Contemporary History
Traditionally, the NIA focuses on the study of Greek antiquity, but we are also actively interested in the eventful recent history of Greece. The traces left behind by various dictatorships, a fierce occupation that included the murderous decimation of the Jewish community, and a disastrous civil war, often seem to be almost visible immediately below the surface of everyday reality. Over the last couple of years, the NIA cooperates with a number of Greek scholars who study the interesting and complex recent past of their country from various historical and/or anthropological perspectives. The registration and the analysis of personal memories, images and experiences of witnesses are important parts of their research. This often leads to an interesting confrontation of various narratives, which at times are complementary, but which also may be diametrically opposing each other or the dominant historical discourse.
Through the organization of various events, such as lecture series, workshops, seminars and conference NIA tries to build a bridge between those scholars and their colleagues from the Dutch research community who are dealing with similar topics. This exchange of experiences and expertise benefit all involved, but will hopefully also contribute to the consolidation and enhancement of the position of areas such as Oral History, Memory Studies and Genocide- and Holocaust Studies in Greece.
Overview of events since 2015:
Telling Histories: images, memories, narrations
Series of five double-lectures
Academic year 2015-2016.
History Unwanted: Testimonies, silence and public memory
Workshop,
30 September – 1 October 2016
(Publication under preparation)
Jewish Life after the Return: Dutch and Greek Experiences after the Shoah
Workshop, 10-11 December 2016
(Published in English in two volumes (available online) of the Journal “Historein”: Volume 1, Volume 2)
Jews in Greece and the Netherlands: The Shoah, restoration and rehabilitation
Series of nine lectures organised by the Workshop on the Study of Modern Greek Jewry, hosted at the Netherlands Institute at Athens
February – December 2018
Reading of the Visual: Holocaust Photography and Education in the Digital Era.
International Workshop within the Framework of the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI II), supported by the European Commission.
Organized by the Jewish Museum of Greece, hosted by the Netherlands Institute at Athens.
18-19 November 2018.
Third International Winter School in Jewish Studies
History and Memory in Judaism: The Greek Case
In cooperation with the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at University of Amsterdam; The Open University of Israel; King’s College London; The Netherlands Institute in Athens.
The Winter School included a three day fieldtrip to Chalkida and Thessaloniki.
Date: 4 – 11 January 2019
The “Greek Case” in the Council of Europe: A Game Changer for International Law and Human Rights?
International Conference under the auspices of H.E. The President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos, organized by the Netherlands Institute at Athens in cooperation with the Danish Institute at Athens, the Norwegian Institute at Athens, the Swedish Institute at Athens and the Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights.
12-14 December 2019 (University of Athens)
(Recordings of all lectures and sessions are available online)
(Publication under preparation)
