This lecture will discuss the work of the late historian of Armenia, Christopher J. Walker, before offering an overview of how the field of Armenian history has changed since Walker’s landmark works. In particular, the lecture will focus on the different approaches that historians have more recently been applying to the study of the Armenian genocide (and other genocides), and the different types of sources used in this work. These range from privileging survivor testimonies (both written and oral) as never before, using photography and other visual sources, to studying gender and childhood during the genocide. Together, these new approaches are contributing to a more comprehensive and multi-layered understanding of the Armenian genocide.

Rebecca Jinks is a historian of comparative genocide and humanitarianism. Her first book, Representing Genocide: The Holocaust as Paradigm? (Bloomsbury, 2016)examines the ways in which representations of the Holocaust have influenced how other genocides are understood and represented, focusing on the ‘canonical’ cases of genocide – Armenia, Cambodia, Bosnia, and Rwanda. Her current research project exploresgender, humanitarianism, and photography in the aftermath of the Armenian genocide, focusing on the fate of Armenian women genocide survivors and their treatment by American and European humanitarians. 

Admission | £5 to include refreshments

In association with King’s College London Armenian Society