All | Ամբողջը

by

Zohrab Information Center adds Liturgy and Liturgical Materials Collection

Zohrab Information Center adds Liturgy and Liturgical Materials Collection

A collection of mostly unpublished materials related to the liturgy and worship services of the Armenian Church is now available for the interested public to view at the Zohrab Information Center. The Liturgy and Liturgical Materials Collection was processed by Andrew Kayaian, librarian of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, and Nareg Seferian, who completed his doctoral studies at Virginia Tech’s School of Public and International Affairs in 2023.

The collection consists of four series. The first brings together a number of documents pertaining to the Badarak or the Divine Liturgy – that is, the service with which the faithful are most familiar from ordinary Sundays. Armenian churches tend to have books in their pews with the text and order of the Badarak, often in Armenian with translation and transliteration so that parishioners can follow along. These official pew books are usually published by the various dioceses of the Armenian Church and have made their way into library collections around the world. What makes the Zohrab Information Center’s collection unique is that it consists of more ephemeral or local materials put together by individual priests, parishes, or others for specific occasions and local needs, which otherwise would be lost or unknown if not gathered together here. This series in the collection also includes materials related to the various aspects of Sunday worship, such as Gospel readings, the confession, and the creed.

read the rest

by

Zohrab Information Center adds Plays and Performances Collection

Zohrab Information Center adds Plays and Performances Collection

A unique collection of theatrical works is now available for the interested public to view at the Zohrab Information Center. The Plays and Performances Collection was processed by Nareg Seferian, who completed his doctoral studies at Virginia Tech’s School of Public and International Affairs in 2023.

The tradition of Armenian theater is a venerable one. Records exist of dramatic compositions and performances in ancient times, while modern works testify to the rich tapestry of the development of Armenian culture in the Ottoman, Romanov, and Qajar realms over the course of the 19th century and into the 20th – presented most notably in Modern Armenia Drama (Columbia University Press, 2001) edited by Prof. Nishan Parlakian and Prof. Peter Cowe. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the activities of Armenian playwrights, actors, and producers – to say nothing of the public – left a lasting impact in the world of theater throughout Turkish, Russian, and Persian society, certainly in the Ottoman Empire.

read the rest

by

Լեզուներ եւ Պետութիւններ

Լեզուներ եւ Պետութիւններ

Անգլերէնէն թարգմանեց Նարեկ Սէֆէրեանը

Արեւմտեան գերիշխանութեան հետեւանքներէն մէկը խօսելաձեւերու դասակարգումն է. որոշները լեզու կը կոչուին, որոշները՝ սոսկ բարբառ: Թէեւ կարծես կապ չունին այս երեւոյթները, պետութիւններու բաժնուած աշխարհ մը անմիջապէս կ’ազդէ ոչ միայն խօսելաձեւերու քաղաքական կարգավիճակներու, այլ մասնաւորապէս իրենց խօսողներու կեանքի իրավիճակին վրայ: Սակայն, աշխարհին այս մասնատումը՝ մօտաւորապէս, ըստ ՄԱԿ-ին, 200 պետութիւններու կարգի առարկայական իրականութիւն մը չէ: Մարդկութեան պատմութեան մեծամասնութեան ժամանակ այս քաղաքական էակները եւ սահմաններու իրենց բռնի վերահսկումը գոյութիւն չունէին: Արդի պետութիւնները հիմնականօրէն կախեալ են ազգայնական գործելաոճերու զարգացումներէն՝ ստեղծելով ընդհանուր անցեալի, հաւասար ինքնութեան, եւ մէկ լեզուի անհրաժեշտութեան պատրանքը: Այնուամենայնիւ, լեզուական բազմազանութիւնը պիտի շարունակէ մերժել ազգայնականութեան որեւէ ջլատող խօսույթ՝ ան ժխտելով զանազան լեզուներով:

կարդալ մնացածը

by

Glimpses into the ARF Photo Archives: Miscellaneous Surprises

Glimpses into the ARF Photo Archives: Miscellaneous Surprises

There is a lot that could be said and written about the ARF photo archives, which I have had the privilege and pleasure of sorting through over the course of the autumn and winter of 2023 and into 2024. Having already directed your gaze to a few concrete glimpses through the pages of the Weekly – whether more on the solemn or amusing side, or just pointing out a piece of history – this article shares a mixed bag of highlights from the collection which caught my eye.

Do you remember the Gougounian Expedition from the previous glimpse? Well, one of its members had a remarkable life story.

read the rest

by

Glimpses into the ARF Photo Archives: The Gougounian Group

Glimpses into the ARF Photo Archives: The Gougounian Group

A few of the pictures from the ARF photo archives are particularly eye-catching. Clicking through the images, one cannot help but notice photos like the ones below, for example.

At first, it seems almost comical, as if it was a fad once upon a time for young men to shave the right half of their heads while keeping heavy beards and mustaches. Upon closer inspection, though, one notices a uniformity in what these men wore as well, and facial expressions that do not suggest a willful participation in the proceedings.

The captions and notes on the backs of the photos reveal the secret. These are four participants of the Gougounian Expedition – a tale from the turn of the 20th century worthy of a movie that has more or less gotten lost in the epic history of the Armenian people.

read the rest

by

Glimpses into the ARF Photo Archives: Armenian Legionnaires Immortalized

Glimpses into the ARF Photo Archives: Armenian Legionnaires Immortalized

In this series of brief glimpses into the ARF photo archives, I have tried to share with you thought-provoking, fun or other kinds of take-aways from the collection. This article is about a more specific episode of Armenian history – the Armenian Legion of 1916-1920 and its heroic volunteers, or gamavors.

Originally formed as the Légion d’Orient under French command, the units evolved into the Légion Arménienne serving alongside French and British forces as they fought Ottoman troops at the end of the First World War, moving up the Levant or eastern coast of the Mediterranean. The Western powers took over the Holy Land, Lebanon, Syria and Cilicia thanks to the efforts of the Armenian Legion among their ranks.

read the rest

by

Caucasus Analytical Digest No. 136: Iran and the South Caucasus after the Second Karabakh War

Caucasus Analytical Digest No. 136: Iran and the South Caucasus after the Second Karabakh War

Special Editor: Nareg Seferian
Authors: Elaheh Koolaee, Ahmad Rashidi, Alexander Yeo, George Sanikidze, Nareg Seferian

The papers in this issue address the regional dynamics following the Second Karabakh War of 2020. Iran has found itself having more and more of a foot in the South Caucasus as a result. The prospects and modalities of the so-​called ‘Zangezur Corridor’ (a proposed land connection between Azerbaijan proper and its exclave of Nakhchivan/Nakhichevan) include economic, geopolitical, strategic, cultural, and ideological components, perceived in various ways in Baku and Yerevan, in Tbilisi and Tehran. Besides the security outcomes and aftermaths since 2020, the contributions in this issue also take on historical developments and how they impact current bilateral ties.

access the issue

by

Glimpses into the ARF Photo Archives: Armenians and Their Neighbors

Glimpses into the ARF Photo Archives: Armenians and Their Neighbors

In my previous articles delving into photographs from the ARF Archives, we saw some familiar and unfamiliar visuals from our history and culture over the past century and more. One clear takeaway is that the Armenian people have never lived in a vacuum. Empires have passed over the lands where Armenians have lived. Large-scale conflicts have reverberated among the Armenian people, not least of which the Genocide during the First World War. Armenians themselves have also participated in and helped shape fashions and trends around them – including, not coincidentally, the spread of photography in the Middle East.

Unsurprisingly, then, there are subjects among the photographs in the archives outside of exclusively Armenian circles.

read the rest

by

Report in Short: A “Frozen Conflict” Boils Over

Report in Short: A “Frozen Conflict” Boils Over

On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijani forces initiated a massive attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-populated and effectively self-governing region inside internationally recognized Azerbaijani territory. Within 24 hours, the Nagorno-Karabakh leadership gave in, and, for the first time, Baku could claim full control over the contested territory. Despite being portrayed in the West as a “frozen conflict,” there had long been a risk of renewed violence in Nagorno-Karabakh. In this episode of Report in Short, Walter Landgraf and Nareg Seferian join Aaron Schwartzbaum to discuss their recent report “A ‘Frozen Conflict’ Boils Over: Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023 and Future Implications.

listen to the podcast

by

Glimpses into the ARF Photo Archives: Pains of the Past

Glimpses into the ARF Photo Archives: Pains of the Past

In my previous look into photographs from the ARF archives, I pointed out two things: first, there is a lack of information on many items in the collection – inviting you all to contribute, if you can – and, second, men (and their mustaches) dominate many of the images.

This time, it is worth taking a look into more solemn reminders of Armenian history and culture from the past century and a half or so.

read the rest