A scholarly workshop in Istanbul focuses on Adana massacres of 1909

Published: Thursday November 19, 2009

Participants in the workshop, "Adana 1909: History, Memory, and Identity from a Hundred Year Perspective," Istanbul, November 7, 2009.

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American witnesses

The role of American missionaries as witnesses was discussed by Lou Ann Matossian  (Cafesjian Family Foundation, and an editor at the Armenian Reporter) and Barbara Merguerian (Armenian International Women's Association), with papers related to events in the cities of Adana and Tarsus.

Tarsus was also the focus of a paper by Oral Çal??lar, a well-known Turkish journalist, who presented the testimony of Helen Davenport Gibbons in her book, Red Rugs of Tarsus. Mr. Çal??lar, who has published the Turkish translation of this work, gave a personal reflection regarding his native Tarsus. (The Gomidas Institute has just published a critical English edition The Red Rugs of Tarsus.)

Human and material losses

The reality of Armenian losses was stressed by Osman Koker, who gave a paper on Armenian communities in Adana province, illustrated by photographs and postcards. He included images from Antioch, Alexandretta, Marash, Beylan, Sis, Adana, Tarsus, and Koz Olouk.

Sait Çetino?lu (Belge Uluslararas? Yay?nc?l?k) gave a forceful presentation on the organization and plunder of Armenian properties in 1909, while Asl? Çomu (Cambridge University) gave a solid paper based on land records from the Adana region in the 1920s. These records gave new insights into how Armenian properties were broken up and parceled out to Muslim refugees.

The actual number of Armenian casualties during the massacres was discussed by Fuat Dundar, who raised some questions about the demographics of the Adana massacres based on his work on the massacres of Abdulhamit II and the Armenian Genocide.

The fate of Armenian orphans following the Adana massacres became a major concern for Armenian community leaders. Nazan Maksudyan gave a moving paper on the fate of such orphans, especially in "foreign" orphanages. One key concern was assimilation in government-run orphanages, where the language of instruction was Turkish and not Armenian.

Literary responses to the massacres

The legacy of the 1909 massacres could not be explained by simple numbers for casualties or lost properties. Literature was a powerful way to convey a sense of violence, loss, and trauma that accompanied events and lingered on in the lives of survivors. Marc Nichanian (Sabanci University) and Rita Soulahian (McGill Univeristy) discussed the literary response to the Adana massacres, with particular reference to Arshagouhi Teotig, Taniel Varoujan, and Zabel Yessayan. (Unfortunately Mr. Nichanian could not be at the workshop and his paper was presented by Hülya Adak of Sabanci University.)

Ottoman Parliament

Anastasia Iliena Moroni (EHESS & Panteion Univ., Athens) discussed how the Adana massacres were presented in the Ottoman Parliament.