LOS ANGELES — The Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA hosted an all-day symposium dedicated to honoring and celebrating the life and legacy of the late UCLA Professor Richard G. Hovannisian on Saturday, April 6, 2at the UCLA Mong Learning Center.
The all-day event featured six separate sessions, with more than 35 speakers and panelists reflecting on Professor Hovannisian’s monumental scholarly and educational contributions during his 50-year career as a faculty member at UCLA.
Hovannisian, who passed away in July 2023, was the first holder of the Armenian Educational Foundation Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian History, now named in his honor.
The symposium’s sessions focused on Hovannisian’s impact on Armenian Genocide research, both as it pertains to documentation and recognition, as well as to survivor testimony collection and archiving; on his scholarship on modern Armenian history, notably the publication of his groundbreaking four-volume series on the First Armenian Republic, as well as his 15 edited volumes on Historic Armenian Cities/Provinces; on his pioneering Armenian Studies as an academic field and co-founding important scholarly organizations; and on his critical role as a teacher and mentor, influencing the lives and careers of thousands of former students and colleagues.
As noted by Prof. Ann Karagozian, director of the UCLA Promise Armenian Institute, the symposium was designed “not only to honor Professor Hovannisian’s memory and legacy, but also to reflect on his impact and how each one of us, irrespective of our fields or backgrounds or even how well we knew Richard or our connections to him, can be inspired by his vision, and can continue, in our own way, his efforts on behalf of the Armenian people.”
In addition to reflections by scholars, students, friends and colleagues, biographical videos showcasing Professor Hovannisian’s remarkable life and work were created by his daughter, filmmaker Ani Hovannisian Kevorkian.
