The 2026 Greek History and Culture Seminar Series at the Greek Centre in Melbourne will continue Thursday, June 18, with a lecture by archivist and researcher Emmanouela Giannoulidou examining the often-overlooked “third side” of civil war through Greek and Spanish literature.
Held at Level 12 of the Greek Centre on Lonsdale Street, the seminar is titled The Third Side of Civil War: in Nikos Kazantzakis’ The Fratricides and Manuel Chaves Nogales’ A Sangre y Fuego: Héroes, Bestias y Mártires de España (By Blood and Fire: Heroes, Beasts and Martyrs of Spain).
Giannoulidou, an Archivist at La Trobe University’s Dardalis Archives of the Hellenic Diaspora, will present research that challenges the common perception of civil war as a conflict fought solely between two opposing sides.
Her study explores what she describes as a “silenced, unrecognised and oppressed third side” within both the Greek and Spanish Civil Wars, drawing on literary analysis of Kazantzakis’ The Fratricides (1963) and Chaves Nogales’ By Blood and Fire.
The research argues that civil wars cannot be fully understood through a simple binary framework, as many citizens did not align themselves entirely with either faction. Despite extensive historical scholarship on both conflicts, little attention has been given to those who existed outside the dominant political camps.
Through an examination of the two literary works, Giannoulidou proposes a definition of this “third side” and explains why literature provides a valuable lens through which to explore the concept.
The analysis also highlights the authors’ criticism of ideological conflict and their condemnation of the violence experienced by both Greece and Spain during their respective civil wars.
Ultimately, the research seeks not only to establish the existence of a “third side,” but also to argue for its significance and prevalence within both conflicts, opening the door for further scholarly discussion of the concept in other historical and cultural contexts.
Giannoulidou completed her Master of Arts in 2021, specialising in comparative literature in Modern Greek and Spanish. Her thesis earned both the Christos Fifis Award from the Greek Studies Program and the Allan Martin Award for Best Interdisciplinary Thesis in La Trobe University’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
In her current role at the Dardalis Archives, she oversees archival management, researcher support and community engagement initiatives, helping preserve and promote the history and heritage of the Greek diaspora in Australia.
The seminar will begin at 7pm on Thursday, June 18, and will be held in person only at the Greek Centre, 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne.
