" O why so eloquently speaks the maiden silence"

Abstract

This thesis explores how the Armenian Genocide affected and changed Armenian womens’ roles in post-Ottoman society and how the national rebuilding project relied upon women in both traditional and "modern" positions; specifically, their roles as mothers, educators, nurses, workers, patriots, as well as addresses the fluidity of identity and belonging in post-genocide Armenian society. Based on their experiences during the Armenian Genocide, women received different treatment from the larger Armenian society, and had different, sometimes contradictory roles prescribed to them. Women’s different treatment based on their genocide experiences highlight the complexities, challenges, and contradictions of the Armenian national rebuilding project, as well as the centrality of gender in this project and Armenian society as a whole.