The work of the
Zoryan Institute can only be realized through the personal involvement
and dedication of its supporters.
As a volunteer,
you could be involved in such activities as tracking the international
media for articles about Armenian issues, translating news articles
into English, assisting with publicity and press releases, proofreading,
developing our presence on the internet, digitizing our archives,
organizing lectures, conferences and fund raising events.
If you are interested
in contemporary issues related to the history, politics, society,
and culture of Armenia and Armenians around the world, and care about
the critical and fundamental challenges facing Armenians, then the
Zoryan Institute would be an ideal outlet for you.
Please get in
touch with us by clicking on the Contact Us button on the left.
The Genocide Documentation
Project
In September 1984 the Board of Directors of the Zoryan
Institute decided to sponsor a major, comprehensive, systematic and
international project to document the Genocide. The staff of the Institute
completed planning and conceptualization of the project by September
1985. The board of Directors approved the plans during its November
1985 meeting and the collection process began in December of 1985.
The purpose of
the project is the collection, cataloguing, computerization, duplication,
preservation and publication in a comprehensive, systematic, and scholarly
manner of documents relating to the Genocide of the Armenian people
during the First World War.
The Project encompasses
issues immediately related to the Genocide: statistical evidence,
resistance, participation/opposition of non-Armenians, refugee problems
and settlements, and rescue and relief efforts up to the establishment
of the Republic of Turkey. The periods since 1923 is included for
the purposes of the Project.
The Oral History Project
The Oral History Project documents on video and audio the oral histories
of some 700 survivors. The contents of these interviews provide invaluable
eyewitness information on the Armenian Genocide from survivors, as
well as otherwise undocumented information about Armenian culture
and daily life prior to the Genocide.
As part of its
overall plan to document and study the Armenian Genocide, the Zoryan
Institute began to conduct interviews with survivors of the Genocide
in the mid-1980s. Eventually the Institute collected some 660 videotapes,
representing the largest oral history collection of any Armenian organization.
These interviews were conducted in various cities in the United States
and Canada. About one-third are in English; the rest are in Armenian,
Turkish, and other languages.
A scientific approach
was taken with these interviews, so that some fifty very carefully
prepared questions provided the basis for detailed and consistent
information on numerous subjects to be collected, collated, and eventually
analyzed. Furthermore, the interviewers were carefully prepared for
their delicate task of getting survivors of genocide to recall in
the most effective way possible, their very horrifying and painful
memories.
Diaspora Studies Project
The Diaspora Studies Project examines the larger picture of change
within the Armenian world, focusing on specific institutions and communities.
Archival materials range from newspapers and letters to film and videotapes.
The Open University Project
The Open University Project brings the research and insight of scholars
to the larger community through seminars and lectures.
Resource Development
Resource Development applies tools of a computerized data base, the
thorough compilation of documentary evidence and an international
research network to the task of tying together the pieces of modern
society.
Research Assistance
Research Assistance offers the Institute's resources and expertise
to scholars, writers, journalists, filmmakers, students and organizations.
Adopt-a-Library Project
In 1990,
the Institute established the Adopt-a-Library Program, which distributes
key books about Armenian history and Armenian issues to major university,
college, and public libraries. Individuals may choose from a prescribed
list the publication(s) they wish to sponsor, as well as the library
or libraries which will receive the publications. Books are selected
on the basis of their being objective, responsible and accurate in
both content and appearance, up to date, and generally acceptable
to impartial institutions and their libraries.
Conferences
Publications