The Case of Adana: How Conspiracy Theories Destroy Communities

In April 1909, a powerful surge of violence shook the province of Adana, in the late Ottoman empire, killing 20,000 Armenians and 2000 Turks, over a few days. In observance of the United Nations Genocide Prevention Day, Dr. Bedross Der Matossian examines the historical, social and economic factors that contributed to this early case of mass violence in the 20th century.

Despite the significance of this event, the Adana Massacres remain a topic understudied in the field of Ottoman and Middle Eastern history. It is however a powerful example of how quickly a situation may get out of control and lead to cataclysmic waves of violence when public opinion and emotions are manipulated and misled, revealing the devastating effect of media weaponization and the spread of conspiracy theories.

Originally published December 2024.

About the speaker

Bedross Der Matossian

Bedross Der Matossian is the Vice-Chair, Professor of Modern Middle East History, and Hymen Rosenberg Professor in Judaic studies at the Department of History at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Born and raised in East Jerusalem, he is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and completed his PhD in Middle East History at Columbia University in 2008. He has taught at MIT and the University of Chicago. He is the author, editor, and co-editor of multiple books including the award-winning book Shattered Dreams of Revolution: From Liberty to Violence in the Late Ottoman Empire (Stanford University Press, 2014) and his latest book The Horrors of Adana: Revolution and Violence in the Early Twentierth Century (Stanford University Press, 2022).

Bedross Der Matossian