On Friday, April 10, the Armenian Studies Program screened the movie \u201cWhat\u2019s Next? Armenian Genocide Restitution in the Post-Recognition Era.\u201d Dr. Taner Ak\u00e7am, director of the Armenian Genocide Research Program of The Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA, and director Carla Garapedian were discussants for the film. The Armenian Film Foundation and The Promise Armenian Institute were co-sponsors of the event.<\/p>\n
The screening and discussion focused on a critical question that has emerged following recent political milestones: what comes after recognition of the Armenian Genocide? Dr. Ak\u00e7am and Garapedian introduced the documentary, which was based on a 2023 UCLA conference that explored legal, moral, and historical pathways toward restitution for the Armenian Genocide.<\/p>\n
A central theme of the discussion was the shift from symbolic recognition to justice. As Dr. Ak\u00e7am explained, although the United States government officially recognized the Armenian Genocide in 2019 and 2021, \u201crecognition is not enough. If recognition is not followed by justice, it risks remaining symbolic.\u201d This idea shaped the whole event, showing that recognition alone cannot fix the material and cultural losses Armenians experienced.<\/p>\n
The documentary revealed that recognition brought up new urgent questions \u2013 what comes next, and how can justice be achieved if Turkey still denies the Genocide? Dr. Ak\u00e7am stated that \u201cTurkey is unlikely to acknowledge the Genocide in the foreseeable future,\u201d which forces Armenians and those sympathetic to the issue, to explore alternative options, particularly within legal systems outside of Turkey. This led to the discussion of whether justice could be pursued through U.S. courts and whether existing models, especially Holocaust restitution, could serve as a blueprint.<\/p>\n
The comparison to Holocaust restitution became a major point of discussion. In the film, Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat stated that genocide involves not only the destruction of lives but also culture, stating that the aim of both the Holocaust and Armenian Genocide was \u201cnot only to kill individuals, but to destroy their culture, manuscripts, religious objects, and art.\u201d He argued that the success of Holocaust restitution efforts, including the development of the \u201cWashington Principles,\u201d provides a framework for the Armenians. These principles encourage institutions to investigate the origins of artifacts and work toward \u201ca fair and just solution,\u201d showing that restitution is about truth and accountability rather than profit.<\/p>\n
Another key topic was the importance of provenance research. This is the process of tracing the origins and ownership of cultural objects. Following the 2023 conference, students and researchers began identifying Armenian artifacts scattered across museums and collections worldwide. Dr. Ak\u00e7am described this as a turning point, explaining that \u201crestitution is not only a moral and historical question, it is also a practical and traceable process.\u201d This research is essential because, as stated in the film, restitution can only begin once looted objects are identified and documented.<\/p>\n
The documentary also provided concrete legal examples. One of the most notable cases involved the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Zeytun Gospels. Art historian Dr. Heghnar Watenpaugh described the case as \u201ca great victory,\u201d because although the physical pages remained at the museum, the Armenian Church successfully secured recognition of its ownership through corrected provenance. This case demonstrated that restitution is not always about returning objects, but also about restoring historical truth and correcting narratives.<\/p>\n
Similarly, legal expert Karnig Kerkonian emphasized the topic of attribution, arguing that reclaiming Armenian contributions, even when physical ownership is not contested, is a powerful form of justice. He described this as \u201cthe insertion of truth,\u201d countering the long-standing efforts to erase Armenian identity from cultural and historical records.<\/p>\n
However, the discussion also acknowledged significant challenges. Legal obstacles, such as deadlines for filing cases and limits on state roles in foreign policy, have limited the number of successful restitution cases. In the film, Professor Michael Bazyler (Chapman University) noted that only a small number of Armenian restitution claims have succeeded compared to Holocaust cases. This highlights the need for new legislation, similar to the U.S. HEAR Act, which extended the statute of limitations for Holocaust related claims.<\/p>\n
Speakers pointed out that future success depends on collective action. Attorney Kathryn Lee Boyd suggested the practical steps to move forward, including conducting extensive research, securing financial support for legal cases, and strengthening community unity. She stated that \u201cthis is just the beginning. We need more lawyers, more money, and more community unity.\u201d This idea of unity came up throughout the event, with speakers noting that internal divisions have weakened Armenian efforts in the past.<\/p>\n
The broader significance of restitution was also connected to global movements. Comparisons were made to Indigenous restitution efforts in Canada, where acknowledgment of past injustices led to legal settlements and official recognition of genocide. This demonstrated that Armenians are not alone in their struggle and that international precedents can provide both inspiration and strategy. Ultimately, the film ended with a focus on the future. Rather than offering simple solutions, the documentary aimed to \u201copen a conversation\u201d about moving from recognition to justice. As Amb. Eizenstat stated, the goal is to \u201cuncover uncomfortable historical truths and bring them to light,\u201d helping ensure accountability and prevent future atrocities.<\/p>\n
The movie \u201cWhat\u2019s Next?\u201d presented the Armenian Genocide not only as a historical tragedy but as an ongoing legal and moral issue. Moving from recognition to restitution marks a new phase in the Armenian struggle, one that requires research, legal innovation, and a collective effort. The film and discussion made it clear that while recognition was an important milestone, real justice comes from addressing the long term cultural, material, and historical impacts of the genocide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On Friday, April 10, the Armenian Studies Program screened the movie \u201cWhat\u2019s Next? Armenian Genocide Restitution in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":311132,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":["post-311131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=311131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/311132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=311131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}