FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 3, 2008
Armenians and Progressive Politics
P.O. Box 419, New York, NY 10108
Contact: Laura Boghosian
Tel: 917-428-1918
www.armenianprogressive.com
"ARMENIANS AND PROGRESSIVE POLITICS" CONFERENCE HELD IN NEW YORK
--Eight Panel Discussions Open with "The New Imperialism"
NEW YORK--Scholars, writers, and activists from around the world gathered to exchange ideas at the Armenian Revolutionary Federation's third annual "Armenians and Progressive Politics" (APP) conference on May 30-31 in New York City. The meeting is designed to offer a forum for progressive activists and thinkers who tie Armenian issues to a broader political field. This year's assembly featured a plenary session on "The New Imperialism" with noted progressive intellectuals Tariq Ali, David Barsamian, and Neil Smith, who discussed the politics of empire and globalization, and how these might affect dispossessed peoples and fledgling nation-states such as Armenia.
The conference attracted a diverse cross-section of the Armenian community, as well as progressive non-Armenian activists, who approached their topics in an open environment of criticism, reflection, and debate. Panels included a spirited discussion of gender roles in the Armenian Diaspora; a self-critical examination of the progressive track record of Armenian organizations; an informed debate on the lessons and prospects of coalition building between Armenians, Jews and human rights activists, drawing on the recent Anti-Defamation League controversy; a critical, searching approach to foreign assistance issues, identifying ways such aid might help or hinder Armenia's progress; a student panel designed to introduce new voices with an emphasis on activism; and an exciting and contentious exchange on the lessons learned from the recent unrest following Armenia's presidential elections. The meeting closed with a plenary session on "Coalition-Building Among Dispossessed Peoples," featuring incisive remarks by scholar-activists Nubar Hovsepian, Tariq Ali, and David Barsamian.
"Overall, we are quite pleased with the direction of this conference," stated APP committee chair Antranig Kasbarian. "We hope to continue and expand our effort to build new discussions, agendas, and ultimately activism aimed at re-energizing and redefining Armenian issues from a progressive standpoint."
"Armenians and Progressive Politics" continues with a second conference on June 6-7 in Los Angeles. For more information and to view past conference proceedings, please visit the conference website at www.armenianprogressive.com .
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: May 21, 2008
Armenians and Progressive Politics
PO Box 419, New York, New York 10108
Contact: Laura Boghosian
Tel: 917-428-1918
www.armenianprogressive.com
“Armenians and Progressive Politics” Announces Conference Panels
--May 31 panels to discuss Armenian issues from a progressive viewpoint
NEW YORK—Writers, scholars, and activists from South America, Canada, Armenia, Europe, and the western United States will join their East Coast colleagues in examining Armenian issues from a progressive viewpoint as part of the May 30-31 “Armenians and Progressive Politics” conference in New York City.
Six panels on Saturday, May 31, will discuss issues relating to Armenia, Armenian identity, gender, genocide, and coalition building.
Notable panelists include international lawyer and human rights activist Armineh Arakelian; journalist Florence Avakian; author and professor Nubar Hovsepian; sociologist and genocide scholar Jack Nusan Porter; Joey Kurtzman, executive editor of Jewcy; writer, student and blogger Simon Maghakyan; Levon Chorbajiian, professor and author; human rights activist Pedro Mouratian; and Markar Melkonian, political activist, teacher, and writer.
“Changing Gender Roles in the Diaspora” will look at how women’s roles and activities have changed over time and the possibilities for continued change in a progressive direction.
The panel, “Foreign Assistance to Armenia: Toward Prosperity or Dependency?” considers whether foreign aid helps or hinders Armenia’s progress, and examines the agendas and methods of those states and agencies who contribute aid to Armenia. Specific cases will be assessed.
Armenian and Jewish activists will discuss the controversy that erupted last year over the Anti-Defamation League’s lobbying for Turkey in the panel, “The ADL and the Armenian Genocide: Pursuing Common Goals Through Grassroots Activism.” The successes, challenges, and obstacles in building a genuine coalition of Armenians, Jews, and other progressives will be addressed.
A student panel, “New Work of an Activist Bent,” highlights activism by young Armenians, and will examine contemporary issues of cultural genocide: linguistic and cultural disintegration and identity; student activism on monument destruction; and problems with victimhood and pain as a central element of culture.
The recent elections in Armenia – and the ensuing turmoil – will be considered in “Unrest in Armenia: New Seeds of Democracy or Destabilizing Acts?” Did the Armenian government suppress genuine civil discontent among the disenfranchised or did it endeavor to stem efforts aimed at destabilizing the country? This panel seeks to address but ultimately move beyond this dichotomy, analyzing what is at stake for different social strata who are striving for democracy and social justice in Armenia today.
Panelists will discuss the meaning of progressivism in an Armenian context in “What Would a Global Armenian Progressive Agenda Look Like?” Armenian issues will be tied to the larger political field.
The closing plenary entitled “Coalition Building Among Dispossessed Groups” features Tariq Ali, David Barsamian, and Nubar Hovsepian, author and professor of Political Science and International Studies. The panelists will lead a discussion on possible coalition-building strategies for dispossessed peoples – including, but not limited to Armenians. They will also look at those issues that can unite or separate the Armenian Cause from other, similar movements.
Saturday’s panels and the 5:30 p.m. closing plenary will all be held at CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue (at 34th Street), New York City. Panels run from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with registration beginning at 9:30 a.m. and a one-hour lunch break at noon. Registration costs $15, $10 for students (lunch is not included).
The Friday, May 30 opening plenary on “The New Imperialism: Old Problems, New Challenges” will feature British writer and activist Tariq Ali; David Barsamian, founder and director of Colorado-based Alternative Radio; and Neil Smith, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Geography at the City University of New York.
These prominent speakers will discuss the contemporary politics of empire, superpower rivalries, globalization, trade and monetary policies, the exploitative nature of capitalism, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, the destructive effects of imperialism on small nations will be discussed, as well as alternatives to the current international structure.
Friday’s session takes place at 7:30 p.m. at Mason Hall, Baruch College Performing Arts Center, 17 Lexington Avenue (at East 23rd Street), New York City. Admission is free.
Armenians and Progressive Politics (formerly Armenians and the Left) is an initiative of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Eastern USA. The conference is co-sponsored by the Armenian National Committees of New York and New Jersey, The Nation Institute, and CUNY’s Center for Place, Culture, and Politics. Previous participants include Noam Chomsky and Robert Fisk.
A West Coast “Armenians and Progressive Politics” conference will be held from June 6-7 in Glendale, California.
For more information on both conferences, visit the conference website at: www.armenianprogressive.com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: May 8, 2008
Armenians and Progressive Politics
PO Box 419, New York, New York 10108
Contact: Laura Boghosian
Tel: 917-428-1918
www.armenianprogressive.com
"Armenians and Progressive Politics" Announces Program for May 30-31
--May 30 plenary to discuss "The New Imperialism"
NEW YORK—British journalist and activist Tariq Ali will lead a panel discussion on “The New Imperialism: Old Problems, New Challenges” in New York on Friday, May 30. Joining Ali will be David Barsamian, founder and Director of the Colorado-based Alternative Radio, and Neil Smith, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Geography at the City University of New York.
This event will serve as the opening plenary of the third annual “Armenians and Progressive Politics” conference. The three panelists will examine the contemporary politics of empire, superpower rivalries, globalization, trade and monetary policies, the exploitative nature of capitalism, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, the destructive effects of imperialism on small nations will be discussed, as well as alternatives to the current structure.
Conference Panels on May 31
Friday’s plenary will be followed by six panels on Saturday, May 31. These panels will consider topics such as changing Armenian gender roles; the anti-Defamation League and the Armenian Genocide; foreign assistance to Armenia; an Armenian global progressive agenda; unrest in Armenia; and a youth panel on political activism.
Saturday’s schedule will conclude with a plenary entitled “Coalition-Building Among Dispossessed Groups” featuring Ali, Barsamian, and additional panelists.
Friday’s session takes place at 7:30 pm at Mason Hall, Baruch College Performing Arts Center, 17 Lexington Avenue (at East 23rd Street), New York City. Admission is free.
Saturday’s panels and the 5:30 pm closing plenary will all be held at CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue (at 34th Street), New York City. Panels run from 10 am to 5 pm, with registration beginning at 9:30 am and a one-hour lunch break at noon. Registration costs $15, $10 for students (lunch is not included).
Distinguished Speakers on Imperialism
Tariq Ali is the author of numerous books, including Pirates of the Caribbean: Axis of Hope; Conversations with Edward Said; Bush in Babylon; and Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity. He is a contributor to BBC Radio, the Guardian, and the London Review of Books. He is also editor and a board member of New Left Review.
David Barsamian is also an author, journalist, and lecturer, whose books include Speaking of Empire and Resistance: Conversations with Tariq Ali; Propaganda and Iran; and The Decline and Fall of Public Broadcasting. Barsamian’s articles and interviews appear regularly in the Progressive and Z Magazine.
Neil Smith’s book American Empire: Roosevelt’s Geographer and the Prelude to Globalization won the 2004 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in biography. His most recent work is The Endgame of Globalization.
Armenians and Progressive Politics (formerly “Armenians and the Left”) is an initiative of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Eastern USA. The conference is co-sponsored by the Armenian National Committees of New York and New Jersey, The Nation Institute, and CUNY’s Center for Place, Culture, and Politics. Previous participants include Noam Chomsky and Robert Fisk.
For more information, visit the conference website at www.armenianprogressive.com.
