Memory studies scholars take on ‘Violence and Repair’ in summit hosted by UCLA
Jennifer Noji/UCLA
The three-day conference featured talks by doctoral students from the U.S., Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South America.
| July 26, 2024
Memory studies, by definition, requires scholars to engage in dialogue with the past. But research in the field also sheds light on important contemporary issues. Case in point: a three-day conference at UCLA this month at which scholars presented their research on political violence.
The event, titled “Violence and Repair,” featured talks by doctoral students from the U.S., Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South America along with responses and keynote lectures by senior scholars. And while the presentations covered a historically and geographically broad range of violent conflicts and their aftermath, the event as a whole pushed participants to consider how their work in memory studies might inform — or be informed by — current concerns and contemporary activist movements.
At one session, activists Kristin Nimmers and Miya Iwataki spoke about their work advocating for reparations for Black Americans and Japanese Americans, respectively.
“That discussion helped answer the question, ‘What can scholars do right now in the face of political violence?’” said Jennifer Noji, a UCLA doctoral candidate in comparative literature and a co-organizer of the conference. “In part, it’s simply doing our research. If we can better understand the historical context that leads to violence, we can also propose what kinds of repair and remedies could begin to address that violence.”
UCLA doctoral candidate Jennifer Noji (left) with panelists Kristin Nimmers and Miya Iawataki.
Noji said a screening of “Aşît (The Avalanche),” a documentary by filmmaker Pınar Öğrenci about the legacies of the Armenian genocide, reminded participants that collaborations with artists, storytellers and filmmakers could help bring wider attention to their work.
“Öğrenci is a great example of someone who did extensive research about political violence and then turned that research into creative, artistic work that is more shareable with the public,” Noji said. “That type of work brings things full-circle: It connects scholars with artists, which can help equip activists with the knowledge they need.”
The event was the 12th annual summer program in a series organized by Mnemonics: Network for Memory Studies, an international consortium in which UCLA is a partner; this was the first to be hosted by UCLA. Michael Rothberg, UCLA’s 1939 Society Samuel Goetz Professor of Holocaust Studies and a professor of comparative literature and English, is a longtime member of the Mnemonics network and was instrumental in bringing the 2024 program to campus.
In addition to Noji and Rothberg, co-organizers were UCLA doctoral students Sharon Zelnick (comparative literature), Yair Agmon (information studies) and Rebecca Chhay (English). Logistical support was provided by the staff of the UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies.
Related news: Exploring the fraught nature of memory and comparison (Sept. 2023)