Reconnecting to the Past: Memory, Material Culture, and Armenian Diasporic Identity

This paper examines Armenian identity formation and intergenerational trauma through the experiences of second- and third-generation descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors. Focusing on moments of reconnection prompted by family artifacts, memoirs, and recovered histories, the paper explores how these descendants reengage with Armenian identity across time and place. From Armenian American soldiers who participated in the liberation of Nazi concentration camps during World War II to contemporary teachers and physicians in central New Jersey who unexpectedly encounter a grandparent’s passport or walking stick preserved since 1915, these encounters catalyze renewed understandings of history, family, and self. By tracing these acts of rediscovery, the paper argues that material objects and personal narratives serve as powerful mediators of memory, enabling descendants to reconstruct identity in the aftermath of collective trauma.