Commemorating the Armenian Genocide

Commemorated annually on 24 April, Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day is an important part of national identity in both Armenia and the diaspora.This book is a historical and anthropological account of how the genocide is commemorated by Armenians and its evolving significance over time. Beginning with the first demonstrations by survivors in Allied-occupied Constantinople in 1919, to the Stalinist ban on commemoration and the Khrushchev thaw and beyond, the book charts how the politics of the genocide and its official and popular memory fluctuated in Soviet Armenia and the diaspora. The book also provides a detailed account of the rituals involved in the annual march to the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan and other memory sites, analysing the ways that the collective memory of this foundational event is embodied and continues to reflect and shape Armenian identity today. People from different cultures around the world have special days when they—regardless of age, gender, profession, or political affiliation—come together in their unique ways. For Armenians, this day is April 24, recognized as Armenian Genocide Victims Remembrance Day. Why have the Armenian people united for over a century to commemorate a loss on this day? Why do these observances remain significant? Why do individuals protest when they believe that inaccurate political assessments of past events are made on these occasions? How does knowledge of these days contribute to building a better future? Why have countless books and articles been dedicated to these topics for decades? Why are courses developed, reports presented, and propaganda disseminated through mass media? These and other related questions are explored in this book. This monograph is composed of six chapters. The first chapter provides a brief account of the events that took place on April 24, 1915, in Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, concerning the Armenian population residing there. The second and third chapters examine the development of the Day of Commemoration for Armenian Genocide victims over the past century, as well as its current status. The fourth and fifth chapters explore the Memorial to the Victims of the Armenian Genocide within the broader context of the concept of “sites of memory.” Finally, the sixth chapter evaluates the motto “I remember and demand,” which has been proposed as a succinct formulation of the Armenian Genocide remembrance policy.