Kipper Bromia, a junior majoring in Sociology, and George Dalbo, Assistant Professor of Education and Youth Studies, explored this question in a collaborative summer research project. The initiative stemmed from Dalbo’s Spring 2025 course, Sociology of Mass Violence, in which students—Kipper among them—examined the Armenian Genocide (1915–1923), its long legacy of state-sponsored denial and distortion by the Turkish government, and its representation in popular culture and school curricula.

Turkey, the successor state to the Ottoman Empire, has continued to deny the genocide perpetrated by the Ottomans against Armenians during World War I.

“My research explores narratives of genocide in curricula and classrooms,” said Dalbo. “I’ve long been interested in how the Armenian Genocide is taught, especially given that Wisconsin is home to the second-oldest Armenian community in the United States.”

The project began with a series of interviews with experts in genocide education, Armenian history, and Turkish politics. Through these conversations and additional research, Bromia and Dalbo gained a deeper understanding of the widespread denial and distortion surrounding the Armenian Genocide, the harm this continues to cause in Armenia and the Armenian diaspora, and the growing influence of Neo-Ottomanism, a political ideology rooted in nostalgia for the Ottoman Empire.

Neo-Ottomanism promotes the idea of a diverse and tolerant Ottoman past, often downplaying or omitting the ethnic and religious violence that marked the empire’s history—especially the Armenian Genocide. When left unchallenged, this narrative distorts public understanding and contributes to ongoing historical erasure.

Bromia and Dalbo then analyzed how the Armenian Genocide is portrayed in high school curricula and on social media, especially in educational content. They found that Neo-Ottoman and nostalgic narratives frequently appear in both formal world history materials and popular discourse.

Their findings were shared in a co-authored blog post for The Society Pages, a student-run sociology blog at the University of Minnesota. The post resonated widely and was reprinted in two Armenian American newspapers: Asbarez and The California Courier, as well as by the Armenian Genocide Museum of Canada.

“It was amazing to see this piece garner so much attention,” said Dalbo.

Inspired by this work, Bromia developed their own research questions, shifting focus to how Armenians have preserved their culture in the face of genocide, denial, and distortion.

“This work gave me a deeper understanding of the Armenian people—not just historically, but also those living today,” Bromia said. “I wanted to better understand their experiences.”

Bromia conducted interviews with Armenian community leaders, including an artist, a priest, and a social activist. They are now curating a digital exhibition to showcase this research.

“I love interviewing as a form of research because it allows me to build connections with people,” said Bromia.

Drawing on their findings, Bromia and Dalbo also co-authored a high school lesson plan to help Wisconsin educators teach about the Armenian Genocide, the politics of denial and distortion, and Armenian cultural resilience. The lesson plan is available statewide through the Department of Public Instruction’s WISElearn portal.

“This type of hands-on, student-faculty collaborative research project is part of what defines the Beloit College experience,” said Dalbo.

What began as a summer project has evolved into a long-term academic endeavor. Bromia and Dalbo are currently co-writing an academic article and plan to present their research at the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies’ annual conference in Spring 2026.