Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian participated in the 14th Annual Genocide Awareness Week, held at Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, April 13-16, 2026. This year’s conference examined some of the ways in which the global retreat from democracy and new authoritarianism connect with historic and contemporary cases of genocide.
The conference featured a panel on “The Armenian Genocide and the Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh,” on Thursday, April 16. Participating in the panel were Dr. Bedross Der Matossian, Professor of Modern Middle East History and Hymen Rosenberg Professor in Judaic Studies at the Department of History at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Berberian Coordinator of the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State. Community members and students had the opportunity to engage in a discussion following the presentations.
St. Apkar Armenian Apostolic Church of Scottsdale, Arizona and the Armenian Studies Pro-gram at Fresno State were co-sponsors of the panel. Fr. Zacharia Saribekyan, pastor of St. Apkar Armenian Church, has played an important role in making sure the Armenians always have a place in Genocide Awareness Week.
As part of the Genocide Awareness Week, programs are also held at Scottsdale Community College. Prof. Bar-low Der Mugrdechian introduced director Emily Mkrtichian, who was present for the screening of her film, “There Was, There Was Not,” on Friday, April 17, to an audience of students and community members at Scottsdale Community College.
“There Was, There Was Not” offers an intimate portrait of four Armenian women caught on the brink and in the aftermath of a surprise invasion of Artsakh, as they resist the erasure of their homeland amidst renewed conflict.
The film event was organized by Dr. Lisa Marsio, Professor of Anthropology at Scottsdale Community College, in cooperation with the St. Apkar Armenian Church and the Fresno State Armenian Studies Program.
The full program for the Genocide Week is available here: https://shprs.asu.edu/GAW.