A Small Symposium on “Who Are The Greeks? The Evolution of Greek Identity Over The Ages”
as part of the 8th Annual International Conference on Humanities & Arts in a Global World
4-7 January 2021, Athens, Greece
Sponsored by the Athens Journal of History
The Arts, Humanities and Education Division of ATINER is organizing a Small Symposium on “Who Are The Greeks? The Evolution of Greek Identity Over The Ages” as part of the 8th Annual International Conference on Humanities & Arts in a Global World which will be held in Athens, Greece on 4-7 January 2021. The symposium is sponsored by the Athens Journal of History.
Since their earliest writings, Greeks grappled with the question of identity, aware that the different Greek tribes belonged in a Hellenic ἔθνος (nation) and declaring succinctly to the world that “πᾶς μὴ Ἕλλην βάρβαρος”, every non-Greek is a barbarian. Nevertheless, they were also aware that each Greek tribe’s unique characteristics kept it separate from other Greeks. Throughout their long history, the Greeks struggled to self-define as Hellenes but also link themselves to other nations, in the way the Romans brunched out in the West, creating kindred nations and cognate languages throughout Europe. But for the Greeks, this did not happen. Despite the long-lasting hold and influence their language and culture had in the East, the closest they ever came to it was Percy Shelley’s declaration “We are all Greeks”, acknowledging that Western laws, literature, religion and arts have their roots in Greece. At the same time, Greece being at the crossroads between East and West, with one “leg” in Europe and another in Asia Minor, a historically Greek region, they have oscillated culturally and politically between Eastern and Western leanings, influences and affections, even throughout the Byzantine period and up to the modern age. The struggle seemed to be “settled” when a Greek politician famously declared in 1977, “Ανήκομεν εἰς τήν Δύσιν”, we belong in the West. Yet, as if to prove him wrong, the Greeks have not stopped repeating the self-identification as “ανάδελφον έθνος”, a nation without any kindred races anywhere in the world. Therefore, for this symposium, we are looking for papers that will address the question of Greek identity, ancient and modern, as well as the impact of definitions. You may participate as presenter of one paper or observer.
Fee structure information is available on www.atiner.gr/fees.
Special arrangements will be made with a local hotel for a limited number of rooms at a special conference rate. In addition, a number of special events will be organized: A pragmatic symposium (as organized in Ancient Athens but fine tuned to synchronous ethics), a special one-day educational island tour, an Athens educational walking tour, and an one-day visit to Delphi. Details of the social program are available here.
Please submit an abstract (email only) to: atiner@atiner.gr, using the abstract submission form by the 23 November 2020 to: Dr. Tatiana Tsakiropoulou-Summers, Director, Athens Center for Classical & Byzantine Studies (ACCBS) & Associate Professor, The University of Alabama, USA. Please include: Title of Paper, Full Name (s), Current Position, Institutional Affiliation, an email address and at least 3 keywords that best describe the subject of your submission. Decisions will be reached within four weeks of your submission.
If your submission is accepted, you will receive information on registration deadlines and paper submission requirements. Should you wish to participate in the Conference without presenting a paper, for example, to chair a session, to evaluate papers which are to be included in the conference proceedings or books, to contribute to the editing of a book, or any other contribution, please send an email to Dr. Gregory T. Papanikos, President, ATINER (president@atiner.gr).
ATINER was established in 1995 as an independent academic association and its mission is to act as a forum, where academics and researchers – from all over the world – can meet in Athens in order to exchange ideas on their research and to discuss future developments in their disciplines.
The organizing and hosting of International Conferences and Symposiums, the carrying out of Research, and the production of Publications are the basic activities of ATINER. Since 1995, ATINER has organized more than 400 International Conferences and other events, and has published close to 200 books. In 2012, the Association launched a series of conference paper publications (click here), and at the beginning of 2014, it introduced its own series of Journals (click here).
Academically, the Association is organized into 6 Divisions and 37 Units and 6 Centers. Each Unit organizes at least an Annual International Conference, and may also undertake various small and large research projects.
Academics and Researchers are more than welcome to become members and to contribute to ATINER’s objectives. If you would like to become a member, please download the relevant form (membership form). For more information on how to become a member, please send an email to: info@atiner.gr.