirror to society, but also as a tool for healing. \u201cComedy does this on two fronts, by providing a safe framing for sensitive subjects along with a linguistic register that is accessible to heritage speakers,\u201d Karapetian says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve talked to many kids who didn\u2019t grow up listening to Armenian music, who don\u2019t watch Armenian TV. They don\u2019t engage with Armenian culture anywhere except comedy. They not only love comedy, they actively seek it out. And in comedy, language <em>is<\/em> the tool. This is why humor, language \u2014 these are so important for maintaining Armenian heritage throughout the generations,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThat\u2019s the beauty of working at an academic institution in L.A. \u2014 there\u2019s such a wealth of diversity here.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>As institute director, she plans to continue the podcast and launch other projects to explore facets of language in Southern California\u2019s ever-expanding Armenian community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe epicenter of the Armenian diasporic experience is now L.A. It was the Middle East a couple of decades ago. There\u2019s no question that those communities are being emptied, and most of them are redirecting here,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n<p>The institute, she says, will continue to capture their narratives and experiences through such projects as <a href=\"https:\/\/armenian.usc.edu\/myarmenianstory\/\">My Armenian Story<\/a>, which has sent staff members into local communities via <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/my-armenian-story-converted-food-truck-diaspora-oral-history\/\">a repurposed food truck<\/a> to record Armenians\u2019 oral histories. And earlier this year, the institute embarked on a mission to collect testimonies of diasporans for its <a href=\"https:\/\/armenian.usc.edu\/california-history-through-armenian-experiences-highlights-individual-voices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">California History through Armenian Experiences<\/a> \u2014 a project made possible by funding from the State of California and championed by former State Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to having the institute sponsor more research projects on Armenian language and culture, Karapetian also hopes to launch an Armenian language program and an Armenian studies minor at USC Dornsife.<\/p>\n<p>Armenians have been a diasporic people for millennia, she says. But Armenian culture has survived countless dispersions, and the communities have retained their sense of heritage. She cites two high school students, born and raised in L.A., who came to her to discuss using their life savings to start a microloan program in a village in Armenia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would two American kids who have never been to Armenia spend their entire life savings on this? What are the narratives that drive this kind of activity? This is powerful,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related News\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/artsakh-conflict-expert-insight\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Armenian studies expert offers insight on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/armenian-policy-fellows-jumpstart-change-at-home\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Visiting Armenian policy fellows work with the City of L.A. to jumpstart change at home<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/usc-delegation-visits-armenias-capital-to-discuss-post-soviet-outlook\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >USC delegation visits Armenia\u2019s capital to discuss post-Soviet outlook<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scholar hopes to answer a question many Americans with immigrant roots fear to ask: How do I pass down a language and culture I only half know?Scholar hopes to answer a question many Americans with immigrant roots fear to ask: How do I pass down a language and culture I only half know?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":16137,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,10],"tags":[1913,572,63,75],"class_list":["post-16133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-and-culture","category-faculty","tag-arm","tag-armenian-studies","tag-community-engagement","tag-humanities"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Preserving threatened languages and cultures among top priorities for new Armenian studies institute leader<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Scholar aims to help Americans with immigrant roots answer the question &quot;How do I pass down a language and culture I only half know?&quot;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/preserving-threatened-languages-and-cultures-armenian-studies-institute\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Armenian studies expert saving endangered languages, cultures\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Scholar aims to help Americans with immigrant roots answer the question &quot;How do I pass down a language and culture I only half know?&quot;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/preserving-threatened-languages-and-cultures-armenian-studies-institute\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"USC Dornsife News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscdornsife\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-07-28T19:22:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-02T00:31:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/07\/Karapatian_Profile_NewSite.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1150\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Liu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uscdornsife\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uscdornsife\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" 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