Tololyan Lectures on Diasporas

Khachig Tölölyan, a Professor of Letters (literature, philosophy, and history) in the College of Letters at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., is also active as a scholar of diasporas. He is the founder and continuing editor of “Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies,” the world’s leading publication in the field, whose copyright is held by the Zoryan Institute (where Tölölyan serves on the Board of Directors).

Responding to the ever-increasing scholarly relevance of diasporas, transnationalism, migration, mobility, and globalization, and to the demand for expert opinion on the field, Tölölyan has in recent months lectured at a number of international conferences and presented keynote lectures on the theory and study of diasporas. On March 25, he spoke at the University of Toronto in Canada on “The Trajectories of Contemporary Diaspora Studies.” On May 19, he lectured at the University of Mainz in Germany on the “Trends and Tensions in Contemporary Diaspora Studies.” At this conference, the general topic was Arab migration to Western countries. On June 20, he lectured at the University Paul Valéry-Montpellier in southern France on “Diaspora Studies: Success through Confusion,” where the general topic was African diasporas.

Most importantly, Tölölyan was actively involved in the launching of the University of Oxford’s Diasporas Programme in June. On June 2, he delivered the inaugural lecture titled “Diaspora Studies: Past, Present, and Promise” at the program’s launch. He also served as a scholar in residence at Wolfson College (one of the 39 colleges and halls that make up the university). Over a residence of two weeks, Tölölyan met individually and at length with 11 postdoctoral faculty and researchers working in several social science departments, all of whom deal with diasporas, migration, transnationalism, and globalization. He served as a consultant and offered critiques of their research.

Tölölyan combines expertise in the theory and practice of comparative diaspora studies with specific knowledge of the Armenian Diaspora, in whose cultural life he has remained active, having published several hundred columns and articles in Armenian, including a book, Spyurki Mech (Paris, 1980).