The Horrors of Adana: Revolution and Violence in the Early Twentieth Century

A hybrid book talk by Professor Bedross Der Matossian, Ph.D., of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

In April 1909, two waves of massacres shook the province of Adana, located in the southern Anatolia region of modern-day Turkey, killing more than 20,000 Armenians. The central Ottoman government failed to prosecute the main culprits, a miscarriage of justice that would have repercussions for years to come. Despite the significance of these events and the extent of violence and destruction, the Adana Massacres are often left out of historical narratives. The Horrors of Adana by Bedross Der Matossian offers one of the first close examinations of these events, analyzing sociopolitical and economic transformations that culminated in a cataclysm of violence. Drawing on primary sources in a dozen languages, Der Matossian develops an interdisciplinary approach to understand the rumors and emotions, public spheres and humanitarian interventions that together informed this complex event.

This event, organized by the Armenian Studies Center of the Promise Armenian Institute, is co-sponsored by the Richard Hovannisian Chair of Modern Armenian History, the Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law, the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies, the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), the Ararat Eskijian Museum. Further information can be found at bit.ly/PAI4-28-23.

Thumbnail image pulled from the cover of Dr. Der Matossian's book, The Horrors of Adana: Revolution and Violence in the Early Twentieth Century, after which this event is named.