The Oral History Project, which is run by Hrant Dink Foundation with the contribution of Olof Palme Center since 2011, has been concluded for this year. The focus of this year was on Ankara’s Armenians living in Turkey and abroad. The aim of the study was to trace the political and cultural memory that the Armenians of Turkey and Diaspora carry, to reveal the continuum of cultural existence, to find out how people who belong to the Armenian identity and identify themselves as Armenians perceive the “Other” and thus to reflect their “reality” with its political, cultural and historical aspects.

In order to reach that aim, in-depth-interviews with Ankara’s Armenians living in various cities of Turkey, France and Austria were conducted. Before these interviews started, the researchers went through an educational seminar on March 25, 2013. Within the seminar, Osman Köker presented a talk about Ankara and Ankara’s Armenians, Prof. Arzu Öztürkmen on the methodology and techniques of oral history and Ferda Balancar, the project coordinator, on the previous oral history studies of 2011 and 2012.

10 of 40 interviews, which were conducted under the supervision of the project coordinators Ferda Balancar and Emine Kolivar by 14 researchers, were compiled and published under the title “Sessizliğin Sesi III - Ankaralı Ermeniler Konuşuyor”. The book, which is edited by Ferda Balancar, includes a preface by Raymond Kevorkian on Ankara and Ankara’s Armenians and concluding remarks by Özgür Bal.

The book was launched on December 30, 2013 at Cezayir Restoran. After a brief presentation about the project and the publishing process by Ferda Balancar, questions from the press members were answered.