This 1917 poster to benefit the American Committee for Relief in the Near East shows a W. B. King painting of a woman carrying a baby on her back among destroyed buildings. Library of Congress
Drawing on the Armenian genocide, and linking analysis of various genocides of the 20th and 21st centuries, Ms. Maral Attallah argues that recognition and reparation (structural recognition) are necessary to hold active and passive genocide deniers accountable. A call for structural recognition inherently promotes active anti-deniers, those who challenge genocide denial and encourage truth and accountability. She will discuss the contemporary example of Turkey’s overt denial (active) and the United States’ lack of official recognition (passive denial) as indicative of a larger, and more complex, system of genocide denial.
Ms. Attallah’s areas of specialization include comparative genocide studies, race and ethnic relations, and identity politics. She pays particular attention to issues of colonization, immigration, and recognition of genocide and genocide denial. Her scholarship focuses heavily on exposing the perspectives and voices of marginalized groups in society.
In addition to teaching at Humboldt State University, Ms. Attallah frequently guest lectures on the Armenian genocide. She has been awarded Fellowships from several prominent institutions, including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and the Holocaust Educational Foundation of Northwestern University. She has presented her research on genocide denial at national and international conferences and is recognized by genocide scholars as an emerging expert on the Armenian genocide.
Ms. Attallah encourages students to develop critical awareness, to engage in community action, and works tirelessly with them to develop the necessary tools to do so. She teaches foundational introductory courses in ethnic studies, women’s studies, and sociology, as well as upper division courses on resistance movements and comparative genocide studies. She has created two popular courses for the CRGS Department: “Multi-Ethnic Resistance in the U.S.” and “Narrating Genocide.”
Speaker
Ms. Maral Attallah, Lecturer, Critical Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Humboldt State University
This program is made possible by the Campus Outreach Lecture Program of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, supported by Jack and Goldie Wolfe Miller.