TONIGHT in NYC: Greg Aftandilian at CUNY: WWII and Armenian-American Identity

Sociologists and historians have long considered that World War II was a watershed period for millions of ethnic Americans, as wartime service and sacrifices enabled so-called hyphenated Americans to prove they were just as American" as anyone else and to shed the "foreigner" label that was often attached to them. On one level, the Armenian-American experience was no different than that of other ethnic groups. However, on another level, the experience of Armenian-American soldiers was unique because they were usually the sons or daughters of genocide survivors, making the wartime period especially traumatic for the Armenian family, as the parents of the soldiers now faced the prospect of losing their loved ones once again. These soldiers thus became more sensitive to their parents' suffering, and this sensitivity was especially heightened for those who liberated the concentration camps and witnessed the victims of another genocide.

In addition, as part of a worldwide diaspora, Armenian-American soldiers encountered their ethnic brethren all over the globe; they were on the receiving end of Armenian hospitality in some places, while in others they did their best to aid destitute Armenian refugees. Thus, the war enhanced these soldiers' American and Armenian identities at the same time.

Gregory Aftandilian is a writer on Armenian-American history and a consultant and adjunct university lecturer on Middle East affairs. He worked for more than twenty years in government service, mostly with the State Department and Congress. Aftandilian holds a B.A. in history from Dartmouth College, an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Chicago, and a M.Sc. in International Relations from the London School of Economics. He is the author of Armenia: Vision of a Republic: The Independence Lobby in America, 1918-1927as well as several publications dealing with Middle Eastern politics and U.S. foreign policy. He is presently working on the World War II generation ofArmenian Americans. He has been a member of the NAASR Board of Directors since 2004.


Center (MEMEAC) and NAASR
Present
A Lecture by Gregory Aftandilian
World War II and Ethnic Identity:
The Armenian-American Experience

NAASR