Dr. Matthias Binder, a Protestant pastor and scholar who has conducted one of the most comprehensive research projects in recent years regarding the Seyfo Genocide, appeared recently on the Assyrian think tank Platform Turabdin to talk about his research.
Dr. Binder, who is a researcher at the Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany, presented his monumental two-volume, nearly 1,000-page habilitation thesis. A habilitation thesis refers to a major, original body of research written after earning a PhD and intended to demonstrate that the scholar is capable of conducting independent, high-level research and university-level teaching in a specific field.
A Lifework of Memory
Dr. Binder spent years analyzing approximately 300 sources originating from Assyrians of the Syriac Orthodox Church. The unique aspect of his work is its focus on theological coping in the face of horror. He explored not only what happened but how the survivors and their descendants used their faith to interpret the incomprehensible.
During the discussion, it was emphasized that the study goes far beyond a purely historical chronicle. Binder utilizes the term "post-genocide" to describe the fact that a genocide does not end with the final killings. Rather, it is an ongoing state that continues to shape the identity, politics, and social fabric of descendants to this day.
A central point of the conversation was the distinction between individual, social, and cultural trauma. While not every individual may be psychologically traumatized, the entire people are culturally marked by displacement (diaspora) and the loss of their homeland. According to Binder, a "shared narrative" of trauma is necessary to communicate their history to the rest of the world.
Interestingly, the study identifies a significant shift in religious interpretation over time. Binder distinguishes between what he calls early interpretations and modern perspectives. In early interpretations, immediate eyewitness accounts (Mimre), one often finds motifs of the imitation of Christ and martyrdom. God was perceived as just, and suffering was sometimes interpreted as a trial or even a punishment for sins. In the modern perspectives, the motif of "divine punishment" has almost completely disappeared. Instead, faith serves as a source of strength for preserving identity and the struggle for recognition.
From Silence to Political Activism
The interview also sheds light on the phases of silence. For a long time, survivors in Turkey remained silent out of fear or as a protective strategy for their children. It was only in the diaspora, particularly starting in the 1980s and intensifying around the year 2000, that a process of written documentation and political engagement began. Oral history evolved into films, novels, and academic research.
Dr. Binder’s work was honored during the session as a "huge treasure" that places the voices of those affected at the center of the narrative. As Binder remarked in his closing statements, the history of Seyfo must not simply end up in a "museum" but must be understood as a living part of Assyrian identity.
The interview, conducted in German by the moderator Abdulmesih BarAbraham, can be watched here:
