Today in Turkey, speaking of the Armenian genocide is considered an “insult to Turkishness.” The genocide is not taught in history classes in schools, and authors and officials who have spoken about the genocide have been thrown into prison. Despite the evidence, including a description of crimes committed by the government given by Henry Morgenthau Sr., who was the American ambassador to Turkey between 1913 and 1916, there is no indication that Turkeywill recognize the Armenian genocide in the near future.
The Armenian GenocideMemorial in Tzitzernakaberd, Yerevan.
The issue is complicated in theUnited States.While otherNATOallies such as France have publicly recognized the Armenian genocide, the U.S. does not. In 2007, a resolution officially condemning the Armenian genocide was introduced by House Representative AdamSchiff (D-CA) and nearly passed. However, nearly 70 percent of military air supplies for Iraq travel through U.S. bases in Turkey, and under pressure from the Bush administration, the billwas suppressed. Earlier this year, PresidentObama commemorated the events ofApril 24, 1915 as “one of theworst atrocities of the 20th century,” butwas careful not to use the termgenocide.
Remembrance,Memorial and Collective Tragedy
Human beings aremembers of countless unique identity groups, fromethnic groups to sexual identification to friendship groups, and all of themare connected.We define ourselves and find our identities through the relationships between our many groups. Every group responds differently to collective triumph and to collective tragedy, and those responses can define a group in very meaningful ways. In the case of the Armenian genocide, the Young Turks tortured and murdered over half of the Armenian population.With half of all Armenians gone, the identity of the remaining survivors changed dramatically, making a monumental tragedy integral to the definition of what it means to be ‘Armenian.’ With such a great loss, many Armenians respondedwithmemorial. Unfortunately, the Turks also destroyed Armenian property, schools, churches, hospitals and graveyards, making historical memorial more difficult. As a result,whatwas passed down to the next generation was a broken history. Studies have demonstrated, using theArmenian genocide as the target construct, that in passing down tragic stories, families can also pass down their coping mechanisms and psychological trauma, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and denial. Red Dog Howls portrays oneway in which individuals might transmit tragedy across generations, and demonstrates how the knowledge of family tragedy can redefine a person or a people.
A view of the outside of the GenocideMemorial in Yerevan. 12
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