Proceedings of the 7th Biennial International Conference of Greek Studies, 2007
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This conference was structured around themes related to the wider significance of Greek History and Civilization, including papers on Greek and Cypriot studies from the wider spectrum of the following areas: Literature and Language, Classical Studies, Philosophy, Society and Culture, History and Migration.
The aim of this cross-disciplinary conference was to celebrate the diachronic achievement of Greek culture and allow academics from different fields of research to come together and share their knowledge of related areas, and perhaps to discover ways in which they might collaborate, from their different specialisations, on complex themes. The search for common ground was a major focus of the conference, but it also provided intellectual stimulation for the dynamic Greek community of South Australia and for the many individuals from the wider society who have an interest in Greek studies.
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Item Acknowledgements(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) AcknowledgementsItem Anarchic Utopia in Aris Alexandrou's 'The Mission Box'(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) Vardoulakis, DimitrisThis paper shows that there are two notions of utopia operating in Aris Alexandrou’s novel The Mission Box (Το κιβώτιο). The first is the autarchic utopia espoused by the Communist Party and represented in the novel by the rational, chronologically organised narrative. The second is the anarchic utopia that disrupts the certainty of the rational narrative as well as the belief in a teleology that will lead to the Party’s victory. I argue that the anarchic interruption avoids a politics of oppression by extrapolating a notion of freedom whose definition does not rely on a negation of imprisonment.Item Anaxagoras and the Size of the Sun(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) Couprie, Dirk L.Plutarch and others report that Anaxagoras compared the size of the sun with the Peloponnesus. It is the aim of this paper to show that this was a fair estimate, from his point of view, which is that of a flat earth. More precisely, I will show that, with the instruments and the geometrical knowledge available, Anaxagoras must have been able to use the procedures and perform the calculations needed to reach approximately his result.Item Ancient Greek Cosmogony(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) Gregory, AndrewThis paper was given as a public lecture to open the 2007 Conference of Greek Studies. It discusses some themes in ancient Greek thought concerning the origins of the cosmos, and differentiates Greek philosophical cosmogony from the creation tales that preceded it, in other contemporary cultures and in Greek religion and literature. It discusses some of the principal problems formulated by Greek cosmogonists and the types of solution they suggested, and draws some parallels with similar problems in the origins of life and the elements for the Greeks, and compares some ancient and modern formulations of these problems and their solutions. This paper also draws some contrasts between Greek philosophical cosmogony and early Christian thinking about the origins of the world.Item Aristotle on Atomism(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) Chalmers, Alan FTwo kinds of atomism emerged in the philosophy off the Presocratics. One kind was devised as a response to Parmenides and involved indivisible physical atoms. The other kind emerged in response to Zeno’s paradoxes and involved indivisible magnitudes that served as a barrier to the infinite division that led to those paradoxes. I argue, contrary to a range of positions to be found in the literature that Aristotle was aware of the distinction between the two kinds of atomism, did not attribute an atomism involving indivisible magnitudes to Democritus, and countered the two kinds of atomism with distinct kinds of arguments.Item Aristotle on Perfect Friendship(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) Taylor, Craig DuncanIn this paper I argue that Aristotle’s conception of ideal or perfect friendship, friendship which is based on the love people of good character might have for each other qua good, is so moralised as to fail to capture our common understanding of the nature and importance of friendship. In particular, I argue that friendship itself indicates an important human good, but crucially a good that cannot, contrary to what Aristotle suggests, be wholly accommodated within our conception of the morally good life for human beings: Our attachment to our closest friends has a value that cannot necessarily be reconciled with our attempts to live a morally good life.Item Aristotle vs Theognis(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) Couvalis, Spyridon GeorgeAristotle argues that provided we have moderate luck, we can attain eudaimonia through our own effort. He claims that it is crucial to attaining eudaimonia that we aim at an overall target in our lives to which all our actions are directed. He also claims that the proper target of a eudaimon human life is virtuous activity, which is a result of effort not chance. He criticises Theognis for saying that the most pleasant thing is to chance on love, arguing instead that virtuous activity is the most pleasant thing. I argue that although Aristotle’s view is insightful and carefully worked out, he fails to show that Theognis is wrong. Effort is not necessarily the path to human eudaimonia and important things we attain by chance seem to have an irreplacable value.Item Aristotle, Dialectic and Critical Realism(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) Mann, ScottThis paper sets out to show that central aspects of Aristotle’s view of science are of continued contemporary relevance. It argues that a widespread failure to recognise this derives, in part, from a continued commitment to Humean ideas. And it shows how Roy Bhaskar’s realist critique of Humeanism highlights some of the strengths of Aristotelian ontology and methodology.Item The case for the return of the Parthenon Marbles(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) Comino, Emanuel J.When we speak of the Parthenon, we are speaking about the birth of western civilisation, the birth of democracy and the symbol of Greece. The Marbles were and remain an integral part of the Parthenon as a monument to the glory of Classical Greece and the civilisation it gave to the world. Ownership might never be resolved but present intransigence attracts increasing diplomatic pressure. Surveys of British MPs reveal 66% support for the return of the Marbles. This paper will look at the legality of the ownership of the Marbles, the preservation of them and the current position. The Acropolis Museum allows Britain to show goodwill on this important cultural property issue.Item Comprehension of Literary Texts by Elementary School Pupils in Greece(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) Papantonakis, Georgios; Athanasiadis, EliasThis paper attempts to record the popularity of recreational reading among pupils, focusing on their understanding of the text. Initially we explore the factors, i.e. family and school, that influence pupils’ reading habits. Then, using the questionnaire method, we investigate what a reader-pupil in the last two years of elementary school in Greece understands after having read a literary text, with respect to the fictional characters, setting, plot, viewpoint/narration and style.Item Conference Photos(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) PhotosThis item contains photographs taken at the Seventh Biennial International Conference of Greek Studies.Item Contents(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) ContentsThis item is the Table of Contents from the Proceedings of the Seventh Biennial International Conference of Greek Studies.Item Cookbooks, Memories and Family Recipes: Greek Cypriot immigrants' cultural maintenance and adaptation in Melbourne(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) Kalivas, TinaThis paper draws from a larger oral history project on the domestic food cultures of a group of Greek Cypriots residing in Melbourne between 1947 and 2003. It explores the ways in which food, and specifically recipes, reveal immigrants’ processes of cultural maintenance and change. By analysing these immigrants’ accounts I show how memories and practical knowledge from mothers, families and friends were important for immigrants’ attempts to maintain their heritage and culture, not only in the food they ate, but also their relationships and personal identities. In line with this, I further argue that cookbooks and other popular media also provided important sources for innovation and cultural transmission. Sharing recipes amongst friends and family in Melbourne was a means for Greek Cypriot immigrants to communicate and negotiate relationships with others; in doing so they also reinforced and contributed to new knowledge about Cypriot identity.Item Copyright(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) CopyrightItem Cross-Cultural Children in Melbourne: Thoughts of getting married in Greek- and Ukranian-Australian families(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) Riak, PatriciaThis paper is an ethnographic portrayal of Greek and Ukrainian cross-cultural children in Melbourne at an age where marriage is a topic of discussion between parents and children, when ethnic traditions are discussed, comparing the views and expectations of these two ethnic cultures. Parents mention their pre-migration experiences of marriage, also encompassing their parents’ life stories. Marriage, as a rite of passage, is explained through the theory of Arnold van Gennep.Item A cultural transition. The different lifestyles of Cyprus and Australia and how the move betweeen countries has impacted my life(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) Sidiropoulou, DespinaAustralia and Cyprus are two countries at the opposite ends of the earth, and the lifestyles of the two countries often seem to be of an entirely opposite nature. The two countries have evolved in different ways: where Cyprus has a deep Greek tradition, Australia is a new country with modern viewpoints; where Australians allow modernity to infiltrate their lifestyles, enjoy quiet nights at home, and value mateship, Cypriots are — in today’s modern world — still highly traditional, prone to summer-long, all-night partying, and tend to value family over all else. While there may be more differences that could be placed on this list, tradition versus modernity, recreation, and loyalties provide a general overview as to the widespread differences between the two countries. The differences in these three areas will be broadly shown through the examples of wedding ceremonies, nightlife, and finally in the family togetherness that is often unseen in Australia.Item Cyprus in the EU: Challenges - Opportunities - Prospects(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) Coufoudakis, VanThis keynote address concentrates on Cyprus in the EU and on the challenges and opportunities created since the accession of Cyprus to the EU.Item Dedications(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) DedicationsItem The Diachronic Contribution of Greek to the Development of the English Language(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) Kanarakis, GeorgeInterlanguage contact and its resulting influences are a fascinating and rewarding field for the scholar and the general reader. Among the benefits of studying this linguistic interaction is the assistance which it provides, especially with the planning and organising of foreign and second language teaching/learning. This paper focuses on the diachronic influence and the contribution of Greek to the development and enrichment of English throughout its history, examining English as the recipient and Greek as the donor of interlanguage influences. It concentrates on English because today it constitutes a global language spoken as mother tongue, official, second or foreign language in countries of all continents, and it is also the second in the world after Mandarin Chinese in number of native speakers. Simultaneously, it focuses on Greek because it is the oldest source of loans (direct and indirect) which English has borrowed, and second, because it occurs on more than one linguistic level, i.e. the graphemic, the morphological and the lexical.Item Dock and the Darwin Debate in Greece(Flinders University Department of Languages - Modern Greek, 2009) Zaramis, MariaThe year 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his Origin of Species, an event which provoked an enormous response in many countries and in many fields, including literature. It is a good time, then, to consider its impact on Greek creative writing. This paper examines a thirteen stanza poem “Δαρβίνος” (“Darwin”), published in 1882, and signed with the pseudonym Dock. I argue that this poem is about Charles Darwin and offers a perspective on the impact his evolutionary theory had on society. How does this poem respond to Darwin’s theory? How does it relate to other European attitudes to Darwin in the late nineteenth century? How does it address issues such as the evolution of the human species and the relation between science and religion, which are still topics of passionate debate? And, last but not least, who was the elusive Dock?