SAS Podcast #56 – Alakananda Nag
Alakananda Nag (Photographer, Filmmaker, Creative Director), Armenians of Calcutta (Calcutta: Alakananda Nag, 2021)
Interviewed by Nareg Seferian (School of Public and International Affairs, Virginia Tech).
SAS Podcast #41 – Levon Avdoyan
Dr. Levon Avdoyan, Reflections on Armenian Studies V.
Interviewed by Nareg Seferian (School of Public and International Affairs, Virginia Tech)
The aim of the Reflections on Armenian Studies series is twofold: to interview senior figures about their experience in and contribution to the field, and create a digital archive for future generations in the field.
The Armenian Genocide, Modern Times & The Surrounding Region
“Our hero enlightens himself on a topic that he really should know more about. Lets get educational.
Less lols this week but much more interesting and hopefully y’all can learn something.
As we hear in this episode, I personally, had never heard of the Armenian genocide. But years ago, outside a bar in Berlin – I heard someone reference it. And since then, it has kind of just stayed in my memory without really learning much about it.
Wouldn’t it be great if I had some form of vehicle where I could interview people and learn more about topics that I wanted to learn more about?”
Episode 44 (1 of 2): Armenia, Armenians & Armenian-ness
In this first half of our two-part conversation with Nareg Seferian we speak about the Armenian Genocide, the modern state of Armenia, the Armenian diaspora, and Armenian identity.
Episode 45 (2 of 2): Armenia, Armenians & Armenian-ness
In this second half of our two-part conversation with Nareg Seferian we speak about the Armenian Genocide, the modern state of Armenia, the Armenian diaspora, and Armenian identity.
Living through Yerevan’s transformation
Nareg Seferian talks about how Armenia’s capital Yerevan has changed culturally and linguistically since 2000.
“My Soul is Young”: An Encounter with Dr. Gerhard Freilinger
Gerhard Freilinger is not your average doctor. He has led a life that is immediately enviable, but at the same time, one that has called for a great deal of courage. Having lived through wars and being exposed with the effects of conflict – both tangible and intangible – Dr. Freilinger has seen every side of both guns and operating tables in a whirlwind that has spanned seven decades. Nareg Seferian caught up with the man at the Kurdistan Regional Government representation in Vienna.
“I was born in Upper Austria, in Linz [in 1927]. I became a soldier at the age of fifteen,” Dr. Freilinger recalls. But his military career during the Second World War did not last long, as he ended up as a prisoner of war in Yugoslavia at just 17 years old. “I was in very, very bad condition after two and a half years of prison in Yugoslavia. I came home in 1946, very heavily damaged. My soul was sick, my heart was sick.”
Interested in being a doctor at a young age, Dr. Freilinger recalls how, at 12, he told his parents, “I would like to see this hospital [in Linz], but not only the operating room.” This was surprising to a family of lawyers. It was during his recovery in Salzburg, which took more than a year, where he decided to take on medicine as a profession. He finished with his schooling and then studied medicine at Innsbruck, followed by a fellowship in the United States. Notably, he ended up working in the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery, helping people deal with the physical scars of war. Continue reading
Richard Tashjian: Armenian brush, Santa Fe canvas
The high walls of Richard Heratch Tashjian’s home in Santa Fe reflect well the life and times of this artist and his work: side by side with paintings of the gorgeous, colorful landscapes of New Mexico, Mount Ararat towers with her twin peaks.
naregseferian.com 