Synopsis

While the Armenian Genocide has achieved international recognition, the genocides of Greeks and Assyrians remain comparatively unknown. In Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian Genocide Recognition in Twenty-First-Century Australia, Dr Themistocles Kritikakos offers the first comprehensive comparative analysis of the legacies of genocide during the late Ottoman period (1914–1923) and subsequent recognition efforts in Australia. Australians witnessed, documented, and responded to these atrocities, often through humanitarian aid, yet national narratives shaped by Gallipoli and reconciliation with Turkey have remained in persistent tension with genocide recognition. Drawing on oral interviews with descendants of survivors and scholarship in memory and genocide studies, the book examines intergenerational silence, trauma, commemoration, and intercommunal cooperation, revealing how once-separate histories have converged into shared narratives that strengthen collective pursuits of recognition.

Bio

Dr Themistocles Kritikakos is a historian and writer. He holds a PhD in History from the University of Melbourne, where he has worked in professional and academic roles. His research focuses on memory, diaspora communities, and the politics of genocide recognition in Australia.

How to Participate

This is an in-person only event, so please join us at the Greek Centre, on Level M.

See our speaker live, ask questions during the Q&A and hobnob with fellow participants before and after the event.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Sponsors

We thank Mary Tsaganas, in memory of her mother, Olympia, and her ancestors from Asia Minor for the kind donation that made this seminar possible. 

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