German-American philosopher Herbert Marcuse argued that advanced industrial societies neutralize radical opposition by absorbing it into the commodity system. Dissent becomes a product, rebellion becomes a lifestyle to be marketed and sold, and thus, the revolutionary charge is defused. This article attempts to address the paradox of small-scale revolutionary-flag manufacturing within a commodity system that disarms revolutionary dissent. In One-Dimensional Man, Marcuse argu

YEREVAN—Vexillologist Leo Torosian and producer and creator of the Uncovering Roots podcast, Maxim Saakyan, recently gained rare access to the archives of the ARF History Museum in Yerevan, uncovering revolutionary flags never before seen by the public. Guided by museum staff member Aghvan Papyan, the pair...

This week, I made the acquisition of this pre-1918 postcard, made in Richmond, Virginia, depicting an Armenian man seated in front of three flags. One of the flags appears to be a never-before photographed seven-starred variant of the Armenian flag. An initial analysis of this photograph reveals more details: On the right is an American 48-star flag, used in the United States between 1912 and 1959, and pictured in many Armenian Diaspora photographs from that era. Displayin

Armenia's anthem is fundamentally Armenian, and is intertwined with the nation's complex path towards statehood

In 1903, Armenian fedayis, led by then fedayi Andranik, demanded Ottoman reforms to end the harassment of Armenian villagers. In 1904, the Sublime Porte launched a new large-scale armed attack on the village of Sasun in the Mush region with 10,000 Turkish and 5,000 Kurdish troops. The self-defense battles were led by Hrayr, Andranik, Gevorg Chavush, Murad of Sebastia and others. Despite the eventual defeat of the fedayis, the population of Sasun refused the request of the Tur

What the funeral of an unknown freedom fighter during the Constitutional Revolution in Iran tells us about honor in troubled times An...

Previously Unseen Fedayi Photographs from 1904