Agora Volume 1 Issue 3

AGORA VOL 1 ISSUE 3 Jan 2012 ~Jan 2013

From L to R: Dr. John Craig, Dean of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; His Excellency Robert Peck, Canada’s Ambassador to Greece; George Agouridis, Chief Legal Counsel; Stavros Niarchos Foundation (Athens); Adonis Geor-giadis, MP, Chair of Parliamentary Committee; Dr. Theodoros Papatheodorou, Deputy Minister of Education and Dr. André Gerolymatos, Director SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies

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Dean John Craig Speaks to Greek Parliamentary Committees (see page 3)

Volume 1 Issue 3 2012

Meetings with Greek President Dr. Karolos PapouliasPage 3

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni’s Press ConferencePage 4

SNF Centre Hosts “The Debt Crisis Conference”Page 13

Public Lectures and Events:Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ Speaks toThe Fraser InstitutePage 12

The SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies Arts and Letters Commit-tee First Event Page 11

Updates from our Partners in ChinaPage 8

Faculty & Staff NewsPage 15

Student NewsPage 18

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Welcome to the third issue of “AGORA”, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies at SFU’s annual newsletter. “AGORA” is the Greek name for a public space. It is the place where citizens come together, where ideas and goods are exchanged and where politics are created. This newsletter informs stu-

dents, faculty and the community at large who share our interest in Hellenism. We highlight those individuals and groups that have joined us on our Hellenic journey and have impacted our program. Their contribution and enthusiasm have made the journey worthwhile.

Dean John Craig Speaks to Greek ParliamentPage 3

“ENGAGING THE WORLD”

Celebrating 70 Years of Friendship with GreecePage 5

Costa-Gavras and the New App on the ParthenonPage 5

The Hellenistic World and the Emergence of the Silk RoadPage 6

The 2nd Annual Washington Oxi Day Celebration Page 14

Western Consortium for Hellenic Studies in SeattlePage 7

On the afternoon of November 27, 2012 a delegation from SFU’s Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic

Studies had the honour of being received by his Excellency, the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Karolos Papoulias. The team was comprised by Prof. John Craig (Dean, Arts and So-cial Sciences), Prof. André Gerolymatos (director, SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies) and his wife, Mrs Beverley Gerolymatos (Founder and Chair of the Arts and Letters Committee), Dr. Dimitris Krallis (associate Professor, History), Mr. Costa De-degikas (Technology Manager, SNF New Media Lab) and Dr. Eirini Kotsovili(Language Program Co-ordinator); it was also joined by his Excellency, the Ambassador of Canada to Greece, Mr. Robert W. Peck. The goal of this meeting, ranking among the highlights of the SFU team’s visit to Athens, was to update the President on the progress of the Hellenic Studies programs and future plans for teaching Greek language and culture since Dr. Gerolymatos’ previous meeting with him on an earlier trip to Greece. Mr. Papoulias was greatly impressed by the scope and depth of work currently undertaken by the Centre for Hel-lenic Studies and by its prospective plans to expand its innova-tive teaching and other educational activities, and commended Dr. Gerolymatos for his decisive contribution to the program’s ongoing success. The delegation was deeply honoured by the President’s flattering words, by his extended hospitality-which went far beyond the typically short duration dictated by pro-tocol for such meetings-and by his continuing keen interest in the Centre’s work.

T H E S T A V R O S N I A R C H O S F O U N D A T I O N C E N T R E F O R H E L L E N I C S T U D I E S 3

From L to R: Dr. John Craig, Dean of Faculty of Arts and So-cial Sciences; His Excellency Robert Peck, Canada’s Ambassador to Greece; George Agouridis, Chief Legal Counsel; Stavros Niarchos Foundation (Athens); Adonis Georgiadis, MP, Chair of Parliamen-tary Committee; Dr. Theodoros Papatheodorou, Deputy Minister of Education and Dr. André Gerolymatos, Director SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies

SIMON FRASER UNI VERSIT Yw w w . s f u . c a / s n f c h s

Greek President Dr. Karolos Papoulias Learns About the Greek Tutor Devel-oped at SNF Centre’s New Media Lab

Cover Story

By Dr. André Gerolymatos and Dr. Eirini Kotsovili

Greek President Dr. Papoulias receives native west coast momento from SFU’s delegation

Dean John Craig Speaks in Greek ParliamentBy Dr. André Gerolymatos

Dean John Craig addressed a rare joint session of the Greek Parliamentary committees of Education and

Greeks Abroad. The significance of the occasion was un-derscored by the speech of the Deputy Minister of Edu-cation Mr. Papatheodosiou, who stressed the importance of the relationship between the Stavros Niarchos Foun-dation for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University with the Greek State. Dr. Craig, in his presentation to the two committees, described the work of the Centre and the strong support of the university for its activities. He praised the faculty and staff of the Centre noting that efforts have led to the establishment of the largest Cen-tre of Greek Studies in North America and possibly the world. Dr. Craig acknowledged his and the university’s gratitude to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation for their generous endowment that led to the creation of the Cen-tre but equally he underlined the humanitarian achieve-ments of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation in Greece and throughout the world.

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Currently, the fruit of these discussions is being developed in the form of an app outlining the major sites and scenes in Athens. This will ensure that individuals who visit the city, or who simply wish to increase their knowledge of modern Athens, will see what the city has to offer. As Mr. Dedegi-kas succinctly stated, the app will “showcase the best that Greece has to offer in an exciting new way using mobile applications, which was only possible due to the SNF’s New Media Lab.” One can only look forward to what new de-velopments, and applications, this burgeoning partnership between the SNF’s New Media Lab and the Ministry of Tourism will bring.

While it is true that Greece faces a tough road to recov-ery, one that will take many years, even in this dark

period it has much to offer the world. Technological develop-ments, primarily through the development of applications and programs where individuals can interact with Greece and its history, are a primary conduit for this development.

It was with the goal of demonstrating what Greece has to of-fer to the world that Costa Dedegikas, Technology Manager of the SNF New Media Lab, went to Greece to meet with the Greek Minister of Tourism Olga Kefalogianni in the summer and late fall of 2012.

By James Horncastle

From L to R: Minister of Culture and Education Costa Arvanitopoulos; Minister of Tourism Olga Kephalogianni; Dr. Dimitris Krallis; Dr. André Gerolymatos; Dr. John Craig; Costa Dedegikas

Meeting with Ministries of Tourism, Culture and Education

continuing the proposed initiative on edutourism.” Mr. De-degikas further explained that: “In so doing, the SNF’s New Media Lab would be able to help Greece leverage its cultural history to not only promote Greece’s contribution to world history, but also to help people see beyond Greece’s current financial difficulties.”

This trip was based on a previously established relationship between the SNF’s New Media Lab and the Ministries of Culture and Tourism, established during the Centre’s visit to Greece in February 2012. As Mr. Dedegikas explained: “My initial goal was to follow up with my meetings with the Ministry of Tourism and see if they would be interested in

Greek Minister of Tourism Olga Kefalogianni Speaking at the New Archeological Museum in Athens’ Press Conference about SFU’s new application.

At Greek Ministry of Tourism Press conference: (left) Dr. John Craig and Costa Dedegikas

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Today, the restored Chief’s Crest Pole is being displayed at the Benaki Museum in Athens before being moved to its per-manent location. The Stavros Niarchos Centre for Hellenic Studies would like to thank everyone who helped make this project possible.

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In Paris (from L to R) Dr. André Gerolymatos, Costa-Gavras

Mr. Costa-Gavras, the Greek-French filmmaker, has a long history with Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser

University. In 2005 Mr. Gavras took part in the Alexander Onassis Foundation Seminar Series, which brought him to Vancouver. During the course of that visit Mr. Gavras pre-miered his film, The Ax. In addition, the popular filmmaker took part in a question and answer session with three hundred students and members of the public organized by Hellenic Studies. Three years later, in 2008, Mr. Gavras was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Simon Fraser University for his life achievements in the arts.

In 2012 Dr. André Gerolymatos and Costa Dedegikas trav-elled to Paris and worked with Mr. Gavras to develop an in-teractive application for the iPad and iPhone. The application, which is based on Gavras’ short film on the Parthenon will display a visual history of the monument. In addition, Mr. Gavras will visit Vancouver in 2013 as a guest of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies to premier his new film, Capital, and wrap up the development of the Parthenon application.

T H E S T A V R O S N I A R C H O S F O U N D A T I O N C E N T R E F O R H E L L E N I C S T U D I E S


Costa-Gavras and the New App on the ParthenonBy Dr. André Gerolymatos

Celebrating 70 Years of Friendship with Greece

Canada takes great pride in the image that it presents to the international community. Not only does Canada

present the image of a modern state, but it also seeks to highlight the many different cultural groups that make up the Canadian polity. Likely with this goal in mind, in 1975, British Columbia Premier W.A. Bennett gave an aboriginal totem pole, called the Chief’s Crest Poll, to the Canadian Ambassador’s residence in Greece.

In 2012 the Stavros Niarchos Centre for Hellenic Stud-ies discovered that the Chief’s Crest Pole was in a state of disrepair. Time, the elements, and even ants had tak-en their toll on the pole. As the only Hellenic Studies department in British Columbia, the Stavros Niarchos Centre felt that it had a responsibility to help restore this excellent representation of Aboriginal art.

Proper restoration of the Chief’s Crest Pole required that a professional restorer, Andrew Todd, go to Greece and un-dertake the process first hand – a costly endeavor. Luckily, members of Vancouver’s local Greek community provided the financial backing needed to get Andrew Todd to Greece and obtain the materials needed to properly restore the pole. Specifically, the project would not have been accomplished without the generous contributions of: Jim Heras; C. Harry Katevatis; Bill and Golfo Tsakumis; Faculty of Environment, SFU; SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies, SFU.

Chief’s Crest Pole Photo taken by Chris Stewart

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The conquests of Alexander and the formation of the Hellenistic world stimulated and accelerated cultural and econom-ic exchanges among the ancient civilizations of Central Asia, India, the eastern Mediterranean, and Europe. Before

Zhang Qian’s adventurous exploration of the West in the late 2nd century B.C., three trade routes connecting Asia, Africa and Europe had already come into existence. Hellenistic culture had been widely received, had spread over areas formerly controlled and influenced by Greeks and Macedonians, and had even, to some extent, converged with eastern cultures. Centered on the Oxus River, the Greeks of Bactria expanded their sphere of influence into India in the south and to the Seres and Phryni in the east. Perhaps they had even reached the Tarim Basin by crossing the Pamirs. All these developments contributed to create a solid and wide basis for the opening and expanding of the Silk Road as well as for further exchanges and fusions between East and West in economy and cultures.

Abstract:

Silk Road - An ancient trade route connects Europe and Asia.

The Hellenistic World and the Emergence of the Silk RoadYang Ju-ping, Professor of Ancient History, Nankai University, China

“This long anticipated paper by Professor Yang Ju-ping is remarkable on two accounts: it is symbolic of the merging of thought and culture that it so adeptly discusses, and it is constituent of the quality of scholar-ship that can be achieved when both Eastern and Western perspectives on ancient history are melded in a work of lucid, investigative logic.” —Brian Olsen

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SIMON FRASER UNI VERSIT Yw w w . s f u . c a / s n f c h s 7

At Hellenic fundraiser in Seattle: (left) Dr. Andromache Karanika, Associate Professor of Classics at the University of California, Irvine; Maria Hamilton, Costa Dedegikas; Stavroula Dedegikas; Dr. Eirini Kotsovili; Beverley Gerolymatos; Colleen Pescott

Founding of the Western Consortium for Hellenic Studies: An Intellectual Home for Hellenic Studies West of the Rockies

On November 10, 2012, twelve professors from six Western North American Universities met at the

University of Washington in Seattle in order to establish the Western Consortium for Hellenic Studies.

As the agreed mission statement declares, the Western Consortium for Hellenic Studies will bring together scholars and students from various disciplines whose re-search and teaching deals with any aspect of the Greek world. This includes scholars and students in Humani-ties, Social Sciences, Fine Arts, Liberal Arts, International Studies, and related disciplines. The consortium will sponsor lectures, workshops, and cultural events, and will encourage community engagement.

The new Consortium will help reduce the costs of bring-ing distinguished speakers on Hellenic matters to the West Coast as it will allow several institutions to share the travel expenses, and will also broaden the pool of scholarship to the benefit of students and in particular graduate students. It was further agreed that the consortium would sponsor a biennial academic workshop where professors and gradu-ate students will be able to present their research and Dr. Katerina Lagos from the California State University at

Sacramento offered to host the first workshop in 2014.

Finally the Consortium will foster a sense of academic community vitally important to scholars who do not have the benefit of an established center or program in Hellenic studies. Simon Fraser University was represented by the director of the Stavros Niarchos Center for Hellenic Stud-ies Dr. André Gerolymatos, as well as by Dr. Evdoxios Doxiadis and Dr. Eirini Kotsovili.

The remaining participants were Dr. Nektaria Klapaki (University of Washington), Dr. Thomas Gallant (Uni-versity of California, San Diego), Dr. Andromache Kara-nika (University of California, Irvine), Dr. Katerina Lagos (California State University, Sacramento), Dr. Karen Em-merich (University of Oregon), Dr. Roland Moore (Pre-vention Research Center), Dr. Devin Naar (University of Washington), Dr. Tasos Lagos (University of Washington), and Dr. Theodore Kaltsounis (University of Washington).

Finally the Stavros Niarchos Foundation New Media Lab at Simon Fraser University undertook to develop and run the website of the Consortium and an online forum to fa-cilitate interactions and the dissemination of information.

By Dr. Evdoxios Doxiadis

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Updates From Our China Partners

By Brian Olsen

Updates From China

SNF Hellenic Studies Centre at SFU activities in China encompassed a wide spectrum of engagement this year, and some of the most interesting and important endeavours can be divided into five categories. (Continued on page 9)

Brian Olsen in China

Wishing Our Partners in China Happy 2013! Xin Nian Hao! 新年好！

Nankai University (Tian Jin)Sun Yat-sen University (Guang Zhou)Beijing Foreign Language University (Beijing)Peking University (Beijing)Tsinghua University (Beijing)Fudan University (Shang Hai)Shanghai International Study University (Shang Hai)Beijing Language and Culture University (Beijing)People University (Beijing)Shanghai Normal University (Shang Hai)North East Normal University (Chang Chun)Shandong University (Shan Dong)

Xi’an Foreign Language University (Xi’an)Sichuan University (Cheng Du)Southeast China University (Chong Qing)Zhengzhou University (Zheng Zhou)Capital Normal University (Beijing)Wuhan University (Wu Han)Yantai University (Yan Tai)Xinjiang University of Finance & Economics (Xin Jiang)Dalian Nationalities University (Da Lian)Embassy of China (Athens)Embassy of the Hellenic Republic (Beijing)

Sally Huang translated the English version of Modern Greek language textbook into Chinese, which is pub-

lished by Nankai Press. This is the first Modern Greek lan-guage textbook in Chinese published in China. Currently, Nankai University and Beijing Language and Culture Uni-versity are using it as the textbook for their Modern Greek language courses.



1.International Symposium on Ancient World History held at Nankai University in June 2012

Long-time partner, Nankai University, invited the Centre to participate at the symposium, and Brian Olsen attended from June 16 – 18. Among the most exciting events were China’s first round tables on Byzantine History, which included pa-per presentations and discussions with Chinese and Western scholars. Both round tables were chaired by good friends of our Centre – one by Head of the History College of Nankai Uni-versity and former Dean, Prof. Chen Zhiqiang, and the other chaired by Northeast Normal University’s Prof. Xu Jialing.

2.China partners in the Hellenic Studies Certificate Program

Announcement of this program has caused considerable excite-ment, especially with our key partners at Nankai University and Sun Yat-sen University. They hope to be both participants in this program, and hubs for its use throughout China. We are now working with them towards establishing dual recognition of this certificate at their universities and at SFU.

3.Internship

The Centre was lucky enough to have Marios Stangonis of the University of Leeds visit as an intern. Marios was a graduate stu-dent in the Chinese and Business MA Programme there, and proved to be an excellent asset to the Centre. He participated in a variety of outreach and promotion activities, and in research tasks.

4.Chinese scholars at the Centre

Our first scholar, Jiang Huangyi (Kyriakos) a graduate of Bei-jing Foreign Studies University, is currently studying at SFU with the goal of achieving an MA in Modern Greek History. He will be joined next year by Dr. Zheng Wei of Nankai Uni-versity, who will spend her time at SFU deepening her current research on the early Byzantine period.

5.Chinese participation in the Debt, Sovereignty, and Civil Society Conference

A number of scholars from Shanghai Normal University, Renmin University, Southeast University of China, and Wuhan University (some of our partner universities) watched the web-cast of the roundtable portion of the conference. Through the webcast, they were able to post questions that were answered by the expert panel.

First Greek Textbook Published in China

SNF’s Media Lab Researcher Sally Huang Introduces the New Text-book in China

Mrs. Elena Avramidou, the Education and Cultural Attaché from the Greek Embassy in Beijing. She is the guest lecturer of this class.

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Visiting Professor from China

My research interests currently focus on the culture transformation of the early Byzantine Empire (4th -6th centuries). Culture is a generalized con-

ception, which includes not only religon, art, literature and thoughts but also government, politics and economy. So the culture transformation of the ear-ly Byzantine Empire means how these aspects transformed from their classical characters to the Byzantine characters. Concretely speaking, I study the building of imperial absolutism and of administrative centralization, the reformation of military, the reconstruction of the economic system and institution, the relation-ship between Church and State, the changes of the social life and customs, of the contents and methods of art, of the the subjects’ view on the world.

Furtherly, I discuss how the Byzanine culture inherited and developed the an-cient civilizaiton, how it played a role in the Renaissance, and how it influenced the rest of the history of the Empire and its neighbours in a wider region and a longer time. For the culture transformation of the early Byzantine Empire, Ro-man political concepts and Greek culture were the traditional elements, while the Christian faith and the eastern culture were the new ones. I’d like to discuss how these four elements were mutually integrated and how they contributed to the Byzantine culture.

I’m also interested in the Byzantine agriculture in 7th -9th centuries, duing which the Byzantine agricultural economy undertook great changes. Villages and agriculture had been a more and more important economic and social fac-tor. In three published articles, I discuss the legal rights of the free inhabitants of the Byzantine village-community, the reasons why the villages and farmers of Byzantine Empire grew rapidly during 7th to 9th centuries and the features of Byzantine villages by studying the Rural Code.

Area of Research

Visiting Professor Zheng Wei

The SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies is moving closer to establishing closer links with Chinese universities. In 2013, Dr. Zheng Wei, a Byzantine scholar

will join the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies as a visiting professor. Her tenure at the Centre will help foster closer ties between Nankai and SFU. Dr. Wei will work on her research in Byzantium Studies but she will also be able to assist the Centre in developing several joint programs with Nankai University in Greek Studies.

By Dr. André Gerolymatos

Welcome to the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies!

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Arts and Letters

“East Meets West”

The Arts and Letters Committee is a volunteer committee formed to support public events and lectures at the Stavros Niar-chos Centre of Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University, which reports to the Director of Hellenic Studies. The mission of the committee is to organize lectures and events that are open to the community at large that compliment the ideals of Hellenism. To this aim, the Committee held their first event at SFU Harbour Centre with the theme of “East meets West”.

Two components of this theme were made available to students, academics, and the general public through a lecture followed by an art show. Michael J. Hunter’s lecture “Masters & Philosophers: Comparing early Chinese and Ancient Greek Thought” was extremely well received by the attendees. The artists Dehai Wang and Golfo Tsakumis then rendered a visual display of “East meets West”.

ARTS AND LETTERS COMMITTEEThe Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies at SFU

Members of the Arts and Letters Committee (From left to right): Larissa Horne, Anna Zibarras, Jan Pierce, Beverley Gerolymatos, Nicole Vittoz, Golfo Tsakumis

Artist : Dehai WangGuest Speaker : Michael J. Hunter

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Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ Visit

In February the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies was honoured to host Kyriakos Mitsota-

kis, Greek Member of Parliament for Athens B and shadow minister for the environment, to speak to students at SFU, as well as the Fraser Institute about the economic crisis in Greece. Mr. Mitsotakis was very optimistic about the future of Greece. While Mr. Mitsotakis realized that there were sig-nificant structural issues to overcome, he stated that members of all the major parties agreed that reforms were needed. The audience at the Fraser Institute were somewhat reassured that while Greece may face significant economic and social prob-lems that with capable political leadership this economic and social imbalance will be readdressed.

By James Horncastle

Bill Tsakoumis (L) and Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis (R) at the podium.

Dr. André Gerolymatos (L) and Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis (R)

Public Lectures and Events

Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ Bio:

Kyriakos Mitsotakis is a Greek parliamentarian and the son of former Greek Prime Minister Konstantinos Mit-

sotakis.

Kyriakos studied at Havard where he received the Hoopes and Tocqueville prizes for outstanding undergraduate thesis on the subject of U.S. foreign policy towards Greece. He later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and MA in International Relations from Stanford University.

After several years working in London as a financial analyst with Chase Investment Bank and a consultant with McK-insey and Company, he returned to Greece in 1997 to join Alpha Ventures, the venture capital subsidiary of Alpha Bank,

as a senior investment officer. At Alpha Ventures, he executed venture capital and private equity transactions in Greece and the Balkans.

In 1999 Kyriakos joined the National Bank of Greece, the largest Greek financial institution, to set up the bank’s pri-vate equity and venture capital operation. He was the chief executive officer of NBG Venture Capital from its inception in December 1999 until April 2003. Under Kyriakos’ leader-ship, NBG Venture Capital established itself as one the lead-ing venture capital and private equity firms in Greece and Southeastern Europe.

In 2003, he was nominated by the World Economic Forum as a Global Leader of Tomorrow (GLT) for his professional achievements. In April 2003, Kyriakos resigned from NBG Venture Capital to pursue a career in politics. He was elected to the Hellenic Parliament in 2004, 2007, and again in 2009 as a member of the New Democracy party, representing the Athens B constituency, which encompasses most of the city of Athens. As a representative, he has submitted hundreds of parliamentary questions tackling problems facing his constit-uency, focusing in particular on issues related to the environ-ment and educational policy.

Kyriakos is currently a member of New Democracy Party. Between 2007 and 2009 he served as the Chairman of the Environment Committee of the Hellenic Parliament.

Biographical information provided by the Fraser Institute. Scan me for further information about Mr. Mitsotakis and video of his talk

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The Debt, Sovereignty, and Civil Society Conference is a multidisciplinary conference organized and funded by the

SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University,the Centre for South East European Studies at the University of Oxford, Hellenic Studies Program at California State Univer-sity, Sacramento, the Foundation for International, Compara-tive, and Federal Law, History Department at Simon Fraser University, School of International Studies at Simon Fraser University and the Consulate General of Greece in Vancouver.

In the aftermath of the financial crash of 2008 that started as a banking crisis morphed into a broad systemic challenge on states and trans-national bodies such as the European Un-ion. Debt, Sovereignty, and Civil Society looks at the Greek aspect of this global crisis, locates the seeds of current events in history, and examines its effects on sovereign nations. Fi-nally our conference examines the response of civil society to the demands of supranational institutions and to the ab-stract forces of world finance,fulfilling SFU’s commitment to engage the world.

Participants:Othon Anastasakis (University of Oxford), Valia Aranitou (University of Crete) , Lawrin Armstrong (University of Toronto), Emilios Avgouleas (University of Edinburgh), Alec Dawson (SFU), Professor George Dertilis (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales), Jon Driver (SFU), Ste-ve Easton (SFU), André Gerolymatos (SFU), Gaston Gor-dillo (UBC), Kostis Kornetis (Brown University), Dimitris Krallis (SFU), Katerina Lagos (California State University, Sacramento), Edward McWhinney (SFU Emeritus), Ian Mulgrew (Vancouver Sun), Dimitris Papadimitriou (Man-chester University), Álvaro Pereira (Minister of Economy and Labour, Portugal / SFU), Michalis Spourdalakis (Uni-versity of Athens), Stavros Thomadakis (University of Ath-ens)

When: April 26th & 27th, 2012.Where: Strategy Room 320 at the Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue (Simon Fraser University Vancouver)West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC.

Debt Crisis ConferenceBy Dimitris Krallis

Professor Stavros Thomadakis (University of Athens) (L), Professor Emilios Avgouleas (University of Edinburgh) (R)

“Finally our conference examines the response of civil society to the demands of supranational institutions and to the abstract forces of world finance,fulfilling SFU’s commitment to engage the world.” —Dimitris Krallis

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The event was organized by Manatos and Manatos, a Wash-ington DC law firm with the intent to educate American policy-makers on how Greece played a pivotal role in the Second World by defeating the Italian Army in 1940, wag-ing a desperate struggle against the German Armed forces in Spring and Summer 1941, which delayed Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union. The delay resulted in the failure of the Germany Army to capture Moscow and con-tributed to Germany’s ultimate defeat.

(From L to R) Tom C. Korologos, U.S. Institute for Peace Advi-sory Council; Dr. André Gerolymatos; Andrew E. Manatos, Presi-dent and Founder of The Washington Oxi Day Foundation; His Excellency Pavlos Anastasiades, Ambassador of Cyprus to the US.

2012 Black Tie Dinner — From L to R: Ted Spyropoulos , Erika Spy-ropoulos, Beverley Gerolymatos, Dr. André Gerolymatos

Presentation to the U.S. Peace Institute by Dr. André Gerolymatos on Greece’s Contribution in the Second World War

By Dr. André Gerolymatos

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“The Washington Oxi Day Foundation is a nonprofit, 501c3 organization dedicated to informing American policymakers and the public about the profound role Greece played in bringing about the outcome of World War II and celebrating modern day heroes who exhibit the same courage as the Greeks did in continuing to fight to preserve and promote freedom and democracy around the world.”

His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America presenting Congressman Gilman the Greatest Generation Award on behalf of his fellow American WWII Veterans — From L to R: Archbishop Demetrios of America; The Hon. Benjamin A. Gilman; and Andrew E. Manatos at National World War II Memorial.

Dr. André Gerolymatos gave a presentation to representa-tives from think tanks such as the Brookings Institute,

the US Senate, Congress, the White House, and the State Department as well as to other influential participants. The Onassis Foundation sponsored Dr. Gerolymatos’ presenta-tion to the U.S. Peace Institute.

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Faculty & Staff News

Welcome New Faculty and Staff

Born and raised in Athens, I received my secondary education from Greece’s oldest school, Arsakeio (est. 1836). Upon completing my sec-

ondary education, I left Greece so as to pursue my studies abroad. I received my B.A in History/ Hispanic studies from McGill University, and then my M.St and Ph.D in Literature/Modern Languages from University of Oxford where I also taught Greek literature and language. I am the latest addition to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University, where I currently teach and conduct research on Greek literature (with interests in Modern Greek and Comparative Literature, life-writing, gender, identity and politics, war literature).

Dr. Eirini Kotsovili

Dr. Evdoxios Doxiadis

Colleen Pescott

15T H E S T A V R O S N I A R C H O S F O U N D A T I O N C E N T R E F O R H E L L E N I C S T U D I E S


Dr. Evdoxios Doxiadis completed his PhD at the University of Cali-fornia, Berkeley in 2007. He was the Ted and Elaine Athanassiades

post-doctoral fellow at Princeton University from 2007 to 2008, and has worked at the International Center for Hellenic and Mediterranean Studies and at San Francisco State University from 2008 to 2012 when he moved to Simon Fraser University in Vancouver Canada. Has Published several articles and his book The Shackles of Modernity: Women, Property, and the Transition from the Ottoman Empire to the Modern Greek State 1750-1850 A.D., was published last year (February 2012) at the Cultural Politics, Socioaesthetics, Beginnings Series of Harvard University Press.

Born in Vancouver and raised in South Delta, Colleen is a 6th genera-tion Canadian who has lived in Cloverdale for the past 10 years. Col-

leen graduated from Simon Fraser University in June 2012. Coincidentally, she accepted the offer to be Program Assistant for the Stavros Niarchos Foun-dation Centre for Hellenic Studies on the same day as her convocation cer-emony. Colleen is re-entering the work force after being at home raising her son for the past five years. After just over six months at the Centre, she is very grateful for the skills she gained from her previous working experience at BC Children’s Hospital Radiology Department and lifeguarding, using these abilities to navigate the remarkable and inspiring environment that is Hellenic Studies.

Dr. Eirini Kotsovili

Dr. Evdoxios Doxiadis

Colleen Pescott

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Publications:Evdoxios Doxiadis. The Shackles of Modernity: Women, Property, and the Transition from the Ottoman Empire to the Greek State, 1750-1850. New York: Harvard University Press, 2012.

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Dimitris Krallis. Michael Attaleiates and the Politics of Impe-rial Decline in Eleventh-century Byzantium. Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2012.

Awards:

• President’s Award for Service Through Public Affairs and Media Relations (Awarded 2 February 2012)

• Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal

Dr. André Gerolymatos received the following awards in 2012:

• B.C. Sugar Achievement Award (Awarded 24 May 2012)

“SFU faculty members—professors Krzysztof (Kris) Starosta dur-ing the Fukushima crisis and André Gerolymatos during the Arab Spring insurrections—went to extraordinary lengths to meet the me-

dia’s needs.”

“To Simon Fraser University Faculty who meet the following criteria: winner of national or international prize or award , and have demonstrated a history of leadership in their field and ac-complishments directly related to responsibilities and activities at Simon Fraser University.”

“By Command of Her Majesty The Queen, the Diamond Ju-bilee Medal is presented to you in commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of Her Majesty’s Accession to the Throne and in recognition of your contribution to Canada.”

Page 17

Dr. Dimitris Krallis’ Recent Activities

Dr. Dimitris Krallis Dr. Evdoxios Doxiadis



In the month of May, shortly after the publication of his book titled: Michael Attaleiates and the Politics of Imperial

Decline in Eleventh Century Byzantium with the Medieval Confluences series of the Arizona Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Dr. Krallis was tenured at SFU. In September he was promoted to Associate Professor and soon after, in October, his English translation of Michael Attaleiates’ History, collaboratively prepared with professor Anthony Kaldellis, was published by Harvard University Press. Over the course of 2012 Dr. Krallis presented four papers at international conferences and symposia in Ann Arbor, Oxford, and Leeds. Having made four submissions to journals and edited collective volumes, Dr. Krallis an-ticipates the publication of a number of already accepted peer-reviewed articles in the coming two years. In April of 2012, Dr. Krallis organized the Debt, Sovereignty, and Civil Society Conference, an international event that tack-led the current Greek crisis. He also participated in the two business trips taken by Hellenic Studies Center delegations to Greece. Since September 2012 Dr. Krallis has been on Sabbatical leave and over the fall term he was Visiting Fel-low at University College, Oxford in the UK.

Dr. Evdoxios Doxiadis’ Conference in Austria

From September 13th to September 15th 2012, Dr. Ev-doxios Doxiadis participated in a conference organized

by the University of Innsbruck, Austria titled “New Law - New Gender Structure? Codifying the Law as a process of inscribing Gender Structure”. The conference was part of the celebrations for the bicentennial of the introduction of the Austrian Civil Code, as well as the 7th biennial confer-ence of the International Research Network “Gender Dif-ferences in the History of European Legal Cultures” and brought specialists on questions of women and law from all over Europe. Papers examined the codification of law from the middle ages to the 20th century in Austria, Germany, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Croatia, Greece, and the impact such codifications had on women, gender structures, and gender perceptions. Dr. Doxiadis presented a paper titled “Class and Gender in the Mid-Nineteenth Century Greek Courts” in which he examined the debates over the crea-tion of the modern Greek judicial system following the es-tablishment of the modern Greek state, and the impact of this system on women as shown through the evidence of the court cases that appeared in from of the Appeal Court of Athens.

Page 18

Student News

Congratulations to our Graduates!

Sarah Inglis receives Bachelor of Arts: major in History and Certificate in Hellenic Studies during June convocation 2012.

Mirjana Petrovic with son Aleksandar Petrovic who receives his PhD in History during the June convocation 2012.

Awards and Scholarships

• Stavros Niarchos Graduate Fellowship in Hellenic Studies

18

• Nick Kravariotis Memorial GraduateScholarship in Hellenic Studies

• Katevatis Graduate Scholarship HellenicStudies

• SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship (2012-2015)

• VPR Undergraduate Student Research Award (VPR USRA)

• Stavros Niarchos Graduate Fellowship in Hellenic Studies

James Horncastle

Sarah Inglis

Christopher Dickert

“The Nick Kravariotis Memorial Graduate Scholarship in Hel-lenic Studies valued at a portion of the interest earned on the En-dowment, will be awarded annually in the Fall term. The scholar-ship will be awarded on the basis of academic excellence to students who are enrolled in the Hellenic Studies Graduate Program at Si-mon Fraser University. Preference will be given to students in the fields covered by Hellenic History from Byzantium to the modern period.”

On 8 June 2012 I packed my bags and left to do histori-cal research at archives in both the United Kingdom

and Spain. The first stop on my journey was London, where I stayed for two weeks. Within hours of landing at Gatwick I made my way to the National Archives and began my research for Dr. Gerolymatos on the history of the American Special Forces during the Second World War. After spending one week at the National Archives I proceeded to the Liddell Hart Military Archive to look at documents on the Special Opera-tions Executive (SOE) in Greece and the origins of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which provided the Allies with vi-tal military and political intelligence in the Second World War.

On the last day, I went to the Imperial War Museum Archive where I listened to several reports by Greek combatants who fought with the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. After this rare opportunity of hearing living history, I car-ried on with my research interests by examining the weaponry and vehicles on display. British Intelligence during the 20th Century is also elaborated upon in the museum’s exhibits.

The next phase of my journey brought me to Madrid. I went to the archive at Ministry of Foreign Affairs to research Span-ish-Greek relations from 1936-1939. This was by far the most impressive looking archive I have ever witnessed. Located next to the Plaza Mayor, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is filled with beautiful paintings and granite floors, which, most im-portantly keep the building cool during the summer. A few days later I went to San Fernando de Henares, which was a major battlefield in the Battle for Madrid in the Spanish Civil

Researching in England and Spain

War. I also visited the palace at San Lorenzo de El Escorial, which housed the Madrid Skylitzes. This manuscript covers the reigns of the Byzantine emperors, from Nicephoros I in 811 to John IV in 1057.

After completing my research in Madrid, I left for Salamanca (a town two-and-a-half hours by car north- west of Madrid) to look for information about Balkan members of the Interna-tional Brigades. In Salamanca, there is the Centro Documen-tal de la Memoria Histórica, which holds more than 150,000 boxes of documents that pertain to the Spanish Civil War. A few days later I went to Burgos (a city approximately three hours by car North-East of Salamanca) to visit General Fran-co’s headquarters during the Spanish Civil War, which is now, to my amazement, a school. After that, I traveled to the town Avila (a town approximately three hours South-West by car from Burgos) to visit the General Military Archive to examine records of arms dealing by Prodomos Bodosakis-Athanassiadis to the Spanish Republic. Bodosakis Gun Powder and Car-tridge Company (GPCC) supplied weapons to the Spanish left on behalf of Nazi Herman Goering.

The experiences of my research travels are ones that I will al-ways treasure. This trip allowed me to learn about a variety of topics, gain archival experience, and further my interest in Greek participation in the Spanish Civil War.



By Sarah Inglis

Imperial War Museum, London.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Madrid, Spain

Page 19

Back Cover

Dr. André Gerolymatos Director, Professor

Dr. Dimitris Krallis Associate Professor

Maria Kalogeropoulou Adjunct Professor

Maria Hamilton Manager

Costa Dedegikas Technology Manager,

SNF New Media Lab

Sally Xiaoyun Huang Researcher,

SNF New Media Lab

Oree Gianacopoulos Community Outreach

Dr. Eirini Kotsovili Greek Language

Coordinator

All rights reserved, SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies.

Anne Klein Budget Clerk

Yidi HouNewsletter Designer

Beverley Gerolymatosand Tiggy

Managing Editor

Jamie HorncastleAssistant Managing Editor

“AGORA” Volunteer Team

friendsofhellenicstudies

t. 778.782.5886 | f. 778.782.4929 | e. [email protected]

THE STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION CENTRE FOR HELLENIC STUDIES

Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive Burnaby, BC Canada V5A 1S6

sfuhellenic

Meet the Team

Sarah Inglis Research Assistant

Our Website: www.sfu.ca/snfchs

Dr. Evdoxios DoxiadisLecturer, Academic Co-

ordinator

Colleen PescottProgram Assistant

Documents

Agora Volume 1 Issue 3