ZoryanInstitute

...30 years of pioneering scholarly work,

academic & educational programs

Genocide Studies

The study of genocide, a gross violation of human rights, can help us understand the conditions under which genocide and other acts of mass violence are likely to take place; it can help identify the warning signs of impending violence; and it can suggest ways in which genocide may be prevented.
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Diaspora Studies

The study of 'diaspora' deals with dispersed populations scattered away from their homeland that maintain a sense of collective identity and can function as transnational networks between host states and homelands. In an era of rapid globalization, the study of diasporas is increasingly pertinent for policy-makers, business leaders, scholars and civil societies.

Homeland

Homeland and the relationship to it, is one of the forces and factors that shapes the history, politics, culture and identity of a people linked to that homeland. Historically, homeland has been a state, region, or territory for a people who were born there and shared race, ethnicity and cultural background. This is challenged by the modern concept of homeland which is seen as a place where people depend on a shared set of ideals--the rule of law, freedom of thought, action, and belief, striving for good governance with shared responsibilities.
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News and Events

April 1, 2013
Canadian Museum for Human Rights and Zoryan Institute Reps Meet Diaspora Minister
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January 29, 2013
Sumgait Tragedy Italian Edition Press Release
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January 29, 2013
Nuba Mountains Crisis Symposium
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January 21, 2013
Asia Minor Catastrophe and the Ottoman Greek Genocide Press Release
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June 14, 2012
Astrid Aghajanian, Last Genocide Survivor in UK, Dies
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January 31, 2012
Prof. Vahakn Dadrian to Lecture on Significance of the Trials of the Perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide
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December 22, 2011
Synopsis of Dadrian & Akcam's Judgment at Istanbul
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November 21, 2011
Zoryan Announces New Book that Sets Post-WWI Ottoman Trials in Their Historical and Legal Context
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What People Say

"The Zoryan Institute is a beacon of light in a world that is often shadowed by darkness. Not only has the Zoryan Institute done highly significant work vis-a-vis the Armenian Genocide but it has also taken a lead in preparing young scholars to teach and conduct research into the broader area of genocide studies."

Samuel Totten, Professor Emeritus, University of Arkansas Fayetteville

"The Zoryan Institute was founded at a time when the Diaspora recognized it needed tools by which to begin to document, study and understand itself. From its extensive oral history and genocide documentation work to its groundbreaking Diaspora studies, the Zoryan Institute was a pioneer."

Vartan Oskanian, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Armenia

"Zoryan was one of the principal Diaspora institutions to give scholarly attention to Soviet Armenia, then separated from much of the Armenian world ideologically and politically. It brought cool, detached consideration of the Armenian genocide. Zoryan remains a valued ally of those who look seriously and dispassionately at the major issues confronting Armenians in the troubled twenty-first century. If this was the only activity in which Zoryan was involved, it would have contributed a great deal. Its mission and its work is broader and more inclusive, and in that sense, it is truly an 'international center' serving all of humanity."

Ronald Grigor Suny, Professor Emeritus of Political Science & History, University of Chicago

Zoryan's core concept

Zoryan's core concept is to serve the cause of scholarship and public awareness relating to issues of universal human rights, genocide, and diaspora-homeland relations. This is done through the systematic continued efforts of independent scholars and specialists using a comparative and multidisciplinary approach and in accordance with the highest academic standards.

Zoryan's Featured Activities

Canadian Museum for Human Rights and Zoryan Institute Reps Meet Diaspora Minister

Yerevan — On March 20,representatives of the Zoryan Institute and the Canadian Museum of Human Rights (“CMHR”) met with the Republic of Armenia’s Minister of Diaspora to discuss the significance of the new museum being developed in Winnipeg in relation to the Armenian Genocide. read more

Sumgait Tragedy Italian Edition Press Release

The Sumgait Tragedy: Pogroms against Armenians in Soviet Azerbaijan, Volume I: Eyewitness Accounts is as relevant today as it was when it was first published by Zoryan. A new Italian language edition, La Tragedia di Sumgait: 1988, Un Pogrom di armeni nell' Unione Sovietica has now been released. The edition was prepared by Pietro Kuciukian and published by Guerini e Associati of Milan and marks the ninth language that Zoryan's work has been published in. This edition includes the preface to the English edition by human rights activist Yelena Bonner, and to the French edition by human rights activist, French politican, and co-founder of Medecins Sans Frontieres, Bernard Kouchner. The timing of this book is critical when Azerbaijan continues to use bellicose warmongering language. read more

Nuba Mountains Crisis Symposium

February 11, 2013 | 6-9 PM |SGM Auditorium | 595 Commonwealth Ave, Boston MA| Free Admission read more

Asia Minor Catastrophe and the Ottoman Greek Genocide Press Release

The Asia Minor Catastrophe and the Ottoman Greek Genocide: Essays on Asia Minor, Pontos, and Eastern Thrace, 1913-1923 edited by George N. Shirinian, Executive Director of the Zoryan Institute, is a compilation of innovative papers given by distinguished scholars at two academic conferences organized by the Asia Minor and Pontos Hellenic Research Center in Chicago. read more

Genocide & Human Rights University Program Alumni Continue to Grow in 11th Successful Year

Toronto, Canada—The International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (A Division of the Zoryan Institute) concluded its 11th successful year of growth in the Genocide and Human Rights University Program (GHRUP). To date, some 300 students from 22 countries have participated in the renowned program, which is run in partnership with the University of Toronto. read more

New Book on Forced Turkification of Jews, Their Fight against Anti-Semitism, and Turkish-Jewish Leadership Lobbying against Recognition of Armenian Genocide

Toronto—This newly translated book provides an exposé of the treatment of the Jewish community in Turkey from 1950 to the present, their fight against anti-Semitism, the struggle for their constitutional rights, and the attitude of the Turkish state and society towards these problems. read more

Ragip Zarakolu, Human Rights Champion in Turkey, and Zoryan Institute Collaborate on Turkish Publication of German Foreign Office Archives

Toronto-Ragip Zarakolu, a publisher in Istanbul and a renowned champion of human rights, has collaborated with the Zoryan Institute to lay down one more building block on the foundation of a common body of knowledge for Turks and Armenians. Zarakolu, despite being in jail since October 2011 allegedly in connection with the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) trials, has not stopped his efforts to bring out the historical truth about the "events of 1915" and thereafter. read more

How Will the Canadian Museum for Human Rights Represent Genocide?

The lack of responsiveness of the CMHR and the absence of information about how cases of the gross violation of human rights will be represented raise questions as to which cases will be included, how much space will be allotted to each case, what their content will be, if they will have a permanent or only temporary exhibit, and how these decisions are made. read more

Genocide is not genocide in the Canadian Museum for Human Rights

An article titled, "Memory becomes a minefield at Canada's Museum for Human Rights," by Ira Basen in the August 20, 2011 issue of the Globe and Mail, provides an expose of the controversy surrounding the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The appearance of this article calls for reflection on two critical factors regarding the museum, which have not been adequately discussed: the important relationship between human rights and genocide, and the requirement of federal institutions to adhere to Canada's official policy of multiculturalism. read more