<p>The purpose of this essay is to examine and compare narrations by five witnesses, who has written about atrocities against Christians from 1915 to 1919 in what is today south-eastern Turkey, but what was then the Ottoman Empire. I have focused on how the roles of perpetrators, victims, spectators and protectors are featured in the witness narrations. Four questions were posed in the study: Who are portrayed as perpetrators, victims, bystanders and protectors in the various witness narrations? How are these roles expressed in the witness narrations? What differences can be found among the five selected witness narrations from Mardin and Urfa, 1915-1919? What are the explanations of the differences in the witness narrations? The method I have used has been an analysis in which I compare how the different narrations capture the events of 1915-1919. I have used three factors to look at the explanations why there may be differences in the witness narrations. The three factors are nationality, position, and religious affiliation. In the comparison and the results of the witness narrations, I have found that the three factors affect the way the authors write about the events and that these factors help to explain the differences in the witness narrations. These factors are a part of the authors’ respective worldviews. Also, local differences, power constellations, and political factors meant that witness narrations differed.</p>

The purpose of this essay is to examine and compare narrations by five witnesses, who has written about atrocities against Christians from 1915 to 1919 in what is today south-eastern Turkey, but what was then the Ottoman Empire. I have focused on how the roles of perpetrators, victims, spectators and protectors are featured in the witness narrations. Four questions were posed in the study: Who are portrayed as perpetrators, victims, bystanders and protectors in the various witness narrations? How are these roles expressed in the witness narrations? What differences can be found among the five selected witness narrations from Mardin and Urfa, 1915-1919? What are the explanations of the differences in the witness narrations? The method I have used has been an analysis in which I compare how the different narrations capture the events of 1915-1919. I have used three factors to look at the explanations why there may be differences in the witness narrations. The three factors are nationality, position, and religious affiliation. In the comparison and the results of the witness narrations, I have found that the three factors affect the way the authors write about the events and that these factors help to explain the differences in the witness narrations. These factors are a part of the authors’ respective worldviews. Also, local differences, power constellations, and political factors meant that witness narrations differed.

Cette thèse se propose d'analyser les événements internes à l'Empire ottoman envers les Arméniens de 1894 jusqu'en 1914 aux yeux de l'opinion publique française à travers les sources journalistiques françaises. De 1894, début des massacres des Arméniens jusqu'à la prise de pouvoir des Jeunes-Turcs (1908), comment les années d'Abdul-Hamid II envers la population arménienne furent-ils perçus et quelle fut la vision du gouvernement unioniste (1908-1914) face aux Arméniens ? Voilà un aperçu des principales problématiques qui sera abordé à travers notre étude. / This thesis aims to analyze the internal events in the Ottoman Empire against Armenians from 1894 until 1914 in the eyes of the French public through the French journalists' sources. 1894 start of the massacres of Armenians to the takeover of the Young Turks (1908), how the years of Abdul Hamid II to the Armenian population were they received and what was the vision of the Union government (1908 -1914) against the Armenians? This is an overview of the main issues that will be addressed through the study.