Enthusiastic Response to Dr. Sebouh Aslanian's Sept. 14 Lecture at Harvard

On September 14, Dr. Sebouh D. Aslanian, the newly-appointed Richard Hovannisian Term Chair of Modern Armenian History, established by the Armenian Educational Foundation at UCLA, spoke at Harvard University's Center for Government and International Studies on "From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean: The Global Trade Networks of Armenian Merchants from New Julfa." The lecture was co-sponsored by the Mashtots Chair in Armenian Studies at Harvard University, the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard, the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard, the Harvard Armenian Society, the Zoryan Institute for Contemporary Armenian Research and Documentation, and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR).

Dr. Sebouh Aslanian (left) with Prof. James R. Russell of Harvard University
We are pleased to provide links below to coverage in the Armenian Mirror-Spectator and Armenian Weekly of this important lecture and two recent reviews of the book, which is available from NAASR's bookstore.
Following the Remarkable Footsteps of Our Merchant Ancestors
by Nareg Seferian, Armenian Weekly, Sept. 28, 2011
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (A.W.)-Sebouh Aslanian, the recently appointed assistant professor and Richard Hovannisian Term Chair in modern Armenian history at UCLA, lectured at Harvard on Sept. 14 on the fascinating story of the Armenian merchants of New Julfa (Nor Jugha). Stretching across the Mediterranean, down through the Indian Ocean and all the way to the Pacific, encompassing the Middle East, the Russian Empire, India and Tibet, and the Far East, the Julfa Armenians commanded a vast and active network of trade in early modern times. Continue reading...

A Fresh Look at the Role of New Julfa
by Alin Gregorian, Armenian Mirror-Spectator, Sept. 22, 2011

Dr. Sebouh D. Aslanian, on Wednesday, September 14, brought the Armenians of New Julfa in Iran to life during a talk at Harvard University that was crammed with facts, but witty and fast-paced. He turned what could be a history lesson into a bird's-eye-view of the small- tet-plucky community which has left its mark around the world.
Continue reading...

Reviews of From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean
Sebouh D. Aslanian: From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean: The Global Trade Networks of Armenian Merchants from New Julfa
by George Bournoutian, Aug. 9, 2011, for
Ararat Magazine
Once in a great while, one is privileged to review an outstanding scholarly work, which not only surpasses all previous research on the subject, but also brings forth a completely new interpretation.
Continue reading...
Study of Armenian Trade Routes Portrays Enterprising, Cosmopolitan Community
by Daphne Abeel, Sept. 29, 2011, for the Armenian Mirror-Spectator
Between the late 16th century and the last half of the 18th century, a group of enterprising and cosmopolitan Armenian merchants, based first in Old Julfa, Nakhijevan, and then in New Julfa, Persia, became internationally-renowned sellers of Iranian silk. Their highly-organized networks reached from Mughal India eventually to London, with important centers in the Mediterranean, the Philippines and Europe. Sebouh David Aslanian, who holds the Richard Hovannisian Chair at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), has produced an extensively-researched study of these entrepreneurs that is both scholarly and interesting to read.
Continue reading...
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