Prague hosts Conference on Genocide Studies

PanARMENIAN.Net - “Mountains of Moses: Revolt, Resistance and Rescuing of the Victims of Mass Extermination in the 20th Century” was the theme of the 1st International Conference on Genocide Studies in the Czech Republic, held in the capital of Prague last month, according to Asbarez.

The theme drew inspiration from the Musa Dagh resistance to the Armenian Genocide in 1915, a saga that was immortalized by Franz Werfel in the novel, The Forty Days of Musa Dagh.

The conference was organized by the Archaeology of Evil Research Centre (AERC) as part of the NINE GATES Festival that annually promotes Jewish culture in the Czech Republic and elsewhere in Europe. This year’s festival, including the conference, enjoyed the patronage of the President of the Czech Parliament, the Prime Minister, a number of ministries, and the embassies of China, Spain, and Sweden.

The mission of the AERC is “to reflect causality and motives of historical genocides and mass violence on the basis of comparative interdisciplinary research, to gather specific primary and secondary data on genocides and mass murders during the world history, and explore new ways of dissemination of research results. Long-term objective of the Centre is to introduce and establish the Genocide Studies discipline in the Czech Republic.”

The objectives of the conference were: to introduce the scope and method of Genocide Studies in the Czech Republic; to analyze historical events of revolt, resistance and rescue of the victims of mass extermination/genocides in the 20th century with regard to the relevant historical context; to compare selected historical events on the basis of common aspects.