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May 2005 Hye Sharzhoom 7 Reid, From Page 1 presented a penetrating and innovative talk on "The Armenian Genocide and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Armenian Genocide Survivor Narratives," as part of the Armenian Studies Program Spring 2005 Lecture series, held in the Peters Auditorium in the University Business Center on the Fresno State campus. It was an Armenian Genocide conference held in 1979 which impelled Dr. Reid to first consider the trauma suffered by the Armenians. The panel members had addressed the scholarly, scientific, or political issues, but none had explored the heart of the matter. In Dr. Reid's words, "Not one ofthe panel members had made the attempt to comprehend the inner history of the universal trauma suffered by Armenians during World War I." The conference, and in particular an exchange between an 80 year old survivor of the Genocide and the participants, led to a twenty year search for the deeper cause of anger and isolation suffered by survivors. Along the way Dr. Reid had his own brush with trauma, when he received death threats from a Muslim student at a university where he taught in 1994. The psychological legacy of that event led him to a deeper understanding of the mental anguish suffered by genocide survivors. Dr. Reid's main thesis was that genocide survivors suffer from Additional Annual Fund Donations (asofApril21,2005) Sponsor Arthur & Lily Seredian Supporters Lois I. Bedoian Ted & Arpie Dick Meger E. Dinihanian, Jr. Peter A. Giragosian Clifford Melikian Suren Nazaryan Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The central symptom of PTSD is the afflicted one's response to death and especially the threat of death. According to Dr. Reid, everyone who endured and survived the terror of the genocide suffered from this symptom regardless ofthe extent to which other anxiety and PTSD symptoms afflicted them. The PTSD symptoms point to the long- term suffering ofthe Armenian community for generations after the annihilation of Armenia. Survivor memoirs and personal writings were used as the basis for the study. Dr. Reid cited several examples of memoirs to illustrate his presentation, in particular: Kerop Bedoukian's Some of Us Survived and Vartan Hartunian's Neither to Laugh Nor to Weep, as well as individual accounts from Armenian oral histories. He also used examples from Pontic Greek survivors to give a wider comparative view of the subject. Dr. Reid examined one of the primary events ofthe genocide-the death march-from a psychological vantage point. The person's response to the threat of a violent death is the central psychological aspect ofthe genocide survivor experience . He explained that one reason many collapsed and died during the death march, aside from murder and physical torture, was that they could not endure psychologically after a certain point in the ongoing trauma of the death march. He also explained that the need to compre hend the survivors' psychological response to genocide and the threat of death is important for succeeding generations of Aimenians as well as the world community. Why is it important to understand the psychological response to genocide and war? According to Dr. Reid, trauma and shock are universals that can occur in any time and place and it is necessary, to recognize that even with cultural and religion differences, most people of past times and at present will react in a psychologically universal way. In Dr. Reid's view, the lesson of Armenian and Greek survivors- those with strength to write about their ordeals-is that the perpetrator cannot win psychologically if the victim-survivor will not acquiesce to his bullying sadism. These survivors may suffer from the effects of their trauma for their entire life. The strength of mind to assert the will to live and life's priority over death can help to defeat the "Angel of Death" spectre that forms the central symptom of post traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Reid holds a PhD. in history from UCLA and has written several books, including Crisis of the Ottoman Empire: Prelude to Collapse, 1839-1878. The pre se n ta ti on w as c o - sp on - soredby the Armenian Studies Program, Armenian Students Organization, Department of Psychology, and the Psi Chi Honor Society in Psychology. Charlie Keyan's Donation Armenian Studies benefactor Charlie Keyan donated $150,000 to the University to establish two scholarships, one in Armenian Studies and one in the athletic department. (The full story was published on page 1 of the March 2005, Hye Sharzhoom) Mr. Keyan is a graduate of Fresno State and wants to support new students in continuing their education. Mr. Keyan has donated generously to several Armenian institutions over the past several years. "All Things Armenian" Every Saturday Afternoon Noon-l:00PM 90.7 FM Hosted by Barlow Der Mugrdechian Interviews and Armenian classical music "Hye Oozh" Every Saturday Morning 9:00AM-Noon 90.7 FM D. J.s • Sevag Tateosian • Armen Postoyan • Tatevik Ekezian On the internet at www.kfsr.org! Eench ga Chga- How Did You Commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide? Carina KARAKAsmAN-SrAFF Writer Name: Stepan Kyutunyan Year: Freshman I wrote emails to our senators asking them to put the recognition ofthe Genocide before Congress. Name: Gevork Aristakesyan Year: Senior I went to church and prayed for the countless victims ofthe Genocide. Name: Grigor Kyutunyan Year: Sophomore I wore completely black, and drove to school from home with two Armenian flags blowing in the air from my back two windows ofthe car. I was involved in the commemoration ofthe 90* Anniversary ofthe Armenian Genocide at CSU Fresno. Names: Ani Estefanian and Gayane Frnzyan Year: Senior & Freshman We went as a group of Armenians to City Hall and witnessed the raising ofthe Armenian Flag. Melkonian, From Page 5 ing about special weapons and explosives, which eventually landed him in a French prison. He was ambitious, and rapidly gained competence in the arts of war. Aside from his self-sacrificial accomplishments, Monte's great accomplishment was the way he stabilized and disciplined the fighters in Nagorno-Karabagh, who then were able to stand their ground against immense odds (areoccurring scene in Armenian history). There were many instances when his death was reported by mistake, but Monte Melkonian died in a battle with Azeris on June 12,1993. "He always showed bravery, Monte was always the first kid to jump off the highest rock," described Markar about his brother. This talk was especially touching; because of the deep roots the Melkonian family has in the Valley. Melkonian ancestors were among the first settlers in Fresno in 1870. Monte's great uncle Jacob Seropian, was one ofthe first settlers. Monte was known by many pseudonyms such as: Saro, Abu Sindi, Timothy McCormick and Avo, but for his great bravery and martyrdom the name Monte Melkonian will always be synonymous with "hero." Monte Melkonian was born in Visalia, California on November 25,1957. Hye Sharzhoom is looking for Fresno State students to work as writers, photographers, and editors. Contact us if you are interested.
Object Description
Title | 2005_05 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper May 2005 |
Alternative Title | Armenian Action, Vol. 26 No. 4 May 2005; Ethnic Supplement to the Collegian. |
Publisher | Armenian Studies Program, California State University, Fresno. |
Publication Date | 2005 |
Description | Published two to four times a year. The newspaper of the California State University, Fresno Armenian Students Organization and Armenian Studies Program. |
Subject | California State University, Fresno – Periodicals. |
Contributors | Armenian Studies Program; Armenian Students Organization, California State University, Fresno. |
Coverage | 1979-2014 |
Format | Newspaper print |
Technical Information | Scanned at 200-360 dpi, 18-bit greyscale - 24-bit color, TIFF or PDF. PDFs were converted to TIF using Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro. |
Language | eng |
Description
Title | May 2005 Page 7 |
Full-Text-Search | May 2005 Hye Sharzhoom 7 Reid, From Page 1 presented a penetrating and innovative talk on "The Armenian Genocide and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Armenian Genocide Survivor Narratives," as part of the Armenian Studies Program Spring 2005 Lecture series, held in the Peters Auditorium in the University Business Center on the Fresno State campus. It was an Armenian Genocide conference held in 1979 which impelled Dr. Reid to first consider the trauma suffered by the Armenians. The panel members had addressed the scholarly, scientific, or political issues, but none had explored the heart of the matter. In Dr. Reid's words, "Not one ofthe panel members had made the attempt to comprehend the inner history of the universal trauma suffered by Armenians during World War I." The conference, and in particular an exchange between an 80 year old survivor of the Genocide and the participants, led to a twenty year search for the deeper cause of anger and isolation suffered by survivors. Along the way Dr. Reid had his own brush with trauma, when he received death threats from a Muslim student at a university where he taught in 1994. The psychological legacy of that event led him to a deeper understanding of the mental anguish suffered by genocide survivors. Dr. Reid's main thesis was that genocide survivors suffer from Additional Annual Fund Donations (asofApril21,2005) Sponsor Arthur & Lily Seredian Supporters Lois I. Bedoian Ted & Arpie Dick Meger E. Dinihanian, Jr. Peter A. Giragosian Clifford Melikian Suren Nazaryan Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The central symptom of PTSD is the afflicted one's response to death and especially the threat of death. According to Dr. Reid, everyone who endured and survived the terror of the genocide suffered from this symptom regardless ofthe extent to which other anxiety and PTSD symptoms afflicted them. The PTSD symptoms point to the long- term suffering ofthe Armenian community for generations after the annihilation of Armenia. Survivor memoirs and personal writings were used as the basis for the study. Dr. Reid cited several examples of memoirs to illustrate his presentation, in particular: Kerop Bedoukian's Some of Us Survived and Vartan Hartunian's Neither to Laugh Nor to Weep, as well as individual accounts from Armenian oral histories. He also used examples from Pontic Greek survivors to give a wider comparative view of the subject. Dr. Reid examined one of the primary events ofthe genocide-the death march-from a psychological vantage point. The person's response to the threat of a violent death is the central psychological aspect ofthe genocide survivor experience . He explained that one reason many collapsed and died during the death march, aside from murder and physical torture, was that they could not endure psychologically after a certain point in the ongoing trauma of the death march. He also explained that the need to compre hend the survivors' psychological response to genocide and the threat of death is important for succeeding generations of Aimenians as well as the world community. Why is it important to understand the psychological response to genocide and war? According to Dr. Reid, trauma and shock are universals that can occur in any time and place and it is necessary, to recognize that even with cultural and religion differences, most people of past times and at present will react in a psychologically universal way. In Dr. Reid's view, the lesson of Armenian and Greek survivors- those with strength to write about their ordeals-is that the perpetrator cannot win psychologically if the victim-survivor will not acquiesce to his bullying sadism. These survivors may suffer from the effects of their trauma for their entire life. The strength of mind to assert the will to live and life's priority over death can help to defeat the "Angel of Death" spectre that forms the central symptom of post traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Reid holds a PhD. in history from UCLA and has written several books, including Crisis of the Ottoman Empire: Prelude to Collapse, 1839-1878. The pre se n ta ti on w as c o - sp on - soredby the Armenian Studies Program, Armenian Students Organization, Department of Psychology, and the Psi Chi Honor Society in Psychology. Charlie Keyan's Donation Armenian Studies benefactor Charlie Keyan donated $150,000 to the University to establish two scholarships, one in Armenian Studies and one in the athletic department. (The full story was published on page 1 of the March 2005, Hye Sharzhoom) Mr. Keyan is a graduate of Fresno State and wants to support new students in continuing their education. Mr. Keyan has donated generously to several Armenian institutions over the past several years. "All Things Armenian" Every Saturday Afternoon Noon-l:00PM 90.7 FM Hosted by Barlow Der Mugrdechian Interviews and Armenian classical music "Hye Oozh" Every Saturday Morning 9:00AM-Noon 90.7 FM D. J.s • Sevag Tateosian • Armen Postoyan • Tatevik Ekezian On the internet at www.kfsr.org! Eench ga Chga- How Did You Commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide? Carina KARAKAsmAN-SrAFF Writer Name: Stepan Kyutunyan Year: Freshman I wrote emails to our senators asking them to put the recognition ofthe Genocide before Congress. Name: Gevork Aristakesyan Year: Senior I went to church and prayed for the countless victims ofthe Genocide. Name: Grigor Kyutunyan Year: Sophomore I wore completely black, and drove to school from home with two Armenian flags blowing in the air from my back two windows ofthe car. I was involved in the commemoration ofthe 90* Anniversary ofthe Armenian Genocide at CSU Fresno. Names: Ani Estefanian and Gayane Frnzyan Year: Senior & Freshman We went as a group of Armenians to City Hall and witnessed the raising ofthe Armenian Flag. Melkonian, From Page 5 ing about special weapons and explosives, which eventually landed him in a French prison. He was ambitious, and rapidly gained competence in the arts of war. Aside from his self-sacrificial accomplishments, Monte's great accomplishment was the way he stabilized and disciplined the fighters in Nagorno-Karabagh, who then were able to stand their ground against immense odds (areoccurring scene in Armenian history). There were many instances when his death was reported by mistake, but Monte Melkonian died in a battle with Azeris on June 12,1993. "He always showed bravery, Monte was always the first kid to jump off the highest rock," described Markar about his brother. This talk was especially touching; because of the deep roots the Melkonian family has in the Valley. Melkonian ancestors were among the first settlers in Fresno in 1870. Monte's great uncle Jacob Seropian, was one ofthe first settlers. Monte was known by many pseudonyms such as: Saro, Abu Sindi, Timothy McCormick and Avo, but for his great bravery and martyrdom the name Monte Melkonian will always be synonymous with "hero." Monte Melkonian was born in Visalia, California on November 25,1957. Hye Sharzhoom is looking for Fresno State students to work as writers, photographers, and editors. Contact us if you are interested. |