WESTWOOD, Calif . — The Armenian Genocide Research Program (AGRP) within the Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA is pleased to share highlights from its ongoing research activities and new initiatives.
At the heart of the AGRP’s work is a renewed focus on reparation and justice. Following the formal recognition of the Armenian genocide by Congress and President Biden in 2021 — and given the current geopolitical climate that poses significant obstacles to recognition by Turkey — the question of what’s next is more urgent than ever.
While recognition represents a crucial milestone, the central issue remains the pursuit of justice, of which reparation is an essential pillar. The AGRP has therefore undertaken multiple initiatives centered on reparation and restitution. This concept also relates to various recent projects, including the new documentary, “What’s Next? Armenian Genocide Restitution in the Post-Recognition Era,” and the lecture series, “Looted Art as Part of the Reparation Movement.”
In partnership with the Armenian Bar Association and the Armenian Film Foundation, the AGRP presents the release of a documentary, “What’s Next: Armenian Genocide Restitution in the Post-Recognition Era,” directed and produced by filmmaker Carla Garapedian. The film documents the proceedings of a March 2023 conference at UCLA, which explored the future of restitution and justice following the U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide in 2021. The documentary is now available for public and institutional screenings.
On September 5, 2025, the AGRP co-hosted a lecture at California State University, Fresno, titled, Nazi Looted Art Recovery as a Model for Recovery of AGLA: Armenian Genocide Looted Art. Led by AGRP Director Dr. Taner Akçam and Holocaust restitution expert Professor Michael Bazyler, the event examined efforts to recover Armenian cultural heritage looted during the genocide and drew parallels with post-Holocaust restitution models. This lecture, a central component of the AGRP’s Armenian Genocide Looted Art (AGLA) Research Project, serves as a model for future educational collaborations. The AGRP is also developing an academic course on looted art to further research and awareness on cultural restitution and justice. Institutions interested in hosting this lecture or related events are encouraged to reach out.
This summer, the AGRP launched an online archive, The Auctioning of Stolen Armenian Properties: Emval-i Metruke, which traces the fate of properties left behind by Armenians deported and killed during the Armenian genocide. Using hundreds of newspaper auction announcements from the 1920s and 1930s, the project documents and translates these records into Turkish and English, providing a valuable resource for researchers and the public alike. As part of this initiative, the AGRP also hosted two accompanying lectures — one in English and one in Turkish – that introduced the project’s key findings and historical significance.
