Armenian genocide, Ottoman Empire[edit source | edit]
The Armenian genocide began in 1915 when the Turkish government planned to wipe out Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. About 2 million Armenians were killed and many more were removed from the country by force. [6]
Demographic effects[edit source | edit]
During the Armenian genocide, at least 60,000 youth were transferred to many different places. The biggest demographic shift seen is the amount of children that were internally displaced within the Ottoman Empire. Children were taken from their homes and transferred to poorly supplied camps where they would then be sold. Some children were sold to central Anatolia to wealthy households for education and assimilation into the Turkish culture. Others were sold to Muslim villagers who would then receive a stipend each month
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Narratives of the stories of the genocide are passed down from generation to generation in order for the story to continue to live on and so that the children of future generations can find their sense of ethnic identity through it. There are many different aspects of life in which children begin to form their identity, and in the Armenian culture, it is important for these children to find theirs in the Armenian culture. Though the events of the Armenian genocide are historical facts, the stories from it are used as a cultural artifact in the lives of Armenian children. They grow up with this strong sense of belonging to this culture due to these stories of suffering and use them as a uniting force. [8] They are united into this ethnic community, the Armenian diaspora. Whether they are Armenian-Americans or still living in Russia, they are part of this Armenian diaspora. [9] The desire for the future generations to actively be part of this Armenian diaspora stems from the primary generation and their experiences with the cultural genocide.