 How will Hrant Dink’s Assassination Affect Armeno-Turkish Relations? Balakian and Berktay to Speak at Armenians and the Left Symposium On Saturday, March 31, 2007 in Cambridge, Mass., Professors Peter Balakian of Colgate University and Halil Berktay of Sabanci University in Istanbul will head a panel discussing “Armeno-Turkish Relations: Pitfalls & Possibilities Following Hrant Dink’s Assassination.” The event will cap off a day-long Armenians and the Left symposium devoted to a range of contemporary issues. Earlier panels will address other vital themes: “The Media and Social Injustice in Armenia ” and “Environmental Politics in Armenia .” More |
AATL Announces Discussion Groups July 27, 2006 - More than three months have passed since the "Armenians and the Left" conference took place in New York City. As many of you know, the conference opened up numerous essential topics and critical perspectives, many of which rarely figure as priorities in the mainstream agenda of Armenian-American politics. This was done intentionally, as we seek to reach those progressive-minded Armenians who for some time have lacked a space or a voice in Armenian political discourse. We seek also to re-energize our veteran activists, in order to promote a thoughtful examination of the strengths, weaknesses, assumptions, and limitations of convention involvement in the Armenian Cause. Read more |
Armenian Weekly Special Insert Covers AATL Conference NEW YORK and BOSTON—In an ambitious effort to synthesize Armenian issues with progressive politics and leftist ideas, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Armenians and the Left Conference drew hundreds of people to consider concepts and strategies that go beyond the conventional approach of Armenian political advocacy, and to explore new possibilities for understanding and advancing Armenia’s case for justice. Read more |
Photo: Roger Leisner
The AATL organizing committee would like to thank all conference participants for making “Armenians and the Left” a truly memorable event. Whether it was the 1000+ capacity audience at the NYSEC Fisk lecture on Friday, the standing room only panel discussions at the CUNY Grad Center on Saturday or the overflow crowd at the Noam Chomsky introduced Fisk talk at MIT on Sunday, many of us felt that something unique happened the weekend of April 7. Perhaps it was the special blend of like-minded Armenians gathered in one place. Or the sense that we were all part of a larger, incipient progressive movement sweeping the country. What is clear is that there was a great thirst for an event like this in our community. And what is obvious now is that we should all strive to build on the momentum generated by this conference. We need to move forward by remaining engaged and connected to each other, working for good causes including the Armenian Cause. We will have video footage of all the sessions – including the two Fisk lectures -- up on our website soon so that we can all watch the panels that we missed. In the mean time, we urge you to sign up on our Forums and provide us with feedback regarding the conference and also give us your ideas about where to go from here. Alternatively, you can email your comments to info@armeniansandtheleft.com and we’ll post them on the boards for you (please indicate if you would like to remain anonymous – email addresses will never be revealed). Below are 2 feeds that are ready for you to access. The Fisk lecture in Boston is almost identical to the one given in NY. However, Chomsky’s introductory remarks are worth a second listen. Click here to listen to an edited, Hi-Fi version of the Fisk talk at MIT (courtesy of FreemanZ) Click here to watch the exclusive interview with Robert Fisk at the Hairenik |