On July 10, the Society for Armenian Studies, the academic world, the field of Armenian Studies and the Armenian nation lost one of the most prominent icons of the modern period: Prof. Richard G. Hovannisian. Hovannisian was a monumental figure in the field of Armenian Studies. Considered as the Dean of Modern Armenian History, he established the field of Modern Armenian History in the western hemisphere. He supported the establishment of some of the most important chairs in Armenian Studies in the United States. Hovannisian was the child of Genocide survivors. His father, Kaspar Gavroian, was born in the village of Bazmashen near Kharpert in 1901. Unlike others, Kaspar survived the Genocide and arrived in the U.S. He changed his last name from Gavroian to Hovannisian after his father Hovannes. In 1928, Kaspar married Siroon Nalbandian, the child of Genocide survivors. They had four sons: John, Ralph, Richard and Vernon. Richard was born in Tulare, California, on November 9, 1932. Being the son of Genocide survivors played an important role in his academic path. In 1957, he married Dr. Vartiter Kotcholosian in Fresno and had four children: Raffi, Armen, Ani and Garo. Raffi would become the first Minister of Foreign Affairs (1991-1992) of the Modern Republic of Armenia.
Hovannisian began his academic life in 1954 by earning a bachelor of arts in history, followed by a masters degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1966, he earned his doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His dissertation was published in 1967 with the title Armenia on the Road to Independence which was the precursor to the four-volume magnum opus The Republic of Armenia. Hovannisian played an important role in establishing the teaching of Armenian history at UCLA. In 1987, he became the first holder of the Armenian Education Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History at UCLA, which after his retirement was named in his honor as the Richard Hovannisian Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian History, with Prof. Sebouh Aslanian as its first incumbent.
Hovannisian was a Guggenheim Fellow and received numerous prestigious national and international awards for his service to the field and civic activities. He served on the board of directors of multiple national and international educational institutions and was a member of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences. After finishing his four-volume The Republic of Armenia, he dedicated his research and career to battling denial of the Armenian Genocide, resurrecting the history of Armenian towns and villages of the Armenian provinces of the Ottoman Empire and writing textbooks on modern Armenian history. Although not a scholar of the Armenian Genocide, he contributed more to the discipline than many others in the field. He edited multiple volumes on different facets of the Armenian Genocide, including historical, literary and artistic perspectives. Hovannisian also spearheaded a monumental project to preserve the eyewitness accounts of Armenian Genocide survivors.
In the 1970s, he launched the Armenian Genocide oral history project. He and his students interviewed more than 1,000 Armenian Genocide survivors in California. In 2018, Hovannisian donated the collection to the USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive to be available to scholars around the world. He single-handedly edited and published 15 volumes with Mazda Press as part of the UCLA Armenian History & Culture Series. The 15 volumes covered the history of Armenians in Van/Vaspourakan, Cilicia (with Simon Payaslian), Sivas/Sepastia, Trebizond/Trabzon, Baghesh/Bitlis, Taron/Mush, Smyrna/Izmir, Kesaria/Kayseri and Cappadocia, among other places. The final book in the series, The Armenians of Persia/Iran, was published in 2022. Hovannisian also edited the two-volume The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times, which is considered a classic Armenian history textbook.
Hovannisian came from a generation that fought against the stifling of Armenian voices within the fields of Middle Eastern and Ottoman Studies, which had relegated Armenian Studies to second-class status. He fought for the relevance of Armenian Studies within these fields and tirelessly fought against the efforts to marginalize Armenian issues and to deny the Armenian Genocide.
Besides his contributions to the field, Hovannisian also mentored and educated multiple generations of scholars and thousands of students. He was a strict mentor who demanded that his students work to reach their full potential. He wanted to ensure that they would survive and thrive in the tough terrain of the academic job market.
In his lifetime, Hovannisian was especially influenced by two people: his wife Vartiter and Simon Vratsian (the last Prime Minister of the First Republic of Armenia). Vartiter was his life’s partner for more than half a century. Her dedication to Richard and the field of Armenian Studies played an important role in shaping who he became. Vartiter was an intellectual companion who read and reviewed every piece that he wrote. She was also a constant presence at every conference he planned or attended. In the early 1950s, Vratsian, the author of a major book on the First Republic, became Hovannisian’s mentor when he studied Armenian language at the Hamazkayin Nishan Palanjian Jemaran in Beirut, Lebanon. This influence led Hovannisian to write the first academic work on the First Republic of Armenia and created the first step for his academic career.
In 1974, Hovannisian, along with Dickran Kouymjian, Nina Garsoïan, Avedis Sanjian and Robert Thomson, spearheaded the project to establish a Society for Armenian Studies (SAS). Considered as the pillars of Armenian Studies, the main objective of this group was the development of Armenian Studies as an academic discipline. With access to very limited resources, this group of scholars was able to establish the foundations of a Society that would play a dominant role in developing Armenian Studies in North America and beyond. From a handful of chairs and programs that supported the initiative at the time, today Armenian Studies as a discipline has flourished in the United States with more than thirteen chairs and programs providing their unconditional support to the Society. Hovannisian was the president of SAS for three terms (1977, 1991-1992, 2006-2009). During his tenure, the Society thrived and achieved major accomplishments in the field.
In 2019, the Society for Armenian Studies awarded Hovannisian with its “Lifetime Achievement Award” in recognition and appreciation for his outstanding service and contribution to the field of Armenian Studies.
Hovannisian’s legacy will remain for generations to come.
Our hearts go out to his family and beloved ones.
—Bedross Der Matossian
Past President of SAS (2018-2022)
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Condolences
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Eastern USA Central Committee and the editors and staff of the Hairenik Weekly and Armenian Weekly extend their deepest condolences to the family and friends of Prof. Richard G. Hovannisian.
The Armenian National Committee of America, Eastern Region, also extends deepest sympathies to Dr. Hovannisian’s family and friends.
Dr. Hovannisian’s legacy as the father of Armenian Studies, editor of many volumes, and a renowned scholar and author will continue to reverberate in the global Armenian nation.
Guest Contributor
I was a graduate student of Dr. Hovannisian in the early 1970s, pursuing my M A. He was extremely knowledgeable and a demanding task master. His knowledge of Armenian history was unparalleled. He will be missed sorely by the Armenians who fondly recollect his contributions.
I was lucky enough to study with Dr. Hovannisian, Wonderful professor, HARD grader, but he was so supportive and encouraging. He was especially helpful when my two friends and I started HRAG, Humans for the Recognition of the Armenian Genocide, to work with LA Museum of Tolerance to include an exhibit of the Armenian Genocide. His insight was invaluable for our efforts. He educated generations of UCLA students, deepened our knowledge of our history, and his impact is immeasurable. Asdvadz Hokeen Lousavoreh.
‘There are some who bring a light so great to the world, that even after they are gone, the light remains.’ One such person was Richard G. Hovannisian, treasured Armenian-American, esteemed scholar, historian, author, and educator, who literally became a man with a heartfelt duty and mission. He devoted his life to promoting the study of ancient and modern Armenian history, in particular, the Armenian Genocide, and its denial, and The First Republic of Armenia, each taking its rightful place in world history, due to Professor Hovannisian’s relentless commitment to learning, knowledge, and the truth; his pride in his Armenian heritage and identity; his fight for the relevance and importance of Armenian history; and his defense against efforts to minimize and deny it.
A Hebrew proverb states, ‘Say not in grief, ‘He is no more.’, but live in thankfulness that he was.’ The loss of Professor Hovannisian is profound. His legacy is monumental. It cannot be measured in words. It will live on in eternity for the benefit of mankind.
My deepest sympathy to the Hovannisian family.
I was sad to read about Professor Richard Hovannisian’s death. He was an extraordinary pioneering scholar and an exceptionally gracious man. I was fortunate to be able to informally attend the Zoryan summer workshops where he and Taner Akcam co-taught the sessions on the Armenian Genocide. It was an inspiring educational experience. Professor Hovannisian was certainly a mentor to me and many others. The Armenian nation was blessed to have a remarkable talisman explaining to the world our complex history of great suffering and resolute hope for the future. His writings continue to inspire.
Extremely sad news about Prof. Hovannisian, sincere condolences to the family. He was a truly exceptional human being, highly articulate, cerebral & totally committed to the understanding of Armenian history. As a young adult, I was relieved to find that there were people of this high academic standard involved in researching & writing Armenian history. As a teenager in London (UK,) I could read about the ‘Bulgarian Atrocities’ in school history books but nothing about the Armenian Genocide, which was very disconcerting & upsetting. Nothing in Encyclopedia Brittanica either. Reading ‘The Armenian Genocide in Perspective’ was a great relief & help in understanding what happened to my Grandparents’ generation in 1915, the horrific crime of genocide perpetrated by the Turkish State. Prof. Hovannisian visited London many times & my husband & I always attended his highly informative lectures, for which the whole community were, I’m sure, extremely grateful. I hope there will be many others to carry the torch. May he rest in peace.