Many mass atrocities took place at the beginning of the 20th century, and more accurately during WWI in the Middle East. However, the study of these facts remains, perforce, sketchy and cannot take into account every single aspect of the issues raised. The study of these facts remains very difficult, and most historians have shied away from including these topics in their historical analysis given partly the dearth of reliable sources. The unavailability of their archives forces sometimes students and scholars to get into the realms of pure speculation, unless a certain reliable archive is found elsewhere. This project aims to shed the light on the Jesuit archives at the Jesuit University in Beirut. This archive includes: mémoires, diaries, letters, documents etc. These documents elaborate different aspects of the people’s daily lives during a severe period of starvation that took place during WWI, particularly between 1915 and 1918. Some of these documents include the diary of the Jesuit monk Louis Chaikho who spent the war years in Beirut, trying to protect the library and archives of the Jesuit order from Ottoman confiscation.
The event will feature three talks and a small exhibit throughout the years of WWI that highlights some of the collections of the Jesuit archive. The exhibit is held from April 1 to April 30 at the Main Library (3rd floor).