Albert Aghazarian
Albert Aghazarian(18 August 1950 – 2020) was aPalestinianhistorian, translator, university administrator, and political spokesperson fromJerusalem.He served in various capacities during his career, but he is most remembered for his role in the public relations office atBir Zeit Universityin the 1980s–1990s and for serving as a press official during the1991 Madrid Conference.He made numerous media and conference appearances during his career and worked as a historian, writer, editor, and translator throughout his life, with a special focus on the history of Jerusalem.[1][2][3]
Early life and education
[edit]Albert was born on 18 August 1950, in Jerusalem, the youngest of six children.[4][5]His family is part of theArmenianandOrthodox Christiancommunity of Jerusalem.[6]His grandparents were survivors and refugees of theArmenian genocide.His parents were Elise Tach gian, a seamstress, and Areen Aghazarian, a restauranteur and grocery shop manager.[5][2]
Albert studied at theCollège des Frèresin Jerusalem. He grew up speakingArmenianandTurkish,learningArabicas a second language as well asEnglishandFrench.He worked part-time jobs during his youth, including at a newspaper and bank and also in Jerusalem's tourism sector.[5]
For his higher education, he first studied atBirzeit College,from 1968 to 1970. During that time he was involved in student activism, including going onhunger strikein solidarity withpolitical prisonersin Israeli jails. This resulted in his hospitalization.[5]After earning hisassociate degree,he went on to study for hisB.A.inpolitical scienceat theAmerican University of Beirut,completing those studies in 1972.
He later graduated in the inaugural class of theMaster of ArtsinArab Studiesprogram atGeorgetown Universityin 1979.[3][5]While studying in D.C., he also worked at theUnited Arab Emiratesembassy as a translator.[5]
Career
[edit]Early period
[edit]In between his bachelor's and master's degrees, Aghazarian worked as an editor of the newspaperal-Quds,from 1973 to 1975.[5]
Following completion of his graduate degree at Georgetown in 1979, he taught history and cultural studies atBir Zeit University.[7][5]He also served as the university's Director of Public Relations. During a difficult period for Palestinian education, especially in the 1980s, the university was subject to military-ordered closures and violent responses to student protests, and Aghazarian was "at the center of this whirlwind."[8]He is remembered in particular for having "plunged into the fight to develop the university—and to keep it open."[8]In his public relations role, during this time, he coordinated solidarity committees with educational institutions in other countries, held press conferences, and met with various officials, including Israeli military officials, among other responsibilities.[9]
Aghazarian was well known as a historian of Jerusalem and for giving tours of theOld City of Jerusalemto visiting foreign dignitaries, artists, and academics, even bringing them into his private home.[10][11][7]He was a published writer and translator, too, contributing to such publications asJerusalem Quarterly.[12]He was part of a group of scholars which founded the Arab Thought Forum (al-Multaqa al-Fikri), serving on the forum's advisory board, and he also served on the board ofDar Al-Kalima University.[5][12]
During theMadrid Peace Conference,Aghazarian headed the Palestinian media center along with fellow Bir Zeit scholarHanan Ashrawi.[4][3][9]
Later period
[edit]Aghazarian left his position at Bir Zeit in the early 2000s, due to differences with the administration.[clarification needed]His departure came also in the wake of an injury from tear gas that he sustained during student demonstrations during theSecond Intifada.[5]
During his later life, Aghazarian worked as a translator and was invited to speak at numerous international events and conferences. He continued to appear internationally as a spokepersson for the Palestinian cause, including in forums organized by theUnited Nations,theWorld Council of Churches,and other global institutions. In 2002, he served in a formal capacity in a delegation in Amman to theConference on Christians of Jerusalem,and in 2000 he participated in the Conference on Jerusalem inMorocco.[5]
Views on social issues
[edit]Aghazarian identified strongly as Palestinian.[13]He believed in "thepluralismof theLevant"and an inclusive vision ofArabismthat did not prevent an Armenian Christian like himself from participating "in an Arab-Islamic framework."[13]
He lamented and resisted the "criminalization" of education underIsraeli occupation.[9]When meeting with Israeli defense officials during years of repeated closures of Bir Zeit, he is recorded as having said:
"You treat universities like shops, but education is an ongoing process. We have academic papers, scholarships, and international accords to deal with, yet all you do is open, close, open and close the place again!"[9]
Awards
[edit]In 2006, Aghazarian was awarded a medal byKing Albert IIofBelgiumfor his role in raising global awareness about Jerusalem.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Mattar, Philip (2005).Encyclopedia of the Palestinians.Infobase Publishing.ISBN978-0-8160-6986-6.
- ^ab""My Pulse Beats with the City": Remembering Albert Aghazarian (1950–2020) ".Institute for Palestine Studies.Retrieved2023-11-28.
- ^abc"CCAS mourns the loss of Albert Aghazarian".Center for Contemporary Arab Studies.2020-02-03.Retrieved2023-11-28.
- ^abMattar, Philip (2005).Encyclopedia of the Palestinians.Infobase Publishing. p. 16.ISBN978-0-8160-6986-6.
- ^abcdefghijkl"Albert Aghazarian".jerusalemstory.2021-09-14.Retrieved2023-11-28.
- ^Morgan, Timothy C. (20 May 1996)."Jerusalem's Living Stones".Christianity Today.Retrieved30 January2024.
- ^ab"Albert Aghazarian | C-SPAN.org".c-span.org.Retrieved2023-11-28.
- ^ab""My Pulse Beats with the City": Remembering Albert Aghazarian (1950–2020) ".Institute for Palestine Studies.Retrieved2023-11-28.
- ^abcdBaramki, Gabi.Peaceful Resistance: Building a Palestinian University Under Occupation,Pluto Press,2009, pp. 88, 140, 181.
- ^Johnson, Marilyn. "Growing Up In Jerusalem: City of Mirrors,"Middle East Report182 (May/June 1993).
- ^"In Memory of Albert Aghazarian: The Alleys of Jerusalem Will Miss You".Institute for Palestine Studies.Retrieved2023-11-28.
- ^ab"Killing It With Their Love."Jerusalem Quarterly81 (Spring 2020), page 6.
- ^ab""My Pulse Beats with the City": Remembering Albert Aghazarian (1950–2020) ".Institute for Palestine Studies.Retrieved2023-11-28.