2-3 June 2011
London School of Economics
On 2 & 3 June 2011, the HO held its 5th PhD Symposium on Contemporary Greece and Cyprus. This biennial event continues to be one of the most significant and popular among PhD students working on contemporary Greece and Cyprus, enabling them not only to present their doctoral research to an informed audience, but also to network with other students working in their field from other institutions, and to discuss their work with established academics in their discipline.
Over a day and half, 57 doctoral research students from around the UK, Europe and beyond, had the opportunity to present and discuss their work in dedicated panels. These panels covered a wide range of subject areas and interests, ranging from applied economics to international relations; from migration and minorities to information technologies. It is an essential ingredient of the Symposium that we cover the broadest possible range of disciplines in the social sciences. The format has also remained constant over time – and has proved worthwhile for students and faculty alike: panel presentations are followed by a discussion session which is chaired by an established academic with an expertise in the particular field. This allow for a guided discussion to offer the presenters feedback both from an informed audience and from an expert in their narrower subject area.
Traditionally, the HO PhD Symposium is also punctuated by plenary sessions in which we invite notable academics to speak about topical issues in contemporary social science research (related to Greece and Cyprus). This year we had the great pleasure of hosting two eminent scholars in their particular fields, Professors Herakles Polemarchakis and Alexis Heraclides. Professor Polemarchakis, an economist from the University of Warwick, spoke on the current Greek sovereign debt crisis and its implications for Europe. While Professor Heraclides, an international relations specialist from Panteion University in Athens, presented his most recent research on Greek-Turkish relations. Finally, Professor Kevin Featherstone, Director of the Hellenic Observatory, also held a plenary session on how to prepare a PhD - a session which is much appreciated by PhD students.
The PhD Symposium has become a central event in the Hellenic Observatory’s calendar and continues to attract large numbers of highly enthusiastic students to participate in its panels and plenary sessions; we feel it has become one of the most important international meeting for PhD students working on contemporary Greece in the social sciences. As with all such major events we are grateful to all the participants but also those sponsors and collaborators who enable us to hold this symposium. A major vote of thanks must go to the Greek Ministry of Education, and especially it’s National Youth Foundation, for sponsoring the event, as well as to those colleagues from around the UK who devoted their precious time to chair panels and exchange views with the participating students.