Dr. Khatchig Mouradian to Present Second Public Lecture at Fresno State

‘Don’t Fall off the Earth’: The Armenian Communities in China from the 1880’s to 1950’s

Dr. Khatchig Mouradian (Clark University), Kazan Visiting Professor of Armenian Studies at California State University, Fresno, will give his second public lecture on the topic of “‘Don’t Fall off the Earth’: The Armenian Communities in China from the 1880’s to 1950’s” at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 20, in the University Business Center, Alice Peters Auditorium, Room 191, on the Fresno State campus.

Khatchig Mouradian
Khatchig Mouradian

Hundreds of Armenians journeyed eastward to China in the late 19th century in search of opportunity, anchoring themselves in major cities, as well as in Harbin, a town that rose to prominence with the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway. A few thousand others arrived in the region escaping the Armenian Genocide and turmoil in the Caucasus in the years that followed. Many of these Armenians coupled their personal success with a dedication to community life, helping build small but vibrant communities (even a church and community centers) in Harbin, Shanghai, Tientsin, and other cities, despite conflicts, war, and foreign occupation that beset the history of China in the first half of the 20th century.

After the Chinese Communist Revolution, Armenians fled the country mainly in two directions: Soviet Armenia and the Americas. In this illustrated lecture, Mouradian presents the rich, yet understudied, history of the Armenian communities in China.

The third lecture in Mouradian’s series of talks will take place on Nov. 30, titled “The Tale of Two Midwives: The Notebooks of Siphora and Nuritza Shnorhokian of Aintab, 1890-1930.”

Khatchig Mouradian, the former editor of the Armenian Weekly, holds a Ph.D. in history from the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University and a graduate certificate in Conflict Resolution from UMass Boston. He is a visiting scholar at the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights (CGHR) at Rutgers University, where he also serves as the coordinator of the Armenian Genocide Program.

Mouradian is the author of several articles and book chapters, including, most recently, “The Meskeneh Concentration Camp, 1915-1917: A case study of power, collaboration, and humanitarian resistance during the Armenian Genocide,” Journal of the Society of Armenian Studies, Vol. 24 (2015); and “Genocide and Humanitarian Resistance in Ottoman Syria, 1915-1916,” Études arméniennes contemporaines, Vol. 7 (2016).

The lecture is free and open to the public. Free parking is available, using parking code 273707 (use the code in kiosks in the parking area to receive the permit) at Fresno State Lots P5 and P6, near the University Business Center, Fresno State.

For more information about the lecture please contact the Armenian Studies Program at 278-2669, or visit our website at www.fresnostate.edu/armenianstudies.

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