It was with great sorrow that His Eminence, Archbishop Anoushavan, Prelate, and the Religious and Executive Councils of the Eastern Prelacy learned of the passing of Siobhan Nash-Marshall, a philosopher, educator, and advocate for the Armenian people and Artsakh, on December 12, 2024, in New York. She was 59.
A prolific author, she was a loyal friend of the Armenian nation, which also manifested itself in her close collaboration with renowned Armenian Italian writer Antonia Arslan, with whom she worked for 35 years. A polyglot, she had learned Armenian as well.
She was born in Munich, Germany on July 4, 1965. Ms. Nash-Marshall was a professor of philosophy at Manhattanville College and held the Mary T. Clark Chair of Christian Philosophy. Her academic career spanned decades, with research focused on metaphysics, ethics, and genocide studies. Her contributions to Armenian scholarship included The Sins of the Fathers: Turkish Denialism and the Armenian Genocide, which studied the ideological foundations of genocide and the persistence of denialism.
In 2017, Professor Nash-Marshall co-founded the Antonia Arslan Armenian Italian School in Stepanakert through her work with the Christians in Need Foundation. The initiative brought vocational education to the youth in Artsakh, offering courses in trades like carpentry, tailoring, and agriculture. Collaborating with Italian master artisans, the school established internships and training programs to equip students with practical skills.
“With her intellectual strength and charitable spirit, she stood by us, believing in our enduring struggle and the survival of our nation,” said Archbishop Anoushavan. “She exposed Turkish denialist mechanisms, proving their fabrications.” The Prelate added that her books and research aimed to shed light on the truth, restore the history of the Armenian people, and advance justice.
The Prelate and the extended family of the Eastern Prelacy extend their condolences to her family and loved ones. May God illuminate her soul. Աստուած հոգին լուսաւորէ։