Confronting Genocide Denial

About This Lesson

In the previous lesson, students examined the purpose and meaning of achieving justice in the aftermath of the Holocaust. This lesson continues students’ exploration of the legacies of genocide by examining the phenomenon of genocide denial. Through an examination of the Turkish government’s official policy of denial of the Armenian Genocide, students will examine the consequences of denial, both for those directly impacted by the genocide and the wider public. They will explore how Los Angeles–area descendants of survivors of the Armenian Genocide have responded to efforts to suppress and deny this history by creating public art commemorating the genocide. Finally, students will consider how public art can serve as a tool to educate the public as they envision the creation of a mural documenting a historical event or injustice in their own community. While this lesson focuses on denial of the Armenian Genocide, denial of the Holocaust is also a phenomenon worthy of exploring with your students. See the Notes to Teacher section for suggestions and resources for addressing Holocaust denial.

Essential Question

How can learning about the choices people made during past episodes of injustice, mass violence, or genocide help guide our choices today?

Guiding Questions

• What are the consequences of genocide denial?
• How can public works of art commemorate difficult histories and be used as a form of civic and community participation?

Learning Objectives

Students will explore some of the causes and consequences of denying the Armenian Genocide and reflect on the role of public art to commemorate difficult histories.

Lesson Plan

Activity 1: Reflect On the Personal Impact of Denial

Ask students to privately journal a response to the following prompts. Explain to them that they will not share their answers with the class:

• Think of a time when someone wronged you and denied it. How did you feel?
• How does someone denying that they perpetrated an injustice impact the target of that injustice?

Activity 2: Explore the Consequences of Denial

Tell students that in class, they will be deepening their study of the aftermath and legacies of genocide by returning to the Armenian Genocide, which they learned about at the beginning of the unit. In today’s class, they will be examining why it is important to keep the historical memory of the Armenian Genocide alive and the consequences, for individuals and for society, of denying that it happened.

Play a clip from the video The Armenian Genocide (37:19–42:26), which explores some of the causes and consequences of the Turkish government’s policy of official denial of the genocide. Before students watch the clip, have them preview the following questions and take notes as they watch that will help them answer:

• How do Turkish officials explain their position on the Armenian Genocide? What do they think happened in 1914–1915?
• According to scholars in the film, what motivates people to deny that the Armenian Genocide took place?
• What actions has Turkey taken to deny that the Armenian Genocide took place?
• What makes denial possible?
• What factors might make people willing to deny (or unwilling to challenge others’ denial of) a genocide for which there is overwhelming evidence?

Ask volunteers to share their responses and clarify any misunderstandings with students.

Activity 3: Discuss the Role of Art as a Force against Denial and Forgetting

First, pass out and read aloud Confronting Denial of the Armenian Genocide through Art, which discusses how Los Angeles–area artists have used their art to foster public awareness of the Armenian Genocide, in direct contradiction of the Turkish government’s official policy of denial.

Then, in small groups or as a class, discuss the following questions:

• The creator of the Los Angeles murals, Arutyun Gozukuchikyan, describes his role as “documenting” and “painting history.” How can art provide a window into the history of the Armenian Genocide that traditional historical accounts cannot?
• How does the Turkish government’s official policy of denial shape how these artists view the purpose and urgency of their art?
• How can commemorating the Armenian Genocide through art function as a form of protest and civic participation?

Activity 4: Visualize a Mural for Your Community

Ask students to respond to the following prompts in their journals.

• If you were designing a mural that educates your community about a historical event or injustice, which would you choose as your focus?
• What designs or illustrations might you choose, and where would you place the mural?
• How would your mural serve as both a memorial and a tool to educate community members and visitors and spark important conversations?