A Symposium on “Cyprus: History, Memory and Politics”
as part of the 19th Annual International Conference on Mediterranean Studies
30-31 March & 1-2 April 2026, Athens, Greece
The Athens Institute is organizing a Symposium on “Cyprus: History, Memory and Politics” as part of the 19th Annual International Conference on Mediterranean Studies, 30-31 March & 1-2 April 2026, Athens, Greece, sponsored by the Athens Journal of Mediterranean Studies.
Located at the heart of the Mediterranean, Cyprus is an island where trade routes, peoples and empires have intersected throughout history. It is not only at the centre of regional politics but also of a multi-layered social and cultural interaction. Cyprus is one of the most intense spaces for debates on regional geopolitics, identity, belonging and sovereignty. Since the second half of the twentieth century, the Cyprus Issue has been examined not only as an issue of division but also as an area where post-colonial state-building, international interventions, nationalism, security concerns and social memory intersect.
This session aims to bring together researchers from different fields of social sciences to rethink Cyprus in its historical, political, cultural and economic contexts and to discuss the Cyprus Issue from different disciplinary perspectives. The session aims to discuss Cyprus’s position in the Mediterranean world, its post-colonial transformations, social memory and identity constructions, practices of conflict and reconciliation, forms of cultural production, and transnational interactions from an interdisciplinary perspective. In addition to studies addressing the political, social, and cultural dynamics of the island within a framework of historical continuity and transformation, the session will also cover the reflections of the issue in the context of the Mediterranean geography, the European Union, the Middle East, and Eastern Mediterranean energy policies.
Presentations may come from different disciplines such as history, political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, cultural studies, literature, and art history. Participants are expected to contribute both empirically and theoretically.
Presentations may cover but are not limitted to the following topics:
- Social memory, loss, trauma and reconciliation policies
- The division of the island, borders and mobility
- Cypriot identity, multiculturalism and citizenship
- Art, literature and cultural production in Cyprus
- Energy policies, ecology and sustainability in the Mediterranean
- The Cypriot diaspora and transnational affiliations
- The European Union, the Eastern Mediterranean and regional diplomacy
- The historical background of the Cyprus Problem and the legacy of colonialism
- The 1960 Republic and power-sharing models
- Post-1974 division, borders and negotiation processes
- UN peace initiatives, the guarantor system and international law
- The European Union and Cyprus: integration, representation, sovereignty
- Nationalism, identity and otherness discourses in Cyprus
- Representations of the Cyprus Problem in media, art and literature
- Eastern Mediterranean energy policies, security and cooperation perspectives
- The future of the island: federation, confederation and new models
You may participate as a presenter of one paper and/or an attendee.
Please submit an abstract (email only) to: atiner@atiner.gr, using the abstract submission form by 2 December 2025 to Dr. Utku Ozer, Research Fellow, Athens Institute. Abstracts should include the following: Title of Paper, Full Name (s), Affiliation, Current Position, an email address, and at least 3 keywords that best describe the subject of your submission. Decisions are reached within 4 weeks.
