Lecture by Fr. Dr. Sharbel Iskandar Bcheiry, Metadata Editor at Atla

Throughout history, Syriacs kept their own baptismal, marriage, funeral, and other records, but not all these have survived. Many Syriac archives, registers and records can be found in various libraries, churches, and monasteries in the West and East, with a large concentration in Mardin, which was once the spiritual headquarters of the Syriac Orthodox Church and their patriarchate. These records relate to ecclesiastic aspects which include vital records such as: birth, baptism, marriage, and death records. In addition to such records, there are biographies of clergies, saints, notables, writers, and copyists. Furthermore, the lists of ecclesiastic ordinations such as deacons, monks, nuns, priests, bishops, and patriarchs are included. The last major category in these archives is documents relating to endowments and donations also a large collection of correspondences between the ecclesiastic leadership and lay people. In my presentation, I would like to shed some lights on these records and archives and their importance for the social, religious, and cultural studies in relation to the history of Syriac Christianity.

Fr. Dr. Sharbel Iskandar Bcheiry, Metadata Editor at Atla, holds a Ph.D. in Church History from the Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome, and another Ph.D. in World Christianity and Global Missions-Christian-Muslim Studies from the Lutheran School of Theology-Chicago. Fr. Dr. Bcheiry has published a collection of books such as: An Early Christian reaction to Islam: Išū‘yhab III and the Muslim Arabs (Piscataway, N.J: Gorgias Press, 2019); Hagiography, History, and Manuscript Culture: Studies in Syriac Christianity (Kaslik: Lebanon, 2018); Collection of Historical Documents in Relation with the Syriac Orthodox Community, in the Late Period of the Ottoman Empire (Piscataway, N.J: Gorgias Press, 2010). Also, Fr. Dr. Bcheiry published articles on the history of Syriac Christianity and cataloged several Syriac and Arabic manuscripts. He is also a Priest for the Syriac Orthodox Church and serves as a pastor of his community in Chicago since 2006.

Lecture by Dr. Sargon Donabed, Associate Professor of History at Roger Williams University and Co-Founder of Assyrian Studies Association

Dr. Sargon Donabed is an associate professor of history at Roger Williams University. He holds a PhD in Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations from the University of Toronto and a MSci from Canisius College in Anthrozoology/Animal Studies. 

Dr. Donabed is one of the foremost experts on the perennial history of Assyria-Mesopotamia and its heritage. His recent focus consists of indigenous and marginalized methodologies concerning the development of Assyrian Studies as an anti-orientalist and anti-colonialist field, as well as issues of cultural continuity. Currently, his studies in animal studies touch upon storytelling and folklore and issues of re-enchantment of reality through myth and panentheism. Sargon is also at present working on two major fantasy epics.

Dr. Donabed is also published in a variety of journals from Folklore to National Identities and Perspectives on History and is the author of Reforging a Forgotten History: Iraq and the Assyrians in the 20th Century (Edinburgh University Press, 2015) and co-editor and contributor to numerous works including The Assyrian Heritage: Threads of Continuity and Influence (Uppsala University, 2012) among others. Currently, he is under contract to write a comprehensive history entitled The Assyrians: A Cultural History from Empire to Endangered Existence (Cambridge University Press). He has been a visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School and Brown University and lectures in various universities around the world.

Lecture by Riva Gewarges, Ph.D. Candidate, Political Science, McMaster University

Riva Gewarges is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Political Science Department at McMaster University. She specializes in International Relations with a focus on Postcolonial theories and Indigenous politics. Her general research interests include International Relations theory, critical postcolonial and feminist theories, and Indigneity in the Middle East.

The Centre for Canadian-Assyrian Relations (CCAR), Bet Nahrain Assyrian Heritage Centre (BNAHC) and Assyrian Chaldean Syriac Student Union (ACSSU) welcomes you in joining us for the Canadian Premiere virtual screening of the ASSYRIA A.D. Movie on Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 7:00pm.

Screening only available to Canadian residents.

Admission fee is a $5 donation. All donations collected by CCAR will be made out to the film producers, Assyrian Cultural & Social Youth Association (ACSYA) http://acsya.org/.

You will receive a zoom link via email 24 hours prior to the screening. If you do not the receive the zoom link at that time, please email president@ccarofficial.ca

Registration is required and space is limited. This event will be held on Zoom. Should you have any questions, please contact us via email at president@ccarofficial.ca

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Event Highlights:

• Meet and hear from Dr. Naures Atto

• Participate in our live Q&A discussion

• All attendees will be entered for a chance to win a copy of Let Them Not Return

This event is presented in partnership

with the Assyrian Policy Institute

How can we answer the 'Assyrian Question'? Will Assyrians Build a Brighter Future? Calls for Assyrian self-reliance by Assyrian leaders are a hundred years old. Dr. Michael Youash discusses the failure to act and how to build a better future for Assyrians.

If you would like to run for a position, or submit a nomination, please click on the Nomination Form.