In the conditions of genocide, the confrontation between victim and perpetrator transcends the boundaries of mere physical annihilation, assuming the form of an irreconcilable ontological struggle. This article offers a comparative analysis of the opposing positions articulated in the periodicals Mshak and Tachar during the years 1915–1918. Within these publications, two fundamentally divergent approaches emerge: while the Armenian press of Tiflis foregrounded the political responsibility of the perpetrator, a dangerous tendency toward self-blame came to dominate the Armenian discourse in Constantinople. Drawing on the conceptual frameworks of Karl Jaspers and Paul Ricoeur, the article argues that the artificial internalization of “guilt” by the victim is, on the one hand, a consequence of totalizing oppression, and on the other, a manifestation of the fragmentation, or even dissolution, of subjectivity. This process, traces of which can still be observed today, may be understood as a continuous extension of genocide itself. Its function is to strip the victim of the moral legitimacy of self-defense and to retrospectively legitimize the actions of the perpetrator.
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A MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT OF EUROPEAN ARMENOLOGY
Contemporary Armenian studies were enriched in 2024 by a valuable new German-language publication, co-authored by distinguished Armenologists, German Professor Tessa Hofmann and Norwegian Dr. Winfried K. Dallmann. The substantial volume, titled “Das geopolitische Schicksal Armeniens. Vergangenheit und Gegenwart” (“The Geopolitical Fate of Armenia: Past and Present”), is original and highly significant from multiple perspectives. First and foremost, the book presents a comprehensive history of the Armenian people from the earliest times to the present day. Importantly, it provides scholarly and compelling interpretations of issues related to different historical periods, issues on which the perspectives of foreign researchers at times lacked objectivity. Secondly, the work is structured two parts and comprises eighteen chapters. The first part presents the millennia-long history of the Armenian people up to the declaration of independence of the Third Republic of Armenia, while the second part, consisting of eight chapters, covers the events of the following thirty-five years. This testifies to the authors’ recognition of the importance of the modern period, marked by both triumph and tragedy, challenges, victories and defeats, as well as a host of unresolved issues. Central of this era lies the Artsakh conflict and the developments directly related to and surrounding it.
Another important merit of the book is the fact that the narrative is thoroughly mapped out. In other words, when presenting Armenia across different historical periods, the authors include corresponding maps, which make the material more concrete and render the authors’ conclusions and generalizations more compelling and irrefutable.
The work, which offers a comprehensive account not only of Armenia and the Artsakh conflict but also of the history of the Armenian diaspora, serves as a unique encyclopedia or textbook for anyone seeking deep and thorough knowledge of these subjects, as well as of the regional and international developments that have unfolded in these contexts.