Humanism and Christian Mercy. History of German missions for Armenians in the Ottoman Empire 1896—1919
The author Hayk Martirosyan will present his book and Dr. Olaf Glöckner (Moses Mendelssohn Center Potsdam) will host the evening.
The newly published book “Humanism and Christian Mercy” by Hayk Martirosyan examines the activities of German Protestant and Catholic missions among Armenians in the Ottoman Empire between 1896 and 1919. For the first time, the history of all main stations, their areas of activity and the lives of missionaries as witnesses of mass violence against the Armenians is presented in detail. Purely confessional priorities initially took a back seat to help surviving Armenian orphans and widows, care for them and provide access to education. The German missions founded modern orphanages, schools, workshops and hospitals. From 1915, they were eyewitnesses of the Armenian Genocide. Despite the annihilation policy of the Ottoman Empire, an ally of the German Empire in the First World War, they largely succeeded in turning their mission stations into islands of humanism and salvation.
Dr. Hayk Martirosyan is a research assistant at the Lepsiushaus Potsdam. He studied Turcology and Oriental Studies at Yerevan State University and received his doctorate at the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia with a thesis on the activities of the German Aid Association for Armenia in the Ottoman Empire. His research focuses on the history of Christian missions and the history of missions in the Ottoman Empire, the biographies of missionaries working in the Ottoman Empire, the history of aid agencies and their rescue work for Armenians, and the genocide of the Armenians from 1915.
For more information and to order the title, visit the website of: Dunker & Humblot