Research on all things Greek – from the country’s current economic crisis to the use of Greek mythology in computer games, as well as a case of philosophically induced hiccups – is the focus of a two-day conference at Flinders University.
The 11th Biennial International Conference on Greek Research, organised by the LOGOS Centre for Hellenic Language and Culture at Flinders, will be opened today by the Greek Ambassador to Australia, His Excellency Haralambos Dafaranos. It will run over June 26 and 27 at Flinders at Tonsley.
The conference will host academics from around Australia and from China, Greece, the UK and the US, who will present papers across the disciplines of history, education, social sciences, art, literature and film, with, as one would anticipate, a good dose of philosophy.
Conference co-convener and Director of the LOGOS Centre, Professor Michael Tsianikas, said the conference would continue in its task of celebrating and analysing the contribution of Greek cultural heritage to societies around the world.
“In two decades, some 2,500 papers have been presented at the conference, with more than 600 published and available online receiving thousands of visitors per year,” Professor Tsianikas said.
“Through the conference, Flinders University has made a significant contribution to debate and discourse on Greece and the Greek diaspora, and this year will continue to build on what is already a valuable resource for scholars.”
Other individual conference papers will include an account of Greek participation in the Australian gold rush, the role of TV programs and songs in modern Greek language teaching, and a study of religious icons and practices among Greek migrants to South Australia after World War 2.
The conference has received funding exceeding half of a million of dollars over the past 20 years. External sponsors of the 2015 conference include Gaganis Brothers, the Maras Group, St Basil’s Homes, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Intercommunities Council of South Australia and the Greek Orthodox Community of SA Inc