What was the Armenian Genocide and Why is it a Difficult Topic?
Recently President Joe Biden officially recognized the Armenian genocide on the 106th anniversary of start of the massacre. While there no official number of Armenians killed estimates range between 300,000 and 2 million. This is a subject that is typically not studied in public schools in the United States in European history and if it is it not on a sufficient level.
What was the Armenian Genocide and Why is it a Difficult Topic?
The violence began during the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor of modern Turkey and the area that is now Armenia. Starting in 1915, the Ottoman’s sought to prevent the Armenians from collaborating with Russia and ordered mass deportations. Many thousands to millions of ethnic Armenians died from starvation, were killed by the Ottoman soldiers or police, and were forced out of their homeland.
Estimates of about half a million Armenians survived and were eventually scattered throughout Eastern Europe and the world. Many historians now consider the violence and resulting deaths to be the first genocide of the 20th Century and it still evokes strong emotions aggravated by many Turkey officials that still advocate that it is fiction, over 100 years after the fact.
Difficult topics or subjects are often avoided or lightly studied in the public education system due to a variety of factors including: potential parental concerns and resistance, the intensity of the topic or subject, and the necessity to “cover” the standards and curriculum aligned to that course.
Additionally, due to vast topics of European history, many topics are only reviewed on a superficial level. For example, there may be one chapter in a high school history book regarding World War I.
The chapter may describe some of the factors leading up to the start of the war, discuss the war again on a superficial level, and then conclude with how the war ended and the after effects, again on a superficial level. There is often limited effort or time to do a “deep dive” into aspects of cultural conflicts throughout the world at that time such as the Armenians and other ethnicities living in Turkey or other cultural tensions in the 20th and 21st Century and the resulting impact of those conflicts.
Now that the President Biden has formally recognized the genocide, hopefully things are beginning to change. School districts throughout the United States are beginning to provide professional development workshops to educators. Recently, the Los Angeles Unified School District provided a workshop for high school history teachers that focused on the Armenian genocide from a historical perspective.
Many of the attendees had very limited knowledge of the event and these were history teachers. It is hopeful that since it has now been formally recognized it will become more prevalent in history and gain stature when compared to other major genocides in history.
Bias
Everyone person whether consciously or not, has implicit and/or explicit bias and prejudices on a myriad of topics from the mundane to the intense. It can be as simple strawberry ice cream versus chocolate ice cream, your favorite sports team, or your favorite type of movies. These differences make us who we are and rarely escalate to the level of persecution or violence. It is when biases or prejudices are taken to the level of persecution and violence that extreme events occur such as genocides, mass shootings, and personal assault and violence.
Self-Reflection
As progressive and reflective educators and leaders, it is important reflect on unconscious or implicit bias and deeply analyze: Who Am I? Often human bias can be aligned to three major categories: segregationist, assimilationist, and anti-racist (abolitionist). Let’s examine each of these. The segregationist view other ethnicities, cultures, or races as “permanently inferior.” They often believe that they must be saved .. from themselves and because of their races, ethnicity or culture and no amount of assistance can overcome their perceived deficiencies.
Let us wish and hope that segregationist views continue to diminish over time. The next group, assimilationist believe that other ethnicities, cultures or races are “temporary inferior” but they can be “helped.” They often believe that if they are “civilized and educated” they can achieve standards of “whiteness” they can become productive members of society.
Finally, the anti-racist (abolitionist) view that different cultures, races, and ethnicities are … people. They are already “civilized”, and are inherently valuable. They consistently focus on reducing inequality to others and strive to create equal opportunities as well as see the brilliance and promise in all. They deeply believe that they have never been inferior and already have all they need to deeply contribute to society.
Challenging Privilege
Another deeply personal construct is challenging privilege. The concept of challenging privilege can be broken down into three major components: whiteness, merit, and individualism. Whiteness is the concept that “White” is the normal and highest standard in racial hierarchy. While this may not be explicitly stated, it is often apparent in the stories, histories, and struggles that is often most prevalent in school curricula that do not have multicultural materials. The merit concept assumes that each person achieves success based on his or her own personal capacity. It fortifies the belief that the work put forth and the effort invested explains why some groups or individuals become successful while others do not.
It does not consider historical opportunities, advantages, and privileges to which some groups have access, both historically and in the present. Finally, the individualism tenet proposes that each person is responsible for his or her outcomes and success.
It promotes survival-of-the-fittest approach that stresses singular pursuit and accomplishment. Individualism and individual success can be counter to various cultural beliefs who may consider success of the group or family above their own. Challenging privilege may be a controversial topic and at the same time a deeply personal journey of reflection.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the recent actions of President Biden are a progressive step in recognition of atrocious events from over 100 years ago. Those who have the power must also have the responsibility to be diligent and have the will to assist and protect those who cannot. A well-known principle states: “With great power comes great responsibility.
