Peter Balakian, Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor of the Humanities, Colgate University
The past year has marked the centenary of the Armenian Genocide. In this presentation, the award-winning writer Peter Balakian asked how literature can witness and commemorate historical trauma. He began by discussing the impact of the Armenian genocide on several major Armenian poets of the 1915 generation. Considering the genocide’s impact on his own poetry, Balakian reflected on how the trauma of 1915 has echoed across generations and emerged as a version of postmemory—the belated remembrance of the victims’ descendants.
Hosted by: Initiative in Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies
In conjunction with: Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Department of English, Department of French and Italian, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Department of History, Department of Religion, European Union Center, Program in Comparative and World Literature, Program in Jewish Culture and Society, Spurlock Museum, The Future of Trauma and Memory Studies Reading Group
Video of lecture here.
Location: Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum, 600 South Gregory, Urbana
Date: 4/18/2016 4:00pm