Steering Group

• Professor Ruth Livesey, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation)
• Professor Giuliana Pieri, Vice-Principal (International), Executive Dean, School of Humanities
• Professor Robert Eaglestone, Vice-Dean for Research, School of Humanities
• Professor Daniel Beer, Head of History Department
• Professor Christos Kremmydas, Head of Classics Department
• Professor Jane Hamlett, Head of Research, History Department, Director of Holocaust Research Institute
• Dr Charalambos Dendrinos, Director of The Hellenic Institute
• Dr Achilleas Hadjikyriacou, Deputy Director of the Hellenic Institute, Director of Centre for Greek Diaspora Studies
• Dr Paris Papamichos Chronakis, Lecturer in Modern Greek History
• Professor Veronica della Dorra, Co-Director, Centre for the GeoHumanities
• Professor Mike Edwards, Honorary Research Fellow
• + Michael Heslop, Honorary Fellow (2002-2021)
• Dr John Kittmer, GCOP
• Mrs Edmée Leventis, OBE, Honorary Fellow (2000-2023)
• Mrs Louisa Leventis, Executive Director, A. G. Leventis Foundation
• Professor Francis Robinson, CBE, DL

Associated Staff

• Professor Richard Alston, BA, PhD: Roman history, especially Roman Egypt; urbanism in the ancient world; Roman arm
• Professor Kate Cooper, BA, MTS, PhD: The Mediterranean world in the Roman period, particularly daily life and the family, religion and gender, social identity; early Christianity, Christian saints and martyrs
• Professor Veronica Della Dora, BA, PhD: Cultural and historical geography; landscape studies; history of cartography; Byzantine and post-Byzantine sacred geographies
• Charalambos Dendrinos, MA, PhD (Senior Lecturer): Byzantine literature and Greek palaeography; editing and transmission of Byzantine texts
• Professor Mike Edwards, BA, PhD (Honorary Research Fellow): Classical oratory and rhetoric; Greek palaeography and textual criticism.
• Professor Manolis Galenianos, MA, PhD: Contemporary Greek economy; the Greek financial crisis.
• Liz Gloyn MA, PhD (Lecturer): Reception of classical Greece in popular culture, with a particular interest in film and children's literature.
• David Gwynn, MA, DPhil (Reader): Late Antique history and theology
• Professor Jonathan Harris, MA, PhD: Byzantine history, 1000-1453; Byzantium and the West, especially during the Crusades and the Italian Renaissance
• Richard Hawley, MA, DPhil (Senior Lecturer): Greek literature, especially drama; Greek social history; women in classical antiquity; later Greek literature
• Christopher Hobbs, MA, PhD (Teaching Fellow in Byzantine and Medieval History): Byzantine History and Historiography, Byzantium and the West
• Professor Andrew Jotischky, MPhil, PhD (History): Byzantium and the West, Byzantium and the Latin East; Eastern and Western Monasticism
  
• Christos Kremmydas, MA, PhD (Lecturer): Greek rhetoric and oratory (especially Demosthenes); Athenian political and social history (especially law); Greek papyrology
• Nick Lowe, MA, PhD (Reader): Greek and Latin literature, especially comedy; Greek religion
• David Natal Villazala MA, PhD (Lecturer), Head of the ERC-project 'Connected Clerics', Christianity in Late Antiquity
• Professor Jari Pakkanen, BA, PhD: Greek archaeology and Architecture; the methodology of architectural reconstructions
• Paris Papamichos Chronakis, MA, PhD (Lecturer), Modern Greek History, Greek Jewry, Interrelations among Jews, Christians and Muslims in the Balkans, Greek cities, Greek Diaspora 
• Professor Francis Robinson, MA, PhD: Greek influence on Islamic thought
• Professor Lene Rubinstein, MA, PhD: Athenian social history; Athenian oratory and law; papyrology; Roman Egypt
• John Sellars, MA, PhD (Reader): Hellenistic philosophy, the Stoic tradition
• Efi Spentzou, MA, DPhil (Reader): Reception of the classical tradition, especially in modern Greece; classics and modern critical thought
• Polymnia Tsagouria, MA, PhD (Tutor seconded by Greek Ministry of Education): Modern Greek language, literature and culture
• Barbara Zipser, PhD (Senior Lecturer): Byzantine manuscripts; Greek medicine; history of texts

Research Associates

• Revd Andreas Andreopoulos, MA, PhD (Reader, Research Associate): Orthodox Christianity; Early and Orthodox ecclesiology; Christian Semiotics in Iconography, Liturgy and Holy Tradition
• Samuel Barnish, MA, DPhil (former Lecturer): Early Christianity; transformation of the Roman world; Italy in the fifth and sixth centuries AD; Cassiodorus
• Toby Bromige, MA, PhD (Lecturer): Byzantium and Armenia, Byzantium and the Crusades
• Lia Chisacof, PhD (Honorary Research Associate): Post-Byzantine studies; Greek palaeography; modern Greek language and literature; Greek authors in the Romanian principalities (18th-20th c.)
• Professor Emeritus Richard Clogg, MA, DPhil (Honorary Research Associate): Modern Greek history
• Professor John Demetracopoulos, MA, PhD (Research Associate): Byzantine philosophy and theology, editor-in-chief of "Thomas de Aquino Byzantinus Project"
• Laura Franco, MA, PhD (Research Associate): Byzantine literature and hagiography, editions of Byzantine texts, Greek palaeography
• Achilleas Hadjikyriacou, MA, MRes, PhD (Research Associate): Greek and Cypriot Diaspora; Greek Cinema and Gender
• + Michael Heslop, MA (Honorary Research Associate, Honorary Fellow): The defence system of Rhodes and the Dodecanese in the medieval period (d. 5 April 2022)
• James M. Holt, MA (Research Associate): Greek paleography; editing of Greek texts
• Professor Emeritus Peregrine Horden, MA (Research Associate): Byzantine medicine; the Mediterranean world
• + Kostas Kalimtzis, PhD (Honorary Research Associate): Greek philosophical and political thought (d. 17 November 2021)
• Lakis Kaounides, BSc, BComm, MA, FRSA (Senior Teaching Fellow): Political and Socio-economic impact of Climate change in contemporary Greece and Cyprus; Science, Technology and Industrial Strategies for socio-economic development of Greece and Cyprus
• John Karabelas, MA, PhD (Research Associate): Post-Byzantine and modern Greek historiography
• Hieromonk Chrysostomos Koutloumousianos (Stavrides), PhD (Research Associate): Orthodox theology and ecclesiology; Orthodox and Irish spirituality
• Chrysovalantis Kyriacou, MA, PhD (Lecturer, Research Associate), Late Antique, Byzantine and Medieval history and culture; History and culture of Cyprus; Orthodox theology and spirituality.
• Georgios Liakopoulos, MA, PhD (Research Associate): Ottoman Epigraphy and Palaeography, Historical Geography, the Greek world in the Ottoman Empire
• Anthony Luttrell, MA, DPhil (Honorary Research Associate): the Knights Hospitaller on Rhodes and Malta; the Greek population of Rhodes in the Medieval Period
• Maria Rosaria Marchionibus, MA, PhD (Research Associate, University of Naples "L'Orientale"): Byzantine art and architecture; iconography; magic and occult; sacred space
• Brian McLaughlin, MA, MSc, PhD (Research Associate): Byzantine history, 1204-1453; Byzantine historiography and literature
• Andreas Meitanis, MA, PhD (Research Associate, British School at Athens Centenary Fellow): History of Byzantine Studies in Britain; Byzantine literature, history and society; Greek palaeography; history of Greek and Cypriot Diaspora in Southern Africa (19th-20th c.)
• Sebastian F. Moro Tornese, MA, PhD (Research Associate): Ancient Greek philosophy; Neoplatonic aesthetics; philosophy of music; eudaimonia and music in Greek philosophy; Greek philosophy in the modern world
• Nikolaos Moschonas, MA, PhD (Professor Emeritus, Honorary Research Fellow): Greek and Latin palaeography; Byzantine relations with Western Europe
• Fevronia Nousia, MA, PhD (Research Associate): Byzantine literature and education; editions of Byzantine texts; Greek palaeography
• Robin Oakley, MA, DPhil (Honorary Research Fellow): History of Cypriot Diaspora in Britain
• Konstantinos Palaiologos, MA, PhD (Research Associate): editions of Byzantine texts; Orthodox theology; Greek palaeography; member of "Thomas de Aquino Byzantinus Project"
• Vasos Pasiourtides, MA, PhD (Research Associate): editions of Byzantine texts; Orthodox theology; Greek palaeography; member of "Thomas de Aquino Byzantinus Project"
• Nil Palabiyik-Pektas, MA, PhD (Honorary Research Associate): history of the Greek book in the post-Byzantine and early modern period; Greek communities in the Ottoman Empire
• Richard Price, MTh, DPhil (Professor Emeritus, Honorary Research Fellow): history of Christianity; Ecumenical Councils; relations between Greek East and Latin West
• Professor Emeritus Boris Rankov, MA, DPhil (Research associate): Greek triereme project; Roman history; archaeology of the Roman Empire
• Michail Konstantinou-Rizos, MA, PhD (Research Associate): editions of Byzantine texts; Greek and Latin palaeography; member of "Thomas de Aquino Byzantinus Project"
• Professor Emerita Anne Sheppard, MA, DPhil (Research Associate): Greek philosophy, especially Neoplatonism; ancient literary criticism
• Philip Taylor (Honorary Research Associate): Porphyrogenitus Project, TeX editing; electronic editions of Byzantine texts
• George Vassiadis, MA, PhD (Research Associate): Modern Greek History; Anglo-Hellenic Relations; Greek Diaspora
• Christopher Wright, MA, PhD (Honorary Research Associate): Greek and Latin palaeography; editing of Greek texts; history of Byzantium and the Latin East; member of "Thomas de Aquino Byzantinus Project"
• Nada Zecevic, MA, PhD (Research Associate): History of Greek Diaspora in the Post-Byzantine and Early-Modern Europe (15th-18th c.); Classical Reception in the Balkans (15th-18th c.)

Visiting scholars

• Tristan Burt, PhD (University of Sydney): Transmission of Platonic Texts in Byzantium and the West
• Annaclara Cataldi Palau, MA, PhD (Visiting Professor): Greek palaeography
• Emmanouil Chalkiadakis. MPhil, PhD (University of Crete): Reception of Greek Antiquity in modern times
• Professor Emeritus Costas N. Constantinides, MA, PhD (University of Ioannina): Byzantine education, history and literature; Greek palaeography

The Hellenic Institute, Royal Holloway, University of London

We are delighted to invite you to our forthcoming events below, organized also in collaboration with other institutions, addressed to students, scholars and the wider public this year. We look forward to seeing you, your family and friends.

You are also welcome to pray and attend meetings and Holy Services with Royal Holloway Multifaith Chaplaincy and the Greek Orthodox Church of St Andrew the Apostle in Englefield Green, Egham.

For a guide to travel to the College, please click here.

2 February-22 March 2024: The Letters of George of Cyprus

40th Anniversary of the University of London Postgraduate Working Seminar on Editing Byzantine Texts

Room 103, Senate House, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU and online via Zoom on Fridays 15:30-17:30 (GMT).

The Seminar is preparing a new annotated edition and translation of the Letters of George of Cyprus (later Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory II, 1283-1289). Scholars and graduate students from Colleges of the University of London and visiting students and scholars from other Universities and research centres are most welcome to participate. This year we are celebrating the 40th Anniversary of our Seminar with a Reception held at Stewart House, University of London on 22 March 2024. The Reunion was attended by 28 current and past members, among whom the founding member Mrs Eirene Harvalia-Crook, Dr John Davis, and Dr Andreas Meitanis; another twenty members sent messages with their good wishes from all over the world, while a special birthday cake was graciously prepared by Mrs Sarah Dooley, to whom we offer our heartfelt thanks. The Seminar will resume its meetings between February and March 2025.

For further information please contact Dr Charalambos Dendrinos and Jack Dooley 

18 March 2024: “Harmonia and eudaimonia” : Greek philosophical ideas on musical education and the pursuit of happiness in the modern world

Twenty-second Annual Hellenic Lecture by Dr Sebastian F. Moro Tornese, with a response by Professor Emerita Anne Sheppard

In memory of Kostas Kalimtzis (1947-2021)

Windsor Building Auditorium, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX at 6.15pm

The lecture delved into the timeless philosophical ideals of harmony, virtue, and a meaningful life, exploring their contemporary relevance in a world often marked by cacophony and dissonance. The notion of cosmic harmony, far from being a mere metaphor or externally attractive image, emerges as an inner transformative symbol with practical value in our modern lives. Framed within the sublime dimension of reality, this symbol expands our imagination, fostering a deep longing for personal and social development in an organic and harmonious form. The concept of a harmonious soul activates our creative imagination, reminding us of our deepest human aspirations. Greek philosophical notions, such as harmonia as a virtue and the pursuit of the most human and better kind of life through exposure to scholê and theoria, as shared ideals practiced in youth education are integral to harmonious societies. Living in harmony with nature gives us the responsibility to create and maintain a harmonious world. We can choose either cacophony or symphony. It is in this context that music creates a space of scholê, where eudaimonia, real happiness, can flourish. Dr Moro Tornese discussed various Pythagorean, Platonic, Aristotelian and Neoplatonic views on virtuous life with relation to music and its contribution to the pursuit of harmonia and eudaimonia in contemporary societies dominated by inharmonious pursuit of material gain and instrumental activities, and then Professor Emerita Anne Sheppard offered a response, while Dr Henry Hobart gave the Vote of Thanks. Hosted by Professor Mark Fellowes, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic Strategy, Planning and Resources), the Lecture was followed by a drinks Reception in the Windsor Building Foyer and Dinner in honour of Dr Tornese and Professor Sheppard in the Picture Gallery, hosted by Professor Ruth Livesay, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation) and Chair of the Hellenic Institute Steering Group. Dedicated to the memory of the distinguished Hellenist Kostas Kalimtzis, the event was attended by 90 students, staff, benefactors, sponsors, supporters and Friends of the Hellenic Institute. The Embassy of Greece was represented by the Consul General of Greece Mr Christos Goulas and the Educational Counsellor Mrs Eirene Veroni; our major benefactor, The A.G. Leventis Foundation, was represented by Mrs Edmée Leventis, former ambassador of Cyprus to UNESCO and member of the Hellenic Institute Steering Group, and her daughter Mrs Louisa Leventis, Executive Director of the Foundation. The family of the honorand also travelled from Greece and elsewhere to join us on this special occasion. Gemma Marenghi and Janice Rodriquez-Mendes from the College Philanthropy & Development Offices were also present.

Organised jointly by The Hellenic Institute and The Friends of the Hellenic Institute, the event was sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Republic of Cyprus. 

Please donate to The Kostas Kalimizis Memorial Bursary Fund in support of our students pursuing Hellenic and Byzantine Studies

For further information please contact Dr Charalambos Dendrinos

 

Last year we celebrated the 30th Anniversary of The Hellenic Institute, which was founded in 1993. As part of our celebrations a number of events were organised also in collaboration with other institutions, addressed to students, scholars and the wider public. Below are some of these events and other activities.

3 December 2023: Lunch in honour of the Greek Orthodox Community of St Andrew the Apostle in Egham

Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Campus, Founders Building, Dining Hall, Surrey TW20 0EX at 6.15pm

To mark the celebration of the Feast of St Andrew the Apostle, Patron Saint of the Greek Orthodox Community in Egham, The Hellenic Institute organized buffet lunch hosted by The Very Reverend Archimandrite Grigorios Laurenzano, held in a warm and festive atmosphere in the Founders' Dining Hall, followed by a visit in the Picture Gallery. Attended by 88 students, staff and visitors with their families and friends, the event fostered the close relations between Royal Holloway and the local and wider Greek Orthodox Community enhancing its role as Civic University.

The event was sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports of the Republic of Cyprus. 

For further information please contact: Dr Charalambos Dendrinos

22 November 2023: “The Greek rebels’ reception of Greek Antiquity during the War of Independence (1821-1830): an interdisciplinary and overall approach” by Dr Εmmanouil G. Chalkiadakis (University of Crete)

Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Campus, International Building, Room 244, Surrey TW20 0EX at 6.15pm

Studies on the relationship of the Greek Revolution with Greek Antiquity mainly focus on how foreigners and Philhellenes perceived Ancient Greece and the relation of the modern Greeks with Greek Antiquity. Based on a range of source material, including correspondence, memoirs, proclamations, official documents, legislation press and visual art, the lecture explored how Greek rebels and their leaders, such as Theodoros Kolokotronis, Nikitas Stamatelopoulos, Ioannis Makriyiannis, and Papaflessas among others, perceived their relationship with ancient Greece, especially the Persian Wars and the classical period, during the period of their Struggle for the Independence of Greece from the Ottoman Empire (1821-1832) and how they connected these models with their own identity, ideals, hopes, and realities. The role of the intellectual movement of Greek Enlightenment represented by Rigas Feraios, Adamantios Korais, and Dionysius Thessalos, as well as the educational and cultural association Philomousos Hetaireia (Society of Lovers of Muses) and of the secret revolutionary organisation Philike Hetaireia (Society of Friends) was crucial in this construction of the Hellenic past. The Lecture was attended by 25 graduate and postgraduate students and members of the academic and research staff from various Departments and Schools, followed by a reception in the School of Humanities Foyer.

Co-organised by The Hellenic Institute and the Centre for the Reception of Greece and Rome, School of Humanities, Royal Holloway, University of London, the event was sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports of the Republic of Cyprus.

For further information please contact: Dr Charalambos Dendrinos and Dr Liz Gloyn

28 October 2023: “Thirty Steps” by Lydia Kakabadse

A concert performed by The Choir of Royal Holloway to mark the close of The Hellenic Institute's 30th Anniversary celebrations

In memory of Julian Chrysostomides (1928-2008) and Joseph Anthony Munitiz (1931-2022)

The College Chapel, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX at 7pm

To mark the close of celebrations for its 30th Anniversary, The Hellenic Institute presented "Thirty Steps" by  leading choral composer and Royal Holloway alumna Lydia Kakabadse. This new commissioned choral piece was inspired by the "Ladder of Divine Ascent", an ascetic guide written by St John Climacus of Sinai (ca. 579 - ca. 649 CE). In this remarkable work of Byzantine spirituality, St John guides his monks through spiritual struggles to reach perfection, an inner process of self-discovery comparable to climbing thirty steps on a ladder, leading to union with God and salvation of the soul. "Thirty Steps" were premiered by the Choir of Royal Holloway, conducted by Rupert Gough, Director of Choral Music and College Organist, accompanied  by the harpist Cecily Beer, flautist Mary Bull and percussionist Tom Wagner. Hosted by the co-founder of The Hellenic Institute, Professor Emeritus Francis Robinson CBE DL FRAS, on behalf of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Julie Sanders, the event was attended by over 130 guests, students, staff, benefactors, sponsors, supporters and Friends of the Hellenic Institute. The event was co-organised with the Royal Holloway Anglican Chaplain Revd Dr Orion Edgar, who attende with Dr Sharon Edgar. The concert was blessed by His Eminence The Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, escorted by the Archdeacon the Very Revd George Tsourous and Mrs Eutychia Tsourous. Our honorary guest was His Eminence The Archbishop Damianos of Sinai, Pharan and Raitho, and Abbot of St Catherine’s Holy Monastery on Mount Sinai, who travelled from Sinai for this occasion. His speech on "Saint John Climacus and Leadership in the Modern World" was read in English by Mrs Aikaterini Spyropoulou. Other distinguished guests include His Grace The Bishop of Coventry Christopher Cocksworth, The Revd Archimandrite Grigorios Laurenzano of the St Andrew the Apostle Church in Englefield Green, the Revd Professor Emeritus Richard Price, the RHUL Honorary Fellows and philanthropists Mr Anastasios P. Leventis and Mrs Edmée Leventis, and Mr Len Lazaris, Alumnus of Royal Holloway. Officials included the Consul General of Greece Mr Christos Goulas and Mrs Eireni Veroni, Deputy Education Counsellor of the Embassy of Greece, Counsellor (Maritime Affairs) of the High Commission for Cyprus Dr Christos Atalianis with Mrs Lisa Atalianis, Dr John Kittmer, former British Ambassador to Greece and member of the Hellenic Institute Steering Group, Mrs Diana Moran BEM with Mr Robin Sider, and many members of the local and London Greek and Cypriot Communities. The concert was followed by a reception in the Picture Gallery.

The event was sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports of the Republic of Cyprus. It was dedicated to the loving memory of our teachers and distinguished Byzantinists Julian Chrysostomides and Joseph Antony Munitiz, S.J., who are deeply missed by their many devoted students, colleagues and friends.

Organised jointly by The Hellenic Institute and The Multifaith Chaplaincy

For further information please contact: Dr Charalambos Dendrinos

Please donate to The Hellenic Institute Studentships and Bursaries Fund in support of our students pursuing Hellenic and Byzantine Studies

7 April 2023: Julian Suite, Opus 85 by Philippos Tsalahouris

In memory of Julian Chrysostomides (1928-2008)

Megaron, The Athens Music Hall, Vassilissis Sophias and Kokkali, 11521 Athens, Greece, at 8.30pm (local time)

Premiere performance in Greece of Julian Suite (Ιουλιανή Σουΐτα), Opus 85 by Philippos Tsalahouris. This musical piece was commissioned by The Hellenic Institute on the occasion of the Fifth Anniversary of Julian Chrysostomides’ passing away (18.X.2013). The concert was performed by the  Athens State Orchestra under the direction of  Vasilis Chistopoulos in the presence of the composer and members of Julian Chrysostomides' family at the Christos Lambrakis Hall with an audience of over 1,500 people. The Hellenic Institute was represented by the Director and Dr Maria Litina. A fitting tribute to a true scholar and a devoted teacher, who through her scholarship, her love for Hellenism, and her 'proud humility' inspires generations of students all over world. 

For further information please contact: Dr Charalambos Dendrinos

30 March 2023: Philanthropia, Paideia and Gaia: Philanthropy, education and the environment in the modern world

Twenty-first Annual Hellenic Lecture by Mrs Edmée Leventis, OBE

In memory of Constantine Leventis (1938-2002)

The Chapel of Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX at 6pm, preceded by Evensong at 5.30pm

In her Lecture the former Ambassador of Cyprus at UNESCO and Honorary Fellow of Royal Holloway, drawing from her rich experience as member of UNESCO and the work of the A. G. Leventis Foundation, reflected on the Greek tradition and the role of philanthropic institutions in the modern world, developing human potential, defending human dignity and improving societies through education, culture and care for the natural environment.

Organised jointly by the Hellenic Institute and the Multifaith Chaplaincy at Royal Holloway the event was hosted by Professor Julie Sanders, Principal of Royal Holloway. The Lecture was preceded by Evensong sung by The Choir of Royal Holloway under the direction of Dr Rupert Gough, Director of Choral Music & College Organist, and followed by a Reception in the Chapel and Dinner in honour of the Speaker in the Picture Gallery.

The event was attended by over 100 students, colleagues and Friends. Among our distinguished guests were The Very Revd Achimandrite Grigorios Laurenzano and The Revd Dr Andreas Andreopoulos representing His Eminence The Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, His Excellency The High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus Mr Andreas S. Kakouris and Mrs Kareen Farrell Kakouris, Mrs Ifigeneia Kanara, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Greece representing His Excellency The Ambassador of Greece Mr Yannis Tsaousis, together with Mrs Elena Soupiana, Press Counsellor, and Dr Eirini Veroni, Deputy Counsellor (Education) and Head of the Education Office at the Embassy of Greece, Mr Anastasios P. Leventis, Mrs Louisa Leventis with Mr Thomas O'Shea and their family, Mr George Lemos representing the Hellenic Foundation, and Dr Natasha Lemos, Mrs Agatha Kalispera and Mrs Sofie Kydoniefs representing the Hellenic Centre in London, Mrs Georgina Dimopoulou, International Programmes Manager of the A. G. Leventis Foundation, Dr Elena Ellioti, President of the A. G. Leventis Scholars Association, Dr Anja Ulbrich, A. G. Leventis Curator for the Cypriot Collection at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Mr John Chrysostomides, Mr Alexandros Kedros, and many other members, Friends and supporters of the Hellenic Institute.

For further information please contact Dr Charalambos Dendrinos

18 March 2023: Refugee Cities: Displacement and Urbanisation in post-imperial Eastern Mediterranean and South Asia

International Conference 

Senate House, University of London, First floor, Room 102, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU

Despite their apparent differences, Eastern Mediterranean and South Asia share a contested historical legacy and an experience of ethnic mixing and unmixing that has shaped the urbanization process in intersecting ways. To begin with, in the 1920s, the Eastern Mediterranean served as a precedent for how decolonising states dealt with the question of ethnic diversity in a post-imperial setting: a deliberate ‘exchange of populations’ policy was first devised there to homogenize new nation-states, which would later be in part adopted during the Partition of India. Then, there are the parallel histories of ethnic cleansing in cities like Smyrna/Izmir, Lahore and Amritsar or the gradual ethnic homogenization of others such as Salonica/Thessaloniki, Kolkata and Dhaka. Finally, new forms of refugee urban rehabilitation were first introduced in interwar Greece only to serve later as a model for the resettlement of Partition refugees in Pakistan in the 1950s.

In a series of panels and a public-facing conversation, we explored the evolution of these new patterns of uprooting and resettlement from a comparative and cross-regional perspective. Workshop participants will investigate the interconnections between ethnic displacement and place-making in violently changing cityscapes; the material links between displacement and urban transformation (from urban planning and the architecture of homes to the spatialities of memory and heritage); urbanization, alienation and the traumas of ethnic and religious conflict; social contests over city space and the forging of new collective identities after displacement; the spatial politics of memory; critical architecture and the links between scholarship and technocratic expertise; and the circulation of peoples, concepts and know-how on refugees and urban matters between Eastern Mediterranean and South Asia.

Panel 1 (10 am – 12:30 pm)
Refugees and urbanism in post-Partition South Asia
• Rajarshi Dasgupta (Jawaharlal Nehru University), “A refugee neighbourhood in south Kolkata: microhistories of frontier urbanism”
• Himadri Chatterjee (University of Calcutta), “Autonomous Resettlement and Reproduction of Refugee Rurality: Communal Dynamics at Kolkata’s Urban Frontier”
• Sushmita Pati (National Law School of India University, Bangalore), “Demolitions and the Shaping of Urban Frontiers”
• Saheli Roychowdhury (Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Vivekananda Vidyabhavan, Kolkata), “The Curation of Memory in Middle-Class Refugee Settlements”
• Kaustubh Mani Sengupta (Bankura University), “Some notes towards an understanding of paras of Calcutta”
Moderator: Markus Daechsel (Royal Holloway University of London)

Panel 2 (2:30 – 4:30 pm)
Refugee Cities in Greece and Turkey
• Paris Papamichos Chronakis (Royal Holloway University of London), "Refugee City? Muslim and Christian refugees in wartime Salonica, 1912-1914"
• Alexandros Lamprou (Marburg University), "Youth mobilization in a post-imperial East Mediterranean city: Nationalist students against minorities in interwar Izmir, Turkey"
• Ellinor Morack (Bamberg University), "Forced migration as post-Ottoman labour migration: the case of 'exchangees' in Turkey, 1923-1929"
• Melis Cankara (Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy-ELIAMEP), "The Spatial Results of the Population Exchange in Rethymno, Crete"
Moderator: Stelios Gidis (University of Athens)

Concluding Roundtable Discussion (5:00-6:00 pm)
Refugees and the Production of Urban Space. Thinking Cross-Regionally
Kalliopi Amygdalou (HomeAcross), Rajarshi Dasgupta, Markus Daechsel
Chair: Sarah Ansari (Royal Holloway University of London)

The conference was the offspring of the Frontier Urbanism Initiative. It is jointly organized by the ERC Starting Grant HOMEACROSS-Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy; The Hellenic Institute and Centre for Greek Diaspora Studies (Royal Holloway, University of London); the Centre for Global South Asia (Royal Holloway, University of London); and the Centre for Hellenic Studies (King’s College London).

The conference was sponsored by the Society for Modern Greek Studies UK and has received additional financial support from the Modern Greek Studies Association Innovation Grant and the Humanities and Arts Research Institute (Royal Holloway, University of London).

For further information please contact Dr Paris Chronakis