The Future of Modern Greek Studies
|
Date
|
Friday, 7 November 2014
|
|
Time
|
09:30 - 17:15
|
|
Venue
|
The Box, Tower 3, LSE
|
|
Participants
|
Prof Kevin Featherstone, Prof Roderick Beaton, Prof José António Costa Ideias, Prof Michalis Cosmopoulos, Prof Molly Greene, Prof Thomas Gallant, Prof André Gerolymatos, Prof Stathis Gourgouris, Prof Martha Klironomos, Prof Stathis Kalyvas, Prof Vassilis Lambropoulos, Prof Maria Stassinopoulou, Prof Liana Theodoratou, Prof Michael Tsianikas and Prof Dimitris Tziovas
|
The Symposium offered a unique opportunity for professors from around the world to meet and discuss the field of Modern Greek Studies and its possible future development. It was particularly useful in that the discussions were conducted privately, allowing the participants to discuss more sensitive matters easily. Several other guests were invited to join us, including LSE Pro-Director Professor Paul Kelly. We discussed issues such as the following:
(1) Mapping our Modern Greek Studies’ Programmes: Themes
(2) What are we aiming to deliver? A discussion of our ‘mission’ and how it may have changed
(3) Chairs and accountability, governance; Academic independence and reporting mechanisms, external engagement
(4) Financing our programmes: endowments and ‘soft’ money; A discussion of the challenges and opportunities
(5) Public ‘outreach’ and engagement with local communities: mutual gains?
(6) Future opportunities for Modern Greek Studies’ programmes: (i) Challenges and priorities (ii) Collaboration and a new network?
We were a diverse group. Of the 16 professors, 8 were from the USA; 3 from the UK; 2 from Australia; 1 from Austria; 1 from Canada; and 1 from Portugal. Others had sent their apologies for not being able to attend. Of the 16, 11 were in the fields of literature, language and culture; 5 were historians; and 2 were political scientists. The origination of the chairs and programmes ranged over a long period: Birmingham and KCL from pre-1945; Princeton, Sydney and Vienna from before the 1980s; Columbia, Flinders, LSE, Michigan, Missouri, NYU, San Francisco State, and Simon Fraser in the 1980s-90s; and Lisbon, UC San Diego, and Yale since 2000. 12 of the chairs/programmes involved funding endowments.12 had advisory boards that included external members. The diversity of our programmes – and, perhaps, our purposes – also was made evident: not only across disciplinary fields, but also in relation to the inclusion of language teaching, the promotion of research, and the outreach of public events, etc. Added to that, we operate in different institutional contexts of governance and accountability, as well as the importance of external funding.
The Symposium facilitated very valuable discussions and the means to learn from each other. Important issues were shared and we are each prompted to reflect on them. It is hoped that a similar event may be held at some stage in the future, to enable us to build on what we aired. In any event, this was an excellent starting point.
SYMPOSIUM PROGRAMME
EVENT PHOTOS
Professor Paul Kelly, LSE Pro-Director, Teaching and Learning welcomes the participants
Professor Kevin Featherstone, Eleftherios Venizelos Professor of Contemporary Greek Studies and Professor of European Politics Director, Hellenic Observatory; Chair, LSEE: Research on South East Europe, LSE
Professor Molly Greene, Professor, Department of History and Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, Princeton University
Professor Dimitris Tziovas, Professor of Modern Greek Studies, Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies, University of Birmingham
From left to right: Professor Dimitris Tziovas, Professor of Modern Greek Studies, Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies, University of Birmingham, Professor Liana Theodoratou, Director, A.S. Onassis Program in Hellenic Studies and NYU in Athens; Clinical Professor of Hellenic Studies, University of New York and Professor Michael Tsianikas, Director, LOGOS Australian Centre for Hellenic Language and Culture, Flinders University
Professor Stathis Kalyvas (left), Arnold Wolfers Professor of Political Science; Director, Program on Order, Conflict, and Violence, Yale University and Professor José António Costa Ideias (right), Coordinator of Modern Greek Language and Culture, Universidade Nova de Lisboa; Senior Researcher in Comparative Literary/Cultural Studies and Modern Greek Studies, Portuguese Centre for Global History
From left to right: Professor André Gerolymatos, Director, The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies; Chair, The Hellenic Canadian Congress of BC Chair in Hellenic Studies, Simon Fraser University, Professor Vassilis Lambropoulos, C.P. Cavafy Professor of Modern Greek; Professor of Classical Studies and Comparative Literature University of Michigan and Professor Thomas Gallant, Nicholas Family Endowed Chair of Modern Greek History, Co-director of The UC San Diego Centre for Hellenic Studies, University of California
Professor José António Costa Ideias, Coordinator of Modern Greek Language and Culture, Universidade Nova de Lisboa; Senior Researcher in Comparative Literary/Cultural Studies and Modern Greek Studies, Portuguese Centre for Global History
Professor André Gerolymatos, Director, The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies; Chair, The Hellenic Canadian Congress of BC Chair in Hellenic Studies, Simon Fraser University
Professor Thomas Gallant (middle), Nicholas Family Endowed Chair of Modern Greek History, Co-director of The UC San Diego Centre for Hellenic Studies, University of California
Professor Michael Cosmopoulos, Professor of Greek History and Archaeology; The Hellenic Government - Karakas Foundation Professorship in Greek Studies, University of Missouri, St Louis
Professor Stathis Gourgouris (middle), Professor of Classics, English, and Comparative Literature; Director of the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society; Columbia University
Professor Maria Stassinopulou (middle), University Professor (Chair) of Modern Greek Studies, Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, University of Vienna
Professor Roderick Beaton (middle), Koraes Professor of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature; Director, Centre of Hellenic Studies, King’s College London
Professor Martha Klironomos, Professor of Modern Greek Studies; Director, Center for Modern Greek Studies; The Nikos Kazantzakis Chair, San Francisco State University
Group photo