In Fall 2016, the Zoryan Institute launched its Syrian-Armenian Refugee Oral History Project to preserve the heritage, identity, culture and memories of group of Armenians who had to leave their homelands by force. Under war and the threat of destruction, they found refuge from crisis in Canada and elsewhere around the world. The institute acted quickly to capture the stories of Syrian-Armenian refugees while they were newcomers in their host communities.
Interviews included in this collection serve as an important tool for analyzing sociological, anthropological, and historical patterns and trends prior to, during and after migration due to conflict. The collection offers new generations the opportunity to understand, interpret, and make history relevant through intimate recollections of Armenian culture told by those on the front lines of war and displacement. This collection serves to define, provoke, and reconstruct the Armenian culture, memory, and dialogue in the 21st century.
