SAN DIEGO, CA – The Armenian National Committee of San Diego announced that it will be hosting an academic conference on Genocide and Denial on Saturday, May 8, 2004 at the University of California, San Diego campus. The event is the first of its kind to be held at UC San Diego and is cosponsored by the UC San Diego Armenian Students Association.

The conference, entitled “Western Response to Genocide”, will cover various topics including the Armenian Genocide, the Jewish Holocaust, the Rwandan Genocide and others. The intended emphasis of the conference will be how the Western Culture has dealt with genocide. The conference will address a number of genocide-related issues, including definition, history, politics, literature, acknowledgment, prevention, associated trauma (both individual and collective) and reconciliation and reparations. The conference will address the many genocides of the 20th century and draw similarities and identify differences between these crimes against humanity. A number of panelists will participate in the conference, including: Laurence Baron, Ph.D., Director of the Lipinsky Institute for Judaice Studies; Rubina Peroomian, Ph.D., lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles; Levon Marashlian, Ph.D., Professor of History and Political Science at Glendale Community College, Dan Alba, Regional Director of the Los Angeles Offices of Facing History and Ourselves, and Ardashes Kassakhian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region.

The conference will take place at the University of California, San Diego, Peterson Building and will begin at 10 A.M. Parking for the conference is free and Armenian style barbecue will be served during the break for $7. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the Armenian National Committee San Diego actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.