SPGH Series "In Search of a Modern Greek Identity": Lessons From History

There are few events that bring to the fore the issue of identity as sharply as a revolution. And few events that test an individual or national perception of identity as critically as threats to one's existence or sense of honor. This year, Hellenism recognized the 200-year anniversary from the start of the great Greek revolution of 1821, while grappling with the implications of increasing geopolitical tensions with Turkey, such as the conversion of Hagia Sophia to a mosque and the status of the Aegean being called into question. In response to these events that speak to core issues of heritage, SPGH launched a series of events exploring a modern meaning of Greek identity, starting with a panel discussion on history. History, much like monuments, music and literature, is not only a reflection of who we are but also leaves traces in our collective memory, thus shaping our current understanding of the world and presaging the future. Our distinguished panelists were Professor Anthony Kaldellis, Chair of the Department of Classics at Ohio State University, and Professor Roderick Beaton, former Koraes Professor of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature at King's College London, author of the must-read "Greece: Biography of a Modern Nation".Greece: Biography of a Modern Nation".", imageUrl: 'https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ae1f85_f6a6a87e10bc4de0aba94e70938ecda1~mv2.jpg', isPast: true, }, // ── 2020 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── { slug: 'meteora-heritage-2020', title: 'Meteora: A Personal Journey in Physical and Spiritual Heritage', date: '2020-10-15', location: 'Washington, DC', description: With current focus on the living aspects of heritage, SPGH and the Modern Greek Studies Program of Georgetown University present the work and experiences of Eva Kosvyra, a young Greek architect who has been living and working in the rocks of Meteora — a unique geographical phenomenon in Thessaly, Greece, whose very name means "suspended in the air" and is the site of a complex of Greek Orthodox monasteries second in importance only to Mt. Athos. Ms. Kosvyra, a native of the region, began by studying the construction of the first Meteora hermitages as a graduate student and progressively became one with not only the geographical and architectural, but also the spiritual realities of the site that she calls "so exposed yet also so protected." SPGH and Georgetown's Modern Greek Studies Program welcome the opportunity of sharing in the experiences of a person who was born and raised near a treasure of Greek heritage, made a career centered around the monument, and who is becoming herself part of the monument's life and everlasting narrative.