"Verbal Histories" and the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation
For the past six months, the dvv international (Germany's Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association) has been jointly implementing a project with the Yerevan branch to promote the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation.
The project is funded by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The main Turkish partner in the project is the Anadolu Kültür non-governmental organization involved in the spheres of art and culture, while the Armeverbalnian "Hazarashen" center for genealogical investigations is the partner from Armenia.
The goal of this new project is to create bridges between Turkish and Armenian societies by educating adults, interchanging cultures and studying on verbal histories. "Verbal history" is a method of investigation which has gained popularity recently in Armenia and Turkey and is based on people's real-life experience and memories.
The first working meeting of the project was held in Istanbul and was followed by the student camp in Dilijan and studies through the method of "verbal histories" in Armenia and Turkey.
Students from both countries were introduced to the method of "verbal histories" and gained experience in applying the method through interviews conducted with families living in Dilijan.
The course and the study were headed by Professor Leyla Neyzi (Sabanchi University of Istanbul) and Professor Hranush Kharatyan-Arakelyan (Institute of Archeology and Ethnography at the RA National Academy of Sciences).
The study groups have been conducting "verbal histories" interviews with people from different generations, histories and regions since October 2009.
The study led to the publication of a book that represents the real-life stories based on memories transmitted from generation to generation of people.
