May 8, 2026 (Tempe, AZ): The Zoryan Institute participated for the fourth consecutive year in the Rosenbluth Family Charitable Foundation Genocide Awareness Week (GAW) at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, Arizona. The theme of the 2026 conference was authoritarianism and the global retreat from democracy and its connections with historic and contemporary cases of genocide.

(Left) Professor Timothy Langille of Arizona State University. (Right) Deputy Executive Director of the Zoryan Institute, Megan Reid.

Throughout the week, several of the Institute’s affiliated scholars contributed to lectures and panels examining the evolving challenges of genocide teaching, prevention and accountability.  A pivotal session of the week was a closed-door Student and Scholar session organized by the Zoryan Institute, which was designed to provide an open environment for ASU students and faculty to speak freely about genocide and some of the hurdles that they are facing in learning about genocide in today’s current geopolitical climate.

This session, led by Dr. Alex Alvarez, Dr. Henry Theriault, and Dr. Amy Sodaro, co-editors of Zoryan Institute’s peer-reviewed journal, Genocide Studies International, was designed to question the forces and factors that often impose silence on academic voices, preventing them from discussing contemporary cases of genocide today and the failure of international law to hold perpetrators accountable.

(Left to right) Prof. Henry Theriault, Prof. Amy Sodaro, Prof. Alex Alvarez, Deputy Executive Director, Megan Reid, pictured at the Zoryan Student-Scholar Session at GAW 2026. Watch Prof. Theriault and Prof. Sodaro’s separate session at GAW here. 

The session reinforced the critical need for comparative genocide studies as an independent field of study and the important role of independent research institutions, like the Zoryan Institute. The Institute remains committed to framing all cases of genocide within a universal perspective, recognizing the distinct historical and cultural particularities of each case, while situating them within the broader continuum of genocidal phenomena, in keeping with the foundational vision of Raphael Lemkin. In a time when education has itself become a frontline and a contested space as a result of regional wars and genocide, independent institutions dedicated to comparative genocide studies are needed to continue advancing truth, fostering critical inquiry, and academic freedom for dialogue and learning.

(Left) Prof. Alex Alvarez, Academic Vice Chair of the Zoryan Institute. Link to watch the session here. (Right) Prof. Jim Waller, GHRUP Faculty Member. Link to watch the session here.

(Left) Prof. Maureen Hiebert, Academic Chair of the Zoryan Institute. Link to watch the session here. (Right) Prof. Bedross Der Matossian, Academic Board Member of the Zoryan Institute. Link to watch the session here. 

We need support from individuals, organizations and partnerships with foundations like the Rosenbluth Family Charitable Foundation, which believes in the value of independent genocide research and education, especially when human rights are under attack worldwide. To learn more about how you can give today, visit www.zoryaninstitute.org/donate.