Abstract:

The purpose of this study is to reveal the attitudes and behavior of Armenians during the invasions, and the consequences of these attitudes and behavior in the context of “Aintab’s Struggle of Existence”, a book written by Asadur Khederian, who spent most of his life in Gaziantep. Khederian was born in Kayseri in 1893. He used the pen name, “A. Gesar”, in his works. He lived in the USA for quite some time, and was the editor of an Armenian newspaper during the short period of time that he resided in California. He translated the English works of some Armenian writers into Armenian. As well as working for the Armenian newspaper, Hayrenik, Khederian also compiled a book in 1953 of the memoirs of Misak Torlakian, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation who is considered to be a prominent figure in Armenian national history. In his book titled “Aintab’s Struggle of Existence”, Khederian, who passed away in 1955, explained the events that took place between April 1920 and December 1921 from his own point of view as someone who was in the Armenian defensive line. As stated by those who translated the book into Turkish, comparisons are obviously important for scientific purposes so that different and alternative points of view can be appreciated. However, while memoirs are quite useful in analyzing historical events, they are also a type of source material that must be treated in caution. For this reason, events must be relayed not only through personal points of view, but also through official documents. While it is helpful to hear from active participants of the events, the information they provide must certainly be compared to documents and official records. It is to be expected in memoirs that there will be a significant level of nationalism in the language that is used and in the emotional perspectives that are portrayed by both sides. As also highlighted by the translators, what is important is to capture the truth by answering the question of “how” the events of the same date which took place in the same location and perpetrated by the same individuals are told.

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