Between the Memories and the Present: on the Armenian Genocide

This research paper concerns the official discourse of the Republic of Armenia on the Armenian Genocide (Mets Yeghern – literally meaning “Great Crime” in Armenian). It explores the official narratives on the massacres of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey through transmission and representation of the genocide memories by almost four generations of Armenians. It analyzes the process of collectivization and unification of these memories through two sources: the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute and the Armenian government protocols, memorandums, commemoration documents related to the Armenian Genocide. The research paper attempts to analyze critically the power-knowledge relations that the state produces by mainstreaming memories and shaping a unified history about the Armenian nation. Finally, this research is about a healing process a researcher undergoes writing about painful knowledge that is a product of specific memories. For this healing process helps remove the shackles of victimhood, leading to self-reconciliation and spiritual praxis.