Reclaiming Lost Pasts - The Assyrian Community in Modern Times

Winter 2026 Modern Assyrian Studies Virtual Lecture Series

January 14, 2026

6pm

“The History Of The Church Of The East In Medieval Arabic Sources: An Interpretation In the Light Of Modern Scholarship”

with

Sofia Melikyan

Sofia Melikyan (née Moiseeva) graduated from St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University for the Humanities in Moscow. Her PhD dissertation (2012, Moscow State University) “Arabic Melkite Hagiography of the 9th–11thCenturies: Its Genre and Style Characteristics” was published as a monograph in Russian in 2015. In 2007-2022, before moving to the U. S., she taught different courses on Christian Arabic literature at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University in Moscow. Since 2006 till now she participates in a multivolume project called “Orthodox Encyclopedia”, where she authored and co-authored more than 100 entries on Eastern Christianity, among them an overview of the Medieval literature of the Church of the East (published in 2025). She translated a number of hagiographical and poetical texts from Arabic and Ancient Greek into Russian and published several articles (both in Russian and English) on Christian Arabic hagiography, Bible exegesis, and consolation literature. Her most recent article published by Brill is focused on strategies of hidden polemics and dialogue with Islam in medieval Christian Arabic literature.

Hosted by Professor Erin Walsh

January 21, 2026

6pm

“Identity And Resilience: Understanding the Assyrian Community in Armenia Today”

with

Anzhela Mnatsakanyan

Dr. Anzhela Mnatsakanyan holds a PhD in Political Science and is an independent political researcher and humanitarian worker specializing in international relations, energy policy, and military policy.

Hosted by Professor Erin Walsh

The series is made possible through a generous donation from The Assyrian Universal Alliance Foundation (AUAF), Dr. John Michael, Dr. Ronald Michael, Dr. Edison Ishaya, Dr. Mark Mkrdichian, Mr. Robert Dekelaita, and Dr. Ebby Paul Jiddo.