2021 was always going to be an unpredictable year with COVID continuing to play havoc. Nonetheless, the Greek Community of Melbourne’s weekly seminar series continued uninterrupted.
Attempts to return to live or even hybrid presentations at the Community’s mezzanine level were thwarted by lockdowns, as well as an unpreparedness by people to return to the CBD as the pandemic raged.
The program was mostly delivered online with an array of local but mostly international speakers. The themes were quite diverse, but a significant emphasis was placed on topics relating to the 1821 War of Independence bicentenary.
The 2022 seminar series promises to be bigger than ever. It will feature a large international cast but also strongly complemented with locally-based speakers.
As the centenary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe approaches, there’ll be numerous seminars exploring issues associated with this tumultuous period. Music will also feature strongly, where Professor Karalis will reflect upon the late composer Mikis Theodorakis, and Christopher King will examine the ‘mirologia’ (laments) of Epirus.
Expect a strong North American-based contingent in this year’s program from Berkeley’s Christine Philliou, to Ohio State University’s Giorgios Anagnostou, Athanasios Gekas from York University (Canada) and the University of Chicago’s Stefanos Katsikas.
The program will finish off with Columbia University’s Mark Mazower, a British historian who has written extensively on Greek and Balkan history. For further information or sponsorship enquiries simply contact the GCM on info@greekcommunity.com.au
The first seminar begins on Thursday, March 3 at 7pm, with Professor Tim Parkin from the University of Melbourne.
The 2022 program details can be found here.
