AGORA VOLUME 2
VANCITY THEATRE SELLS OUT FOR CAVAFY A VISIT FROM SYRIZA ERIKA'S VOYAGES SPECIAL INSERT PAGANISM IN ATHENS FROM THE FOURTH CENTURY TO THE SIXTH CENTURY 1 ⅼ SNFCHS
WEI ZHENG, COLLEGE OF HISTORY, NANKAI UNIVERSITY
JANUARY 2013 - MARCH 2014
Restoring Athens The SNF New Media Lab works with the Ministry of Tourism to restore Athens to a "Destination City".
Agora Volume 2 Welcome to the Second Volume of “AGORA”, the annual newsletter of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University. “AGORA” is the Greek name for a public space. It is the place where citizens come together, where ideas and goods are exchanged and where politics are created. This newsletter informs students, staff, faculty, and the community at large who share our interest in Hellenism. We highlight those individuals and groups who have joined us on our Hellenic journey and have impacted our program. Their contribution and enthusiasm have made the journey worthwhile.
table of contents SNF New Media Lab 4 Greek Language Program 8
CERTIFICATE OF ATTAINMENT IN GREEK
University of Washington Signing 12 Edu-Tourism 12
Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας (Greek Language Centre)
Updates from China 13
4
HELLENIC REPUBLIC
11
Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs
Faculty 15 Erika Spyropoulos’ Art Show 16 Leading Greece Back to Growth 18 Poetry of Cavafy 20 Lectures and Events 22 Awards and Scholarships 26
13 18
5
2013 Courses Offered 27
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THE STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION CENTRE FOR HELLENIC STUDIES
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
THE STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION CENTRE FOR
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR The SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies has been an exciting and productive environment to be a part of in 2013. From inviting academic and non academic speakers to hosting visiting Greek politicians and celebrating one of Greece’s greatest poets, our activities have provided both academic and community audiences events to remember. Our New Media Lab has been very active developing apps such as Amazing Athens, the upcoming Parthenon interactive app, and language courses for First Nations in British Columbia. Our invitation to representatives from Syriza was an example of our active outreach program that is aimed at our British Columbian Greek-Canadian community but also to the wider public in Canada, the United States, China, Europe and Greece. The SNF Centre has had many accomplishments but our students are the crown jewels of our organization. They have excelled in their studies, for those who have graduated, we wish them success, and for those who are completing, we have high hopes for their future.
16
17
12 20
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SNF NEW MEDIA LAB The SNF New Media Lab, a part of The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies at SFU, is dedicated to promote Greek language, culture, and history through new media and innovative technologies
The Amazing Athens Initiative Developed in partnership with the Hellenic Ministry of Tourism and the Greek National Tourism Organization, the “Amazing Athens” app is the only officially recognized travel mobile app for the city of Athens. The app covers the most popular sites and attractions of the city and is the first in a series of mobile applications that allows visitors to discover and better explore the rich cultural heritage and natural treasures of Athens. In the spring of 2013 the iPhone application was launched, and following the success of the app, the SNF New Media Lab has just finished developing an Android version that will be released in 2014 along with an iPad version that will serve as a ‘coffee table’ edition that is sure to increase engagement and exposure.
The Parthenon Interactive Application The Parthenon is the enduring symbol of Athenian democracy and is one of the world’s greatest cultural monuments. Using the latest technology on the iPad, the Parthenon App takes the user through a 2500-year journey of the Parthenon to explore its controversial history through an interactive timeline and augmented reality. Inspired by the short film Parthenon (2003) by Academy Award winning 4 | SNFCHS
director Costa-Gavras, who also provides commentary for the app along with scientific advisor and National Geographic Explorer Dr. Michael Cosmopoulos, the SNF New Media Lab is developing an app that promises to deliver a world class, interactive learning experience for the rapidly growing tablet market. With the Parthenon App, the SNF New Media Lab is continuing its mandate to create technology that focuses on the history and culture of Greece, which not only enhances the tourist experience, but also creates new avenues for the Greek tourism market.
Ioannina Jewish Legacy Project Developed by the SNF New Media Lab, the Ioannina Jewish Legacy Project mobile app and website was initiated by the Canadian Ambassador to Greece, Mr. Robert Peck, in order to help revive the memory of Jews of the city of Ioannina, one of Europe’s oldest Jewish communities. The mobile app, available for iPhone and iPod devices, allows people to explore Jewish history, sites in the town, and listen to survivor testimonies. The mobile app initiative was part of the March 30 Commemoration Ceremony to mark the 70 years since the Nazis destroyed their community.
GNTO Conference On March 11, 2014, Costa Dedegikas, from the SNF New Media Lab, moderated a panel at the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) Conference in Athens on the Challenges and Perspectives of Intense Online Marketing. Dedegikas carried out the discussion on trends and developments in travel and tourism, as well as the role technology plays in the development of Greek tourism and culture. Also representing the New Media Lab at the Conference was Mr. Konstatinos Kontos who presented the Amazing Athens mobile app which is now available for iOS and Android devices.
First Nations Languages in the Twentyfirst Century The SFU First Nations Language Centre, in collaboration with the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies New Media Lab, was awarded a 2.5 million dollar SSHRC grant (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada) to develop a digital-media application for the iPad in order to restore, revive, preserve, and teach First Nations Languages in British Columbia. The Greek Language online tutor platform, developed by the SNF New Media Lab, will serve as the basis upon which the iPad application and language courses for BC First Nations’ language documentation and instruction will be created. The SNF New Media Lab will play a crucial role in the development of this technology and will assist in the training of local community members to maintain and provide technical support for the applications. The project is lead by Dr. Marianne Ignace, SFU Anthropology, Linguistics and First Nations studies Associate Professor and Director of the new SFU First Nations Language Centre (FNLC).
Top to Bottom: Costas Dedegikas at the Jewish Museum of Greece, Dionisis Kolokotsas, Ted and Erika Spyropoulos with Costas Dedegikas at the Cycladic Museum during the GNTO Conference, Ron and Marianne Ignace. Opposite Page: Costa-Gavras, Dr. Michael Cosmopoulos 5 | SNFCHS 5
STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
PHILANTHROPY
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation established in 2012 the Annual International Conference on Philanthropy, in an effort to examine the changing role and increased importance of philanthropy in the current global context. The Second Annual International Conference on Philanthropy was held June 27 & 28, 2013. The event was made up of three plenary sessions over two days, beginning with a discussion on the current social and economic challenges in the US and Europe and possible strategies on how NGOs and foundations can assist in the reconstruction, maintenance, and strengthening of communities, followed by a panel on how the NGOs and foundations can work towards a social welfare society and the best way these groups can collaborate to promote social change. Dr. AndrĂŠ Gerolymatos & Costa Dedegikas closed the first day of the conference with a presentation on the Amazing Athens smartphone application.
Top: Co-President of the SNF, Mr. Andreas Dracopoulos and investor / philanthropist Mr. George Soros. Middle: Dr. Andre Gerolymatos and Costa Dedegikas. Bottom Left: Greek Minister of Tourism, Ms. Olga Kefalogianni
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Dr. Gerolymatos spoke to the attendees about how the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies was the recipient of generous support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, as the foundation contributed to the establishment of the SNF New Media Lab at Simon Fraser University. Part of the mandate of the Hellenic Studies Program and the New Media Lab has been to give back to the SNF, the Greek people, and the Greek state and this has been accomplished by the development of the Amazing Athens app. Recognizing the rapidly growing mobile application market, the New Media Lab is using new technologies to highlight Athens and inspire people to visit the city and use the application as a guide to experience the many landmarks, events, and sights Athens has to offer. The Third Annual Stavros Niarchos Foundation International Conference on Philanthropy is scheduled to take place in Athens on June 26 and 27, 2014. For more information on the 3rd International Conference on Philanthropy go to http://snf.org/en/ initiatives/snf-annual-international-conference/
Amazing Athens City Guide
UNDER THE AUSPICES OF
HELLENIC MINISTRY OF TOURISM
TED & ERIKA SPYROPOULOS FOUNDATION
SNF NEW MEDIA LAB
THE STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION CENTRE FOR HELLENIC STUDIES
www.visitgreece.gr
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GREEK LANGUAGE PROGRAM 8 | SNFCHS
One of the integral components of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University is its Greek language program. The Centre actively renewed its commitment to providing support, empowering individual learners of Greek, and taking initiative in preserving the Greek language in the diaspora over the course of 2013. The Centre collaborated with Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Education in order to create the first online Graduate Certificate in Curriculum and Instruction for teaching Greek as an additional language. The collaboration was inspired by the will to serve the communities of the Diaspora. The online program was 9 | SNFCHS
designed for language instructors who are currently, or intend to be, in primary and/ or secondary education. It allows for the standardization of Greek instruction by providing instructors with the appropriate pedagogical tools as they engage the students who learn Greek as an additional language.In both cases, individuals will be provided with a plethora of ways in which they can design curricula, educational strategies, and assessment criteria. Overall, this particular graduate certificate marks the first step towards supporting individuals who are invested in teaching Greek. In addition, the members of the Greek Language Program have been working
unceasingly on updating the range of online language courses that are currently available to serve individuals who wish to learn or perfect their language skills towards obtaining a certificate of proficiency in Greek. It is important to note that the Centre will serve once again as an Examination Centre for the greater Vancouver region on behalf of the Centre for the Greek Language of the Ministry of Education in Greece. Students of Greek will be able to prepare for, and to take the Ελληνομάθεια Language exams with the assistance of the language instructors who have been seconded to the Centre by the Ministry of Education in Greece.
Language Courses Offered: GRK 110 Modern Greek for Beginners I
GRK 210 Modern Greek Intermediate I
GRK 160 Modern Greek for Beginners II
GRK 260 Modern Greek Intermediate II
Here are our Instructors/Research Associates:
Dr. Athanasios Bravos
Ms. Aikaterini Kalyva
Ms. Vasiliki Mastori
Bravos was born in Thessaloniki, Greece and obtained his PhD in Modern Greek and European History from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. From 1989 to 2014 he worked in the public education system, and has been published in Greek and international historical journals. Dr. Bravos’ research interests are focused on the interwar period, Modern Greek and European history, Medieval European and Byzantine history, and he has always been passionate about the Greek language.
Kalyva was born in Arta, Greece and studied Teaching and Learning Greek at the University of Athens. She has a background in Special Needs Education from the University of Patras. Ms. Kalyva obtained her M.A. in New Technologies/Teaching and Learning at the University of Athens. Her research interest is in children with special needs, particularly autism.
Mastori was born in Athens, Greece. She studied Primary School Education, Ancient and Modern Greek Literature, obtained her M.A. in Educational Evaluation, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate studying national identity and hidden curriculum at the University of Athens. For the past twenty years, Ms. Mastori taught primary school in Athens. Her research interests are ancient Greek and Byzantine cookery and she is passionate about the Greek language.
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GRADUATE PROGRAM The graduate certificate program is designed to be completed in one year (three terms) during which students take four courses (18 credits). The goals of the program are to offer training and/or improve existing skills in teaching Modern Greek in public and private schools in Canada, USA, and China. As well, the program is designed to enable learners of Greek to become instructors who use the appropriate pedagogical tools to teach Greek as an additional language.
GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION: TEACHING GREEK AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE The program goals are achieved by providing sets of foundational principles in order to establish proposed educational outcomes and to design effective curricula, provide appropriate theoretical background, oversee its implementation in mapping curricula, preparing material, and using assessment, evaluation, and feedback methods. Using innovative technology and employing e-learning techniques will also facilitate the acquisition of information and skills.
Graduate Certificate Courses EDUC 816-5 Development of Educational Programs and Practices for Diverse Educational Settings EDUC 823-5 Curriculum & Instruction in an Individual Teaching Specialty
EDUC 820-5 Current Issues in Curriculum & Pedagogy EDUC 714-3 Curriculum and Instruction in Greek: Transformative Learning Designs for a Greek Language Pedagogy
CERTIFICATE OF ATTAINMENT IN GREEK Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας (Greek Language Centre)
HELLENIC REPUBLIC Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY THE STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION CENTRE FOR HELLENIC STUDIES
The Certificate of Attainment in Greek which was established in November 1998 (Presidential Decree 363/98) by the Ministry of Education responds to a persisting request of all learners of Greek in Greece and abroad for a state certificate of attainment available at various levels. The Certificate of Greek Language, specifically the Division for the Support and Promotion of the Greek Language, has been assigned the exclusive and overall responsibility for the examination procedure through which the certificate of attainment in Greek may be awarded and has been conducting the examinations since 1999. 11 | SNFCHS
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
SIGNING On May 24, Dr. Reşat Kasaba signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Dr. André Gerolymatos to promote future cooperation between the Jackson School for International Studies at the University of Washington and the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University.
Top: Eirini Kotsovili, Costas Dedegikas, André Gerolymatos, Dimitris Krallis, Reşat Kasaba, Consul General Ilias Kremmydas, John T. John, Nektaria Klapaki, Gus Kravas, Maria Hamilton Right: Reşat Kasaba, André Gerolymatos
edu-tourism
On September 15, the Greek Minister of Tourism Olga Kefalogianni, Maria Hamilton (Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies), Laura Quilici (SFUFASS), and Steve Mirkopoulos, (Hellenic Heritage Foundation of Toronto, Canada) met in Athens to discuss developing a collaboration in “Edu-Tourism” initiatives in Greece. From Left To Right: Steve Mirkopoulos, Laura Quilici, Olga Kefalogianni and Maria Hamilton
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UPDATES FROM
CHINA By Brian Olsen Liason-China
Reaffirming ties with Beijing Language and Culture University In Beijing, discussions were held to reaffirm the Centre’s ties with Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), and to expand the scope of our activities with them. Among the ideas discussed were an on-campus Greek culture celebration in conjunction with a Greek film festival. Olsen also met with Elena Avramidou, Cultural Attaché to the Greek Embassy in China who lectures on Greek language and culture at several Chinese universities. She is delighted to continue to work in conjunction with the Centre and had suggestions for further possible connections at universities around China.
First Visit to Northeast Normal University Olsen visited long-time partner, Northeast Normal University (NENU), in Changchun for the first time to learn more about their research and expertise. Including visiting the talented faculty and touring the well-appointed campus, Olsen gave a guest lecture on the SNF Centre, its various activities, wide range of online courses and the possibilities for expanded co-operation with NENU.
Preliminary Contact with Shanghai International Studies University In October, Olsen traveled to Shanghai, where he made preliminary contact with Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), one of the universities recommended by Elena Avramidou. SISU has had Greek language programs for some time and has experimented with some online learning techniques. The Centre’s Odysseas language tutor may prove to be very useful to them. 13 | SNFCHS
Olsen also had a meeting with former intern, Marios Stangonis, who is now working in Shanghai. He continues to help the Centre with projects from time to time, and has suggested a number of useful contacts with universities where he has studied.
Expanding in Hong Kong Expanding the breadth of the Centre’s activities has been easier for Olsen since he is now living in Hong Kong. The University of Hong Kong (HKU) continues to use the Odysseas online Modern Greek course in conjunction with its Greek Language and Culture programme. Dr. Georgios Repousis regularly shares new materials that he has developed for his courses with the Centre. Olsen has also initiated discussions with Prof. Ken Johnson, head of the School for Language and Culture, about developing two projects: 1. A joint or dual certificate in Hellenic Studies 2. Co-operation (with our Centre and SFU International Studies) on a SE Europe Studies programme.
New Contact at the Chinese University of Hong Kong The Centre’s newest contact is Father Louis Ha, History and Catholic Studies professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). A number of his students began using the Odysseas tutor to help with their Greek history course and study trip offered in the Fall 2013 Term. The class visited Greece and Northern Turkey in December 2013, and with the Centre’s help, visited the University of Patras. Father Ha was extremely pleased with the contacts established there, and is very keen to continue and expand cooperation with us.
SNF China Visiting Professorship Dr. Zheng Wei resided at the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies as a visiting scholar for the period from February 2013 to February 2014. Dr. Zheng actively participated in the academic and social life of the centre, exchanging perspectives on research and pedagogy with the Centre's resident Byzantinist, Dr. Krallis, and his students, while coordinating the launch in China of the SFU Media Lab developed Byzantine History online course.
Dr. Zheng Wei is currently an associate professor at Nankai University. After obtaining a Doctoral Degree in History from Nankai University in 2005, Dr. Zheng has been a member of the Center of Eastern Europe and Byzantine Studies, Nankai University since 2005 and teaches the History of Byzantine Empire, the History of Christianity, and the History of Middle Ages. Below are the abstract of her publication and the link of the full paper which is published in the electronic version of the Journal of Agora.
Paganism in Athens from the Fourth Century to the Sixth Century Abstract: Paganism in Athens was greatly challenged and suppressed by Christianity from the fourth to sixth centuries and came to its end after three centuries of struggle. Since the fourth century, authorities preferred Christianity and most areas of the Mediterranetan world were Christianized by the middle of the fifth century. Athens was one of a few cities where the Paganism lasted into the sixth century. Athenian Paganism doubtless had tenacious vitality, but Athens inevitably converted to a Christian city while the centralized Byzantine Empire was growing powerful. This paper will discuss Paganism in Athens from the third to the sixth centuries by analyzing the sacrifice, the Panathenaea, and the schools. (Notes: This paper is a research production of “ Studies on the Culture Transformation of the Early Byzantine Empire”, (Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China) Project of Humanities and Social Sciences (Project No.:10YJC770124). 【本论文为“教育部人文社会科学研究青年项目”“早期拜占廷帝国文化转型研究”（项目批准号：10YJC770124） 成果】)
To access the full paper, please go to http://www.sfu.ca/snfchs/agora.html
Director's Activities In 2013, Dr. André Gerolymatos spoke on a monthly basis to local Vancouver groups, including several chapters of the PROBUS Club, the Vancouver Women’s Discussion Group, and the Regeneration Group. Topics for these presentations ranged from the crisis in Egypt and Syria, to overreaching issues concerning the Middle East and Western relations. In May, Dr. Gerolymatos presented a paper titled "The Past is Present: The Roots of Modern Terrorism" at the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security, and Society Conference in Ottawa. In October, he was the keynote speaker at Stasis: Dissent and Civil War in Ancient and Modern Greek History; a conference held at the University of Illinois, his presentation was titled “The International Greek Civil War”. This year, Dr. Gerolymatos published "From the Eastern Crisis, 1875-1878 to the Outbreak of the Balkan Wars, 1912: Great Power Rivalry and Diplomacy", (Journal of 14 | SNFCHS
Modern Hellenism 29, 2013): 67-90, "Turkish Straits: History, Politics, and Strategic Dilemmas", (Ocean Yearbook 28): 59-79, and a book review on Ioannis Stefanidis’ Substitute for Power: Wartime British Propaganda to the Balkans, 1939-1944 in the American Historical Review, Feb 2014, 256257. Dr. Gerolymatos will be publishing a new book: The International Civil War: Greece 19431949 in the fall of this year with Yale University Press. He is continuing work on his manuscript on an updated and expanded history of the Greek Civil War, previously published as Red Acropolis, Black Terror: The Greek Civil War and the Origins of Soviet-American Rivalry.
SPECIAL INSERT Paganism in Athens from the Fourth Century to the Sixth Century1
Wei ZHENG, College of History, Nankai University Abstract：Paganism in Athens was greatly challenged and suppressed by Christianity so that it came to its end after three centuries of struggle from the fourth to sixth centuries. Since the fourth century, authorities showed preference for Christianity and most areas of the Mediterranean world had been Christianized by the middle of the fifth century. Athens was one of a few cities where the Paganism lasted into the sixth century. Athenian Paganism doubtless had tenacious vitality, but Athens inevitably became a Christian city as late as the sixth century. This paper discusses Paganism in Athens from the third to the six centuries by analyzing the practiced pagan sacrifice, the feast of the Panathenaea and the philosophical schools.
Key words: Athens, Byzantine, Hellenic cult, Paganism, Christianity
1
This paper is a research production of “Studies on the Culture Transformation of the Early Byzantine Empire” (Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China), Project of Humanities and Social Sciences (Project No.:10YJC770124). 【本论文为“教育部人文社会科 学研究青年项目”“早期拜占廷帝国文化转型研究”（项目批准号：10YJC770124）成果】
After Christianity gained support from
The Sacrifice
authorities in the fourth century, the traditional Hellenic cult was considered as
Sacrifice was a most important element
Paganism in Christian contexts As early as
of Pagan religious practice and was not easily
the first century, when St. Paul made his
given up by the faithful who kept the
famous sermon to the members of the
practice alive even when the emperors threw
Council of the Areopagus(Acts 17:15-34), the
their weight on the side of Christianity.
Hellenic cult was no longer the only
The
Theodosian
Code,
edited
and
religious cult in Athens. Christianity left no
published in 438, assembled seventeen laws
visible traces for the first three centuries,
against sacrifices in its Book 16. It started
although a few Christian congregations were
with the law of Constantine the Great (reign:
recorded in Greece from the time of St.
324-337), the first Christian emperor. His
Paul. 2 The Hellenic cult in Athens was
first law against sacrifices issued in 321 stated:
increasingly challenged from the fourth
“If it should appear that any part of Our
century on and survived until the sixth
palace or any other public work has been
century. The Christianization of Athens is
struck by lightning, the observance of the
well covered. But it’s still not clear how
ancient custom shall be retained, and inquiry
Athens, a center of classical culture, turned
shall be made of the soothsayers as to the
into a Christian city or why the Hellenic cult
portent thereof. Written records thereof shall
survived in Athens in Late Antiquity. In
be very carefully collected and referred to
order to get how the Hellenic cult and
Our Wisdom. Permission shall be granted to
Christianity faced each other, this paper
all other persons also to appropriate this
discusses Paganism in Athens from the third
custom to themselves, provided only that
to the six centuries by analyzing the
they abstain from domestic sacrifices, which
practiced pagan sacrifice, the feast of the
are
Panathenaea and the philosophical schools.
Theodosianus 16.10.1)3
specifically
prohibited.”(Codex
3
2
A. Frantz, “From paganism to Christianity in the Temples of Athens,” Dumbarton Oaks Papers 19（1965）, 188.
Clyde Pharr, trans., The Theodosian Code and Novels, and the Sirmondian constitutions: a translation with commentary, glossary, and bibliography (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1952), 472.
The emperors after Constantine the
toward conversion to Christianity over the
Great continued to issue laws against
course of the fourth and early fifth centuries.6
sacrifices in various circumstances. Until 392,
The emperors of the Byzantine Empire
Theodosius the Great (reign: 379-395) issued
firmly suppressed the practice of sacrifice, but
a law to oppose all sacrifice. It stated, “No
some scholars at the time argued in favour of
person at all, of any class or order
allowing it. Libanius (born in 361) was one
whatsoever……shall sacrifice an innocent
of the most influential figures in the fourth
victim to senseless images in any place at all
century. He presented the Pro Templi in 386.
or in any city. He shall not, by more secret
Basing his argument on the concept of the
wickedness, venerate his lar with fire, his
“peace of the gods” (pax deorum) and stated
genius with wine, his penates with fragrant
that the maintenance of Roman imperial
odors; he shall not burn lights to them, place
power
incense before them, or suspend wreaths for
sacrifices.7 He also argued that the traditional
them.”(Codex Theodosianus 16.10.12) 4 The
public ceremony taking meat from the altar
last law against sacrifice in the Code was
was not an illegal sacrifice because “the oxen
issued by Theodosius II (reign: 408-450) in
were slaughtered elsewhere, no altar received
435, which ruled that “We interdict all
the blood offering, no part of the victim was
persons of criminal pagan mind from the
burned, no offering of meal began the
accursed
from
ceremony, nor did libations follow it.”8 This
damnable sacrifices, and from all other such
rationale represented the popular opinion
practices that are prohibited by the authority
about sacrifice among the defensive pagans
of the more ancient sanctions.” (Codex
and even those who had recently converted
Theodosianus 16.10.25)5
to Christianity but were still accustomed to
immolation
of
victims,
The laws in the Theodosian Code show the legal steps taken by emperors to oppose sacrifices. They also reveal changing attitudes
depended
on
the
traditional
6
Michele Renee Salzman, “The Evidence for the Conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity in Book of the Theodosian Code,” Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte, Vol. 42, No. 3 (3rd Qtr., 1993), 363. 7
4 5
Ibid., 473. Ibid., 476.
Libanius, “To the Emperor Theodosius, For the Temples,” in Selected Works, translated by A. F. Norman (London: Heinemann, 1977), Volume II, 92-151. 8 Ibid.,117f.
10
public dinners or banquets in the fourth and
public during the parade.
fifth centuries. Moreover, private sacrifice
required generous financial support from
continued. It “seems to have accompanied
wealthy Athenians. Some sponsors were
incubation for the cure of maladies until the
recorded in inscriptions, which showed that
480’s” at the Asklepieion in Athens.9
the Panathenaea was held until the beginning
The Theodosian Code reflected the reality
of the fifth century.
of ongoing sacrifices until the middle of the fifth
century,
although
the
It therefore
An inscription dated in A. D. 267or 270
Christian
showed that the Panathenaea was held on
emperors had consistently forbidden sacrifice
time after Athens was seriously damaged by
since the fourth century. Because of the
the Heruli in 267. A dedication to Publius
authority of the government, the public
Herennius Dexippus 11 stated, “Upon the
sacrifice gradually disappeared by the end of
approval granted by the Council of Areopagus
the fifth century, but private sacrifice very
and by the Council of the 750 members and
likely continued.
by the people of Athens, the children (erected the statue for their father) Publius
The Panathenaea
Herennius Dexippus… because of his merits in having held the office of basileus among
The Panathenaea was one of the most
the thesmothetai and having held the office of
important public events related to Athenian
the eponymous archon and having served as
civic identity. All Athenians participated in
the president of the panegyris-festival and
the
The
having been the agonothetes of the Great
Panathenaea was not prohibited by law
Panathenaic Games at his own expense.” (IG
event’s
parades
and
games.
because there was no obvious hint of public sacrifice in it.
For the details of the Panathenaea in the fourth century, see Himerius, Declamationes et Orationes, ed. by Aristides Colonna, Roma 1951. 11 P. H. Dexippus was born in Athens. For his role against the Heruli, see F. Millar, “P. Herennius Dexippus: The Greek World and the Third-Century Invasions,”Journal of Roman Studies 59, (1969), 12-29. 10
Staging the Panathenaea was a lavish affair, and included vehicles, instruments, food, wine, flowers and coins thrown to the
F. R.Trombley, Hellenic Religion and Christianization: c. 370-529 (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1995), Volume I, 12. 9
II/III2, no. 3669) 12 Dexippus was known for
Athens in the last decade of the fourth
his bravery against the Heruli and for his
century when Christianity was establishing
successful defense of the city against their
strong roots in the Roman Empire as the
incursion. Epigraphic evidence associated to
polity’s official religion.
Dexippus therefore demonstrates the vitality of the Panathenaea in the third century.
A late fourth-century inscription to Plutarch recorded the traditional procession
An oration, presented by Himerius (ca.
in Athens. “The people of Erechtheus
315-386, a sophist and rhetorician,) in the
dedicated [this statue of] Plutarch, the king
middle of the fourth century and titled “To
of words, the mainstay of firm prudence,
Basileios on the Occasion of the Panathenaia
who rowed the sacred ship three times in all
at the Beginning of Spring,” stated, “I wish
near to the temple of Athena, spending all
to relate to you a detailed account about the
his wealth.”(IG II/III2, no. 3818)14 It has not
custom of the city and panegyris to which
been proven that the Plutarch mentioned in
you are coming. It is pleasant and admirable
this inscription was the one who founded the
not only to see the Panathenaia for oneself,
Neoplatonic School.15 If it is the same person,
but even to say something about the
the three processions would have been held
Hellenes when the Athenians send the
between 390 and 410, very likely after
Sacred Trireme to the goddess in this
Theodosius I’s ban of Paganism in 392. So
panegyris…Priests and priestesses, all of them
the Panathenaea was still held after 392 when
Eupatrids, crowned with garlands, some of
Christianity was declared the only religion
gold, others of flowers, are the complement
allowed a public ritual presence in the
of the ship.”13According to this inscription,
Roman Empire.
the Panathenaea was a very big event in
E. Sironen, “Life and Administration of Late Roman Attica in the Light of Public Inscriptions,” in Post-Herulian Athens, edited by P. Castren (Helsinki, 1994), 18. 13 F. R.Trombley, Hellenic Religion and Christianization: c. 370-529 (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1995), Volume I, 19. Also see Himerius, Declamationes et Orationes, ed. Aristides Colonna, (Roma, 1951), 194f. 12
Traditional processions such as the Panathenaea were not forbidden by the 14
E. Sironen, “Life and Administration of Late Roman Attica in the Light of Public Inscriptions,” in Post-Herulian Athens, 46. 15 For the discuss on the identity of the Plutarchus in the description, see E. Sironen, “Life and Administration of Late Roman Attica in the Light of Public Inscriptions,” in Post-Herulian Athens, 47.
emperors because there was no hint of
it a desert of philosophy.
sacrifice but ships, flowers and gold during
century, most of the teachers and students
public
Pagans
known to us did not come from Athens.
considered it a public religious event, while
Plutarch was the only native Athenian who
it seems probable that ordinary pious
gained an academic reputation. In the latter
Christians could and did participate in the
part of the fourth century, he founded the
festivities as onlookers to an important civic
Neoplatonic School, which played the most
ritual.16
important role in supporting Athenian
processions.
Athenian
In the fourth
Paganism.17
The Schools Athens was known as a “university
Life of Proclus by Marinus of Neapolis
town” in Late Antiquity. The schools in
(born ca. 440) and Life of Isidor by Damascius
Athens emphasized classical education and so
(ca. 458-after 538), the last head of the
they were bastions of Pagan opposition to
Neoplatonic School, are two sources about
Christianity. Philosophers, rhetoricians and
fifth-century
sophists
pagan
Neoplatonism in Athens. Both writers were
the
the leaders of the Neoplatonic School. 18
practices.
usually They
participated greatly
in
influenced
describe
Paganism
how
and
traditional religious life and some of them
Both
involved themselves in civic politics.
As
practiced Athenian Paganism but do not
scholars participated in or advised city
focus on ordinary Athenians. These two
government, Paganism was tacitly tolerated
works suggest that public pagan practices
by local authorities.
disappeared after 450, but private practices
The intellectual life of Athens was
books
Athenian
intellectuals
continued.
disrupted by the Herulic invasion of 267.
According
to
the
two
lives,
the
But the schools were active again by the
Neoplatonic scholars practiced the cult of the
beginning of the fourth century. In 396,
physician god Asklepios, the philosophy god
Alaric invaded Athens and intellectual life was disturbed again. Around that time, Synesius of Cyrene visited Athens and called 16
F. R.Trombley, Hellenic Religion and Christianization: c. 370-529, Volume I, 20.
17
A. Frantz, Agora XXIV: Late Antiquity: A. D. 267-700, (Princeton: 1988), 53. 18 The sequence of the Diadochs of the Neoplatonic School was accepted as Plutarch, Syrianus, Domninus, Proclus, Marinus, Isidore, Hegias, and Damascius.
Athena, the Mother of the Gods Cybele. For
used their intellectual reputation to influence
instance, Proclus, the most influential leader
civic politics and supported Paganism.
of the Neoplatonic School, practiced the cult
The Neoplatonic School came to its
of Athena in the room of his teacher
end in 529 when Justinian I (reign 527-565),
Syrianus upon his arrival in Athens in 431-
according to John Malalas (ca. 491-578), sent
432.
19
He also healed Asklepiegenei, a
an edict to Athens “ordering that no-one
daughter of his friend Archiadas, by praying
should
to the god Asklepios. Marinus wrote, “For
laws…”23 The existence of such a decree has
the savior [Asklepios] heals easily, as befits a
been doubted given Malalas’ general lack of
god.”20 Practicing the cult of the traditional
credibility. In his Historiarum libri quinque,
Hellenic gods was one way that the
however, Agathias of Myrina (ca. 530-580)
Neoplatonic scholars supported Paganism.
wrote that “Not long before…to use a
Moreover,
interpret
relationship with the local aristocracy and
flower of the philosophers of our age, left
participated in civil politics. Proclus’ friend
immediately and set off for a strange land”
Archiadas, archon eponymous from 438-450,
partly because “they were forbidden by law
contributed much to the Panathenaea.21After
to take part in public life with impunity
the death of Archiadas, Proclus “himself
owing to the fact that they did not conform
sometimes took up political counsels, being
to the established religion.”24 Agathias did
present at the public discussions on behalf of
not identitfy “the law” with the one
the
opinion
mentioned by Malalas, but it is likely that he
sensibly,…” 22 So, the Neoplatonic scholars
was in fact referring to the law of 529
introducing
a
nor
poetic turn of phrase, the quintessential
and
had
philosophy
good
city
Proclus
teach
19
Marinus, Vita Procli 11, quoted English translation from F. R.Trombley, Hellenic Religion and Christianization: c. 370-529, Volume I, 311. 20 Marinus, Vita Procli 29, quoted English translation from F. R.Trombley, Hellenic Religion and Christianization: c. 370-529, Volume I, 309. 21 C. Zintzen, Damascii Vitae Isidori Reliquiae (Hildesheim, 1967), 217. 22 Marinus, Vita Procli 15, quoted English
mentioned in the latter’s work. If this law
translation from F. R.Trombley, Hellenic Religion and Christianization: c. 370-529, Volume I, 327. 23 John Malalas, The Chronicle, trans. E. Jeffreys, M. Jeffreys and R. Scott (Melbourne, 1986). 24 Agathias, The Histories II. 30.3-4, translated by J. D. Frendo, in Corpus Fontium Historiae Byzantinae 2A, BerlinNew York, 1975.
did exist, it was a clear turning point for
philosophers, rhetoricians, and sophists lived
Athenian Paganism, which lost its most
in a Pagan universe. They not only actively
powerful support with the closure of the
participated in the theological debates and
Neoplatonic School.
traditional
religious
practices,
but
also
generously contributed to the pagan cultic Conclusion
activities, such as the Panathenaea. Although intellectual activity was seriously disturbed
Athenian
Paganism
three
over the centuries by invasions, it always
hundred years partly because Athens was a
appeared to bounce back, at least until the
flourishing classical center and Athenian
sixth century, when Justinian issued a law to
Paganism was deeply rooted there, and partly
compulsorily close the Neoplatonic School,
because the intellectuals and their learned
from which point on learned activities in
activities contributed to slowing down the
Athens
Christianization never recovered.
of
survived
the
for
city.
Most
FACULTY
Dr. Dimitris Krallis, Associate Professor
Dr. Evdoxios Doxiadis, Lecturer
Dr. Eirini Kotsovili, Lecturer
After the publication last year of Dr. Krallis' book Michael Attaleiates and the Politics of Imperial Decline in Eleventh century Byzantium and the collaborative translation of Attaleiates’ History with Anthony Kaldellis in Harvard University Press’ Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library series, and in 2013 published the following articles.
Over the past year, Dr. Doxiadis attended the Council of European Studies conference, which took place in Washington DC (March 2014), and presented the paper titled “Resurrecting the Law: State Formation and Legal Debates in Nineteenth Century Greece.” He also had his paper, “From Legal Diversity to Centralization: marriage and wealth in nineteenth-century Greece,” read at the workshop “Ties that Bind: Marriage, Cultural Norma and the Law, c. 1750 to the Present” that took place at the University of Sheffield (October 2013).
Dr. Kotsovili's primary focus, throughout 2013, was to engage with North American community members as a representative of the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies Language Program. Dr. Kotsovili participated in the Hellenic Cultural Commission events of the annual AHEPA Family Supreme Convention that took place in Orlando, Florida in August of 2013. Dr. Kotsovili also presented the Amazing Athens app and the online courses made available through the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies at SFU.
‘The Critic’s Byzantine Ploy: Voltairean Confusion in Postsecularist Narratives,’ boundary 2 40.1 (2013): 223-243 ‘Harmless satire, stinging critique: a new reading of the Timarion,’ in Angelov D. and Saxby M. ed., Power and Subversion in Byzantium (Ashgate/Variorum, 2013): 221-245 ‘The Outsider’s Gaze: Reflections on recent non-Byzantinist Readings of Byzantine History and on their Implications for our Field,’ Byzantina Symmeikta 23 (2013): 183-199 This past year, he also presented papers at two international conferences: Historians and the polity from the eleventh to the twelfth centuries. Presented at: À la suite de Paul Lemerle L’humanisme byzantin et les études sur le XIe siècle quarante ans après, held October 23-26, 2013 at the Collège de France, Paris Reading Rome in Medieval Constantinople: Culture, Politics, and the Roman Past in the Middle Byzantine Period. Presented at: Uses of the Past in Past Societies: A Global Perspective, held June 11 and 12, 2013 at The British Academy, London 15 | SNFCHS
In addition, he participated in several SFU SNF Center functions and attended the history graduate student conference at Qualicum in January of 2014. His article, "The Effect of non-Juridical Gender Constructions on Legal Developments. Some General Considerations Through the Case of Abortion,” was published in a volume of the proceedings of the conference "Gender Difference in European Legal Cultures” at the University of Frankfurt am Main (Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2013), 155-174.
In addition, Dr. Kotsovili was invited to participate in the Conference on Strategies to Promote Greek Education in Canada that took place in Ottawa, in October of 2013, organized by the Embassy of Greece in Canada, in cooperation with the Office of Educational Counsellor in Canada and Midwestern United States, the Office of Greek Education of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto and the Hellenic Community of Ottawa. During the conference, she presented the courses made available through the Odysseas Online Language Tutor developed at the SNF New Media Lab at SFU.
erika spyropoulos’
art show
On Wednesday, April 3, 2013, the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies Arts & Letters Committee hosted an auction of Mrs. Erika Spyropoulos’ artwork, with the proceeds going toward the MAHI Society, a Vancouver non-profit group who work toward assisting the most vulnerable facing adverse conditions both here and in Greece. The event was a great success, and the evening was enjoyed by SFU faculty, staff, and students, as well as members of the local Hellenic and Chinese communities.
Left to Right: Beverley Gerolymatos, Sophia Tsakumis, Golfo Tsakumis, Christina Zambous, Anna Zibbaras, Erika Spyropoulos 16 | SNFCHS
vancouver strategic studies conference
Featuring Robert Fisk
The 2013 Vancouver Strategic Studies Conference was held on Friday, April 26 and Saturday April 27, hosted by the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies and the Royal United Services Institute – Vancouver. On Friday evening, award winning journalist and Middle East correspondent for The Independent, Mr. Robert Fisk offered his views and opinions on the issues concerning Syria and the Middle East and participated in a round table discussion, moderated by SFU FASS Dean Dr. John Craig. The roundtable panel consisted of Dr. André Gerolymatos, Mr. Kam Razavi from Global News, former Ambassador to Jordan Mr. Mike Molloy, Colonel (ret’d) Patrick Dennis, and Major-General (ret’d) Edward Fitch. On Saturday, Mr. Mike Molloy, Mr. Stewart Muir (former Deputy Editor – Vancouver Sun), Colonel (ret’d) Patrick Dennis, Commodore Scott Bishop, Robert Fisk, and Major-General (ret’d) Edward Fitch each gave thought provoking presentations that brought several ques-
17 | SNFCHS
tions from the audience. The day concluded with an informative panel discussion on the topic “The Middle East, Israel, Palestine, Iran – Is Diplomacy Dead?” moderated by award winning Afgan-Canadian director, actor, journalist, and author, Nelofer Pazira. Closing remarks were given by Conference organizer and RUSI Director Colonel (ret’d) Keith Maxwell.
Top: André Gerolymatos, Kam Razavi, Robert Fisk and Dean John Craig Bottom Left: (Seated) Major-General (ret'd) Ed Fitch, Colonel (ret'd) Patrick Dennis, Mike Molloy Bottom Right: André Gerolymatos, Kam Razavi
Top Left: Ioannis Milios, Georgios Stathakis, Consul General Ilias Kremmydas and André Gerolymatos Top Right: Dean John Craig
LEADING GREECE BACK TO GROWTH Roundtable Discussion
By Dimitris Krallis SYRIZA’s North American tour: A shift towards the centre of the political spectrum and a sense of political sobriety belied by domestic Greek rhetoric
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On 18 January 2013, the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies hosted two leading members of SYRIZA’s financial team, Dr. Ioannis Milios and Dr. Georgios Stathakis, who joined us on their way to meet SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras and other party members on their first North American tour as members of Greece’s presumed government in waiting. Dr. John Craig, Dean of SFU’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, moderated the roundtable discussion, which also included SFU Economics professor Dr. Stephen T. Easton and Dr. Geoff Mann, Director of the Centre for Global Political Economy at SFU. The event took place at SFU’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue in Vancouver where Dr. Stathakis and Dr. Milios presented SYRIZA’s assessment of the causes of the Greek financial crisis and depression and developed, somewhat more vaguely, their positions on a future economic policy of the left.
19 | SNFCHS
During the presentations of the two professors and the round table discussion that followed, the audience was exposed to a serious analysis of the causes of the Greek crisis that avoided generalizations that at times characterized the rhetoric of the party in the past. Without broaching difficult issues for their political clientele, such as the size of the public sector, the two speakers presented their ideas for a Greece firmly pegged on the Euro, with active banking, tourist and shipping sectors, and a developing green economy. Dr. Milios and Dr. Stathakis assume as a given the need for drastic reforms both in legal frameworks that regulate financial activity and investments (tax legislation, bureaucracy, labour) as well as in the staffing of various services. Such reforms are envisaged as part of a policy that will seek the effective collection of taxes and social security contributions from those parts of the Greek elite, which, according
to SYRIZA’s reading of the crisis, have been shirking their responsibilities for decades. In general, SYRIZA’s measured presence combined with its members’ analysis of the political dimensions of the financial crisis, won over the audience, who is now looking forward to something as convincing on what is to be done in practical terms. Here things remain hazier, even though an honest observer would have to accept that the situation is not necessarily clearer when it comes to the current government’s austerity driven and yet fully statist policies. Unfortunately in the months since SYRIZA’s American trip the party’s seesaw between economic pragmatism and quixotic populism has not abated, the voices of unreality reinforced perhaps by the steady rise of the party in the polls.
THE Poetry of Cavafy By Eirini Kotsovili
On November 19, 2013, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies together with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, the Consulate General of Greece in Vancouver, the World Literature Program at Simon Fraser University and the Vancouver International Film Festival celebrated the 150th anniversary of the birth of poet Constantine P. Cavafy (1863-1933). The event brought together members of the Vancouver community who filled the Vancity Theatre. The celebration commenced with a welcome address from the Director of the SNF Centre for
Hellenic Studies, Dr. André Gerolymatos, followed by the Consul General of Greece in Vancouver, Mr. Ilias Kremmydas. In addition, the Director of the World Literature Program at Simon Fraser University, Dr. Ken Seigneurie, presented a talk on Cavafy’s Alexandria on the history of the renowned poet and the city. Subsequently, the first of three musical interludes took place. Mr. Malcolm Toms, musician and board member of the Society of the Friends of the Early Music Studio, performed an intimate, thoughtfully selected range of classical music by European composers that mirrored the personality of the poet
and allowed for further reflection on the poet’s work and legacy. During the musical interlude, research associate of the SNF Centre for Hellenic studies, Mrs. Vana Mastori, read the poem ‘Thermopylae’ thus initiating the audience members into the work of the poet. Then, Mr. Christopher Gaze, founder and artistic Director of Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, took the stage and captured his audience with his moving and engrossing delivery of a selection of historical, sensual and philosophical poems; his performance was uniquely powerful. Audience members were also presented with selected
Left to Right: André Gerolymatos, Eirini Kotsovili, Maria Hamilton, Vasiliki Mastori, Christopher Gaze, Beverley Gerolymatos, Consul General Ilias Kremmydas 20 | SNFCHS
artwork and visuals relating to the poet, such as his portrait by the distinguished painter Yannis Psychopedis and photographs from the Cavafy Museum in Alexandria obtained for the event by the Consul General of Greece in Vancouver, Mr. Ilias Kremmydas, in collaboration with his counterpart in the Consulate General of Greece in Alexandria.
21 | SNFCHS
EVENTS SNF CENTRE FOR HELLENIC STUDIES
THE STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION CENTRE FOR HELLENIC STUDIES AT SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
SNF CENTRE FOR HELLENIC STUDIES
T H E S TA V R O S N I A R C H O S F O U N D AT I O N C E N T R E F O R H E L L E N I C S T U D I E S AT S I M O N F R A S E R U N I V E R S I T Y
PRESENTS
PRESENTS
Dr. Takis Pappas OCT 2, 2013, 6PM
THE PRESSURES ON SOUTHERN EUROPEAN DEMOCRACIES: Between old-style populism and new-style activism
By Dr. Othon Anastasakis
1:30pm, Thursday March 28 2013 Room AQ 6229 Dr Othon Anastasakis is Director of the
South East European Studies at Oxford (SEESOX), and the current Director of the European Studies Centre. He studied Economics at the University of Athens, Comparative Politics and International Relations at Columbia University, New York and obtained his PhD in Comparative Government from the London School of Economics. He was previously Research Fellow at the London School of Economics; Expert & Advisor on European Union matters at the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Lecturer at the National School of Administration in Athens. He has written extensively on comparative authoritarian regimes, the European extreme right, EU's eastern enlargement, EU-Balkan relations and Greek foreign policy. His current focus is on democratisation and transition in the Balkans and Turkey's accession into the European Union.
SFU Harbour Centre 1600 Canfor Policy Room
EUROPE’S NEW ‘WEIMAR REPUBLIC’?
Legitimation Crisis, Party System Change, and The Rise Of Political Extremism In Greece
SNF CENTRE FOR HELLENIC STUDIES
Thursday, September 26th 11:45am to 12:45pm AQ 6204 SNF CENTRE FOR HELLENIC STUDIES SEMINAR SERIES
POLITICS OF FORGETTING
NEW ZEALAND-GREEK RELATIONSHIP 1941 – 1945 Martyn Brown
“…a study which examines the relationship between two largely unconnected nations and with a genesis during two, PhD Candidate University of Queensland (Australia) in part, simultaneous wars – the international conflict of the Second World War and Greek civil war.”
As space is limited, please RSVP to hsevents@sfu.ca
Dr. Takis Pappas
is an associate professor of comparative politics in the Department of Balkan, Slavic & Oriental Studies of the University of Macedonia, Greece, and is currently at the Institut d’Études Politiques, University of Strasbourg, France.
FREE ADMISSION Reservations are recommended RSVP: hsevents@sfu.ca
IN COOPERATION WITH THE SCHOOL FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
Dr. Othon Anastasakis
Martyn Brown
Dr. Takis Pappas
The SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies hosted Oxford professor Dr. Othon Anastasakis, Director of South East European Studies at Oxford (SEESOX) and Director of the European Studies Centre.
In September, the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies was a stopover for University of Queensland (Australia) PhD candidate Martyn Brown, who was travelling to visit archives in Washington DC via Simon Fraser University in order to continue research for his thesis “Politics of Forgetting: New Zealand – Greek Relationships 1941-1945”, a study which examines the relationship between two largely unconnected nations with a genesis during the Second World War and the Greek Civil War. Mr. Brown gave a presentation on his findings so far while staying at SFU’s Burnaby campus for a week, conducting research and exchanging ideas with the faculty and staff of Hellenic Studies.
In October, the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies hosted Dr. Takis Pappas of the University of Macedonia's Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies. Dr. Pappas, an Associate Professor of Comparative Politics, discussed the legitimation crisis, party system change, and the rise of political extremism in Greece at SFU's Vancouver campus. He also gave a seminar at SFU's Burnaby campus, "Populist Democracies: Post-authoritarian Greece and Post-communist Hungary.
In March 27th, Hellenic Studies organized, in co-operation with Pharos, the Canadian Hellenic Cultural Society, and the Hellenic Canadian Congress of BC, a lecture for the Greek community in Vancouver by Dr. Anastasakis , titled “Democracy in a State of Confusion: The Political Implications of Greece’s Great Depression”. At SFU’s Burnaby campus, he gave a lecture titled ‘The Pressures on Southern European Democracies: Between old-style populism and new-style activism” to a group of History and Hellenic Studies students and professors.
22 | SNFCHS
HELLENIC
STUDIES
PROGRAM
SNF CENTRE FOR HELLENIC STUDIES
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies in cooperation with The School for International Studies Present
A MOST VICIOUS WEAPON: &
RAPE
WAR
THE SNF CENTRE FOR HELLENIC STUDIES AT SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
Screenings at 22 Modern Greek Studies Programs of selected US and Canadian Universities in Fall 2013 -Winter 2014 have been made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation
13 December 2013 - 6:00 to 8:00 Room 1800 (Terasen Cinema) Harbour Centre, Vancouver
SMYRNA
SMYRNA: THE DESTRUCTION OF A COSMOPOLITAN CITY 1900-1922
A lecture on the phenomenon of rape in war and the use of rape as a strategic weapon.
Dr. Amikam Nachmani
Political Studies Department Bar Ilan University, Israel
WHEN & WHERE
Friday, November 22nd 12:30pm to 2:30pm
Harbour Centre Rm 7000 - Earl & Jennie Lohn Policy Room
Screenwriter, Director MARIA ILIOU • Historical consultant ΑLEXANDER KITROEFF Μusic ΝIKOS PLATYRACHOS • Editing ΑLIKI PANAGI • Cinematography ALLEN MOORE Sound recordist JOHN ZECCA • Sound mix GIORGOS MIKROGIANNAKIS • Production PROTEUS
Sponsors of the documentary ΑRGYROS FOUNDATION • NICHOLAS J. BOURAS & ANNA K. BOURAS FOUNDATION JAMES CHANOS • HELLENIC BROADCASTING CORPORATION S.A. MARIANTHI FOUNDATION • BODOSSAKIS FOUNDATION With the kind support of ΤHE J. F. COSTOPOULOS FOUNDATION Screenings at 22 selected U.S. and Canadian Universities made possible by a grand from the
As space is limited, please RSVP to: hsevents@sfu.ca
PROTEUS
www.smyrnadocumentary.org
Cavafy
Dr. Amikam Nachmani
Smyrna
In November, the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies together with the World Literature Program at SFU hosted a seminar presentation that reflected on Cavafy's work, translation and memory. Dr. Karen Emmerich, Assistant Professor at the University of Oregan presented "Translation and Cannonization of CP Cavafy." Dr. Nektaria Klapaki, Assistant Professor at the University of Washington's Jackson School of International Studies, spoke on "Memory, Crisis, and Epiphany in Cavafy and Proust."
In November, the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies in cooperation with the School for International Studies welcomed Dr. Amikam Nachmani from Bar Ilan University in Israel to SFU's Vancouver campus. Dr. Nachmani presented a lecture on the phenomenon of rape in war and the use of rape as a strategic weapon.
In December, the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies presented the screening Smyrna: The Destruction of a Cosmopolitan City at SFU's Vancouver campus. The film artfully depicted the exodus of Smyrna's Greek population during the destruction of the city.
23 | SNFCHS
The screening, which also took place in 21 other selected Modern Greek Studies Programs of U.S. and Canadian universities, was made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
PhD STUDENTS
Julian Brooks
James Horncastle
On Thursday, November 21, 2013, Julian Brooks successfully defended his PhD thesis with distinction. Everyone at the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies extends their congratulations to Dr. Brooks, we thank him for his considerable contribution to the Hellenic Studies Program and wish him the very best.
Research interests include: Civil-Military Relations, Military History, International Relations, Security Studies, South-East Europe, and the Near East.
Dissertation Title: Managing Macedonia: British Statecraft, Intervention, and ‘Proto-peacekeeping’ in Ottoman Macedonia, 1902-1905 Thesis Abstract: Political violence in Ottoman Macedonia in 1902-03 prompted the European powers to impose stronger reform measures on the Ottoman Empire. This study analyzes British policy toward Macedonia during the Balfour administration from 1902 to 1905 through a detailed examination of diplomacy, domestic politics, and events ‘on the ground.’ The main contention is that the British maintained a proactive and solution-oriented policy within the framework of the multilateral reform process. Importantly, they sought to calm the violence through the establishment of a prototypical peacekeeping force. When events escalated during the Ilinden Uprising in the summer of 1903, British officials were able to respond effectively and even opportunistically, using knowledge and pragmatism to navigate through the crisis. The British government positioned itself to recover from the crisis in the short term and play a more prominent role in the fledging Mürzsteg Reform Program. The British became convinced that the deployment of European military attachés or soldiers was the key to bringing peace to Ottoman Macedonia. Their ideas for this ‘peacekeeping’ force and a stronger reform mandate was influenced by previous interventions in the Ottoman Empire, local observations in Macedonia, and knowledge gleaned from imperial rule. The relative success the British officers enjoyed convinced British officials to lobby for a more robust deployment and mandate. Although the Mürzsteg Reform Program was short-lived, it stands as an intriguing chapter in the conceptual history of peacekeeping, and suggests that early peacekeeping was the product of an imperial genealogy. 24 | SNFCHS
Working Dissertation Title: The Pawn that would be King: Slavo-Macedonians in the Greek Civil War, 1946-1949 Thesis Abstract: My dissertation examines the role that Slavophone Macedonians had in the Greek Civil War (1946-9), and how their disproportionate numbers within the communist-led Democratic Army of Greece not only influenced the decision making processes of the Greek participants but external actors as well. While all aspects of the Greek Civil War remain open to considerable, and contentious, debate the involvement of Slavophone Macedonians within the Democratic Army of Greece remains one of the most controversial aspects as it ties into the national narratives of both Greece and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This, in turn, has led the field to be dominated by nationalist polemics from all parties. My research seeks to overcome this issue by employing sources from all parties in the conflict, with a specific focus on the Greek communists, the Greek nationalists, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, and the United States. Doing so allows me to create a comprehensive account of how a minority group was able to influence the course of events in a civil war beyond what was otherwise possible in peacetime.
M.A. STUDENTS
Christopher Dickert
Sarah Inglis
Huangyi Jiang
Working Dissertation Title: Byzantium, Political Agency, and the City: A Case Study in Urban Autonomy During the Norman Conquest of Southern Italy
Working Dissertation Title: Danza de la Muerte: Greek Arms Dealing in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939
Working Dissertation Title: Constructing Ethnicity: Greek Immigration to the United States and Canada
Thesis Abstract: In September 1936, both General Ioannis Metaxas and King George II declared it illegal for Greeks to intervene in the ongoing Spanish Civil War. This declaration included a prohibition on the exportation and re-exportation of weapons. Nonetheless, members of the Greek government permitted Prodomos Bodosakis Athanasiadis, a close friend of Metaxas, and the Greek Powder and Cartridge Company (GPCC) to ship and supply weapons to both sides in the Spanish conflict on a large scale. The objective of this thesis is to examine Greece’s weapons and ammunition dealings during Spanish Civil War as well as Greece’s internal and foreign policies that allowed for these dealings to occur. This thesis will contend that high-ranking members of the Greek government helped Bodosakis and the GPCC to sell munitions to both sides the conflict out of economic opportunities as opposed to furthering the nations’ ideology.
Thesis Abstract: My thesis will compare early twentieth century Greek immigration communities in the United States and Canada. Given that from the late nineteenth century until the mid-twentieth century, most of the Greek immigrants were motivated by economic problems, their experiences in North America shared significant similarities. However, after they arrived and settled down, they faced different circumstances, and had to modify their behaviour according to different geographical, social, and political environments. This created a third space where Greek immigrant and host cultures merged. My thesis will compare Greek immigration communities in Vancouver, Toronto, San Francisco, and Salt Lake City, and focus on these communities’ voluntary associations, major leaders, and common Greek immigrants’ attempts and efforts to negotiate this third space.
Thesis Abstract: At the turn of the first millennium, a group of Norman adventurers arrived in the Byzantine territories of southern Italy and within a century had conquered the entire region, putting an end to imperial rule in the Mezzogiorno. This thesis examines the reactions of cities to the Norman Conquest as imperial forces crumbled in the face of their advance. After centuries of Byzantine rule in the region, urban polities had grown accustomed to a mode of government that acknowledged the legitimacy of popular political participation, which may have had its roots in the often ignored republican heritage of citizens of the Eastern Roman Empire. The presence of political agency challenges our conception of imperial authority as tyrannical and unresponsive. In the final analysis, cities exhibited hitherto unacknowledged political agency as they sought to defend their urban autonomy during the transition to Norman rule at the close of the eleventh century.
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AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS Nick Kravariotis Memorial Endowment Fund supporting the Nick Kravariotis Memorial Graduate Scholarship in Hellenic Studies
In Memoriam: The Maria Brastianos Prize for Graduate Students Maria Brastianos embodied a passion for life and knowledge. She was a voracious reader of the Greek classics, cherishing the ideals and purposes that have been passed down from Herodotus, Plato, Homer, and others. She immersed herself in the dialogue and wisdom of humanity first recorded by the ancients. One of her great gifts was her ability to inspire those who knew her to strive towards a purpose larger than themselves. To name a few examples, she inspired students to enter medical school or pursue graduate degrees even under the most challenging of circumstances, she empowered a scientist to write a textbook, a teacher to enter the public sector and become a successful politician. Each individual who had the honor of knowing her drew strength from her exuberance and pursuit of knowledge. She seized every opportunity to learn, even during her valiant fight with breast cancer and she epitomized courage, vitality and selflessness. This award will keep the memory of her legacy alive, and will continue to inspire future generations of students.
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The Nick Kravariotis Memorial Endowment Fund was established in 1998 by family, friends and colleagues of Nick Kravariotis. The Endowment supports the Nick Kravariotis Memorial Graduate Scholarship in Hellenic Studies. The scholarship is awarded on the basis of academic excellence to students who are enrolled in the Hellenic Studies Graduate Program at Simon Fraser University.
Charalambos (Harry) & Helene Katevatis Graduate Scholarship Endowment Fund supporting the Katevatis Graduate Scholarship in Hellenic Studies The Charalambos (Harry) and Helene Katevatis Graduate Scholarship Endowment Fund was established in 2009 through generous donations from Harry and Helene Katevatis and matching funds from the Burnaby Mountain Endowment Fund Matching Program. The purpose of the Katevatis Graduate Scholarship in Hellenic Studies is to promote knowledge and understanding regarding Hellenism, including Greek history, language, and literature, by providing financial support to graduate students whose research focuses on some aspect of this topic.
SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies Graduate Scholarship These two scholarships come out of the generous endowment donated by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and are intended to support Hellenic Studies graduate students at the MA and PhD level with multi year funding.
SNF Graduate Fellowships in International Studies (Hellenic Studies) These two fellowships also come from the generous endowment donated by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and are intended for students from the School for International Studies whose focus is on Hellenic Studies.
2013 Courses offered Hist 304 – Alexander the Great and the Quest for World Empire (online) Hist 307 – Venetians and Ottomans in the Eastern Mediterranean and Greece (Doxiadis) Hist 307 – From Glory to Debt: Greece from the 19th to 21st Century (Doxiadis) Hist 308 – From Constantine to the End of the Dark Ages: Roman History at the End of Antiquity, 3rd – 8th Centuries (Krallis) Hist 277 – History of Greek Civilization (online) Hist 460 – Fantasy Empire – Byzantine History in Modern Fiction (Krallis) Hist 485 – On Women: European Ideas and Debates Regarding Women from the Renaissance to the Present (Doxiadis) Hist 485 – A Deadly Peninsula: Violence in Greece and the Balkans in the 19th and 21st Century (Doxiadis)
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Hist 894/485 – War & Society: Conventional, Political, and Asymmetrical Conflicts 1870-2010 (Gerolymatos)
IS 409 – State Building and State Failures in the Balkans: From Greece to Yugoslavia and Back Again (Doxiadis)
Hum 309 – Literatures and the Arts Across Cultures: Reflections on Civil War (Kotsovili)
GRK 110 - Modern Greek for Beginners I
Hum 332 – Mythology in Context: Greek Mythological Figures in Contemporary Greek Literature (Kotsovili)
GRK 210 - Modern Greek Intermediate I
Hum 360 – Great Themes in the Humanities Traditions: Reflections on the Individuals, Identity, and Selfhood (Kotsovili) Hum 390 – Directed Studies in the Humanities / 20th C. Greek Literature (Kotsovili)
GRK 160 - Modern Greek for Beginners II
GRK 260 - Modern Greek Intermediate II
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre For Hellenic Studies Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive Burnaby, BC Canada V5A 1S6 t. 778.782.5886 | f. 778.782.4929 | snfchs@sfu.ca Facebook: friendsofhellenicstudies Twitter: @sfuhellenic Website: www.sfu.ca/snfchs FACULTY AND STAFF AndrĂŠ Gerolymatos Director and Chair Dimitris Krallis Associate Professor Evdoxios Doxiadis Lecturer Eirini Kotsovili Lecturer
Maria Hamilton Administrative and Academic Manager Colleen Pescott Secretary to the Director/Program Assistant James Horncastle Researcher
NEW MEDIA LAB Costas Dedegikas Technology Manager/ Creative Director Sally Huang Online Course Developer/Chinese Language Support Yidi Hou Creative Support/Graphic Designer Kostas Poulakidas Junior Software Engineer
Polychronis Kampylis Senior Software Engineer Konstantinos Kontos iOS/OS X Engineer Tasos Skikos Online Course Developer/Technical Support Stephanie Chow Communications & Marketing
GREEK LANGUAGE PROGRAM Eirini Kotsovili Greek Language Program Coordinator
Athanasis Bravos Instructor/Research Associate
Aikaterina Kalyva Instructor/Research Associate
Vasiliki Mastori Instructor/Research Associate