The Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) will host an online seminar this Thursday, April 23, as part of its 2026 Greek History and Culture Seminar series.
The session, beginning at 7pm (12pm Athens time), will feature Vlasis Vlasidis, who will present on “Gallipoli and evolving commemoration – the new Turkish perspective.”
The seminar will be delivered in English and streamed via YouTube and Facebook.
The free public series aims to showcase “the long and fascinating history of Greece and Greek culture,” highlighting its influence on Western civilisation.
Vlasidis’ presentation will examine how the Gallipoli campaign, long central to British, Australian and New Zealand memory, has been commemorated over time, noting that “in the most recent decade the Erdogan regime has changed both the landscape and the events format,” including the construction of large museums and new monuments that have “reduced the presence of the ANZAC and the British in the field.”
The seminar will also place these developments within a broader historical and political context, examining how remembrance practices at Gallipoli have shifted alongside changing national narratives and geopolitical priorities.
It will explore the balance between shared international memory and evolving domestic interpretations in Turkey, as well as the implications for ANZAC commemorations and heritage tourism.
Attendees can expect a deeper analysis of how history, identity and diplomacy intersect at one of the most symbolic sites of World War I remembrance.
Seminar Details
- Date: Thursday 23rd April 2026, 7pm (12pm Athens time)
- Speaker: Prof Vlasis Vlasidis
- Platform: Online through YouTube or Facebook
- Language: English
