Eleni Stefanou | Hellenic Open University (original) (raw)
Papers by Eleni Stefanou
Making Heritage Together, 2022
Making Heritage Together, 2022
Making Heritage Together, 2022
Making Heritage Together, 2022
History Education Research Journal, 2012
Two of the most significant characteristics of post-modern societies are presentism as a dominant... more Two of the most significant characteristics of post-modern societies are presentism as a dominant status of historicity and confrontation with the traumatic past, namely that of World War II. Considering Distomo as one of the cities-symbols that endured the genocidal violence of National Socialism, as one of the main loci of memory in the Greek historical martyrdom, and as a focal point in the European network of martyr cities, the aforementioned confrontation concerns firstly, the management of the event in reference to identity and historical consciousness, a choice that points towards certain politics of memory in the local society, and, secondly, the moral claim for the recognition of the city’s suffering and the undertaking of responsibilities by the German State. In light of these, the authors approach the issue from a twofold point of view, that is, (a) by analyzing the ways National Socialism, WWII and the mass execution of Distomo’ residents are presented in secondary education history textbooks, and (b) by the interdisciplinary presentation of the local community’s memory politics, which are manifested in the Museum for the Victims of National Socialism and their Mausoleum, around which commemorative and performative rituals are organised on an annual basis. Apart from elevating the role of ceremonies in the memory-making process, this interdisciplinary approach researches the function of education within the official ceremonies, as an important field in the construction of memory.
International Journal of Heritage Studies, 2012
This paper investigates three cases of preservation and exhibition of human relics in Greek museu... more This paper investigates three cases of preservation and exhibition of human relics in Greek museums and demonstrates the ways in which they actively commemorate the maritime past in contemporary Greece. These exhibits, widely perceived as ‘national heirlooms’, all date from the period of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1830 AD): the embalmed heart of Admiral Andreas Miaoulis, exhibited in the Historical Archive-Museum of Hydra; the embalmed heart of Admiral Konstantinos Kanaris, exhibited in the National Historical Museum in Athens and the bones of the female Admiral Laskarina Bouboulina, exhibited in the Museum of Spetses. The display and the discourses associated with these relics are examined within the context of the significance of material culture for the preservation of national memory in general and maritime identity in particular. It is shown that the ‘power’ of these exhibits derives from the monumentalisation of otherwise complex life stories into bounded and concrete symbols of the past, which is analogous to an effort to counterpoise the immanence of death by the materiality of human remains. The materiality of these relics provides a locus for unique convergence of religious symbolism, maritime identity and national ideology. However, this paper attempts to go beyond an examination of such exhibits as symbols and treats them as objects in themselves, arguing that their purported sanctity and their profanity as material objects generate ambivalence which lies at the heart of nationalist and religious discourses.
AP: Online Journal in Public Archaeology, Apr 23, 2018
Every summer for the past four years, a small group of Greek and foreign students gather at the m... more Every summer for the past four years, a small group of Greek and foreign students gather at the mountainous village of Gonies Malevyziou in central Crete to participate in the monthly International Field School "Engaging Local Communities in Heritage Management through Archaeological Ethnography". The School is organised by the Heritage Management Organization and the Cultural Association of Gonies. Teaching ethnography to non anthropologists in the field is challenging as it brings multiple and interchanging roles for teachers and students alike. In this process of collective ethnographic learning, where the teaching setting is also our living setting and research setting, we often wonder about the entangled roles in the production of knowledge and interpretations articulated through theoretical readings, daily chores and lived experience. The demands of active research running side by side with methodological instruction and teaching create different expectations that shape the learning experience in unpredictable ways. This paper discusses some of the issues involved in this process: What is the local community members' position as producers, instigators, and transmitters of this knowledge? How are our multiple identities as teachers, researchers, friends, visitors, and locals/non-locals articulated within and outside the field? Finally, how is the knowledge produced managed and controlled by the community and the people responsible for the summer school?
In Search of Pre-Classical Antiquity: Rediscovering Ancient Peoples in Mediterranean Europe (19th and 20th c.), 2017
The idea for this volume emerged from critical self-reflection about diverse archaeological pract... more The idea for this volume emerged from critical self-reflection about diverse archaeological practices in a session presented at the 13th European Association of Archaeologists Annual Meeting (Zadar, Croatia, 2007), in particular the conflicting relationship between the 'mainstream' and the 'alternative'. The field of so-called 'fringe' or 'alternative' archaeology is vast and multifaceted, ranging from pseudoarchaeology, 'bad' archaeology practices, conspiracy theories and claims about lost civilizations to extraterrestrial cultures, (neo)shamanism, religious and/or nationalist demands. All these agendas have in common the fact that, through their differentiated readings and appropriations of the past, they create solidarities amongst their supporters.
Μελετώντας τα υλικά κατάλοιπα του παρελθόντος, ερχόμαστε αντιμέτωποι με το δύσκολο ερώτημα πότε ... more Μελετώντας τα υλικά κατάλοιπα του παρελθόντος, ερχόμαστε αντιμέτωποι με το δύσκολο ερώτημα πότε ξεκινά και πότε ολοκληρώνεται η βιογραφία τους. Το ερώτημα αυτό περιπλέκεται ακόμα περισσότερο όταν τα υλικά κατάλοιπα συνδέονται με ζώσες εμπειρίες και βιωμένες μνήμες. Μία τέτοια περίπτωση είναι αυτή του Επταπυργίου Θεσσαλονίκης (Γεντί Κουλέ), Βυζαντινό φρούριο, πρώην φυλακή (1890-1989), νυν επισκέψιμος αρχαιολογικός χώρος και Μνημείο Παγκόσμιας Πολιτιστικής Κληρονομιάς. Στα πλαίσια της αρχαιολογίας της μνήμης και της αρχαιολογίας του πρόσφατου παρελθόντος, αφορμώμενες από την μέχρι τώρα εθνογραφική έρευνά μας (2013-2017) με πρώην πολιτικούς κρατούμενους του Επταπυργίου κατά τη Δικτατορία (1967-1974), εξετάζουμε τί συμβαίνει όταν η ανάδειξη ενός αρχαίου μνημείου αποκλείει σύγχρονες ιστορικές περιόδους, οι οποίες περιλαμβάνουν περιπτώσεις 'δύσκολης' κληρονομιάς, τραυματικής και ζώσας μνήμης που αποζητά επίσημη ανάδειξη, πλαισίωση και αναγνώριση. Επιχειρούμε, επίσης, να φωτίσουμε τις ιδεολογικοπολιτικές παραμέτρους που ενθαρρύνουν και συντηρούν τον εν λόγω αποκλεισμό, καθώς και πώς αυτός επηρεάζει την αρχαιολογική πρακτική, τη διαχείριση του παρελθόντος και την διαμόρφωση του λόγου περί πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς.
The biography of the material past constitutes a challenging pursuit amongst those who study it. This venture is further complicated when ancient materiality is entangled with recent and difficult life-events, raw experiences, first-hand memories. Such is the case of the Eptapyrgio of Thessaloniki (Yedi Kule), a Byzantine fort, former prison (1890-1989) and at present, a UNESCO monument, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Thessaloniki City and a visited archaeological site. In the context of a politically aware archaeology and archaeological ethnography (2013-2017) with former political prisoners of Eptapyrgio (from the Junta period between 1967-1974), this paper throws light upon the interpretative and representational gap regarding the recent and difficult past of this ancient monument. It attempts to contextualise archaeological practice, while exploring its ideological and epistemological grounds, as well as the social connotations that link to it. This allows the discussion to go beyond the confines of local idiosyncrasy, as it widens the meaning of the past and it problematizes the larger issue of the politics of the past and the complexity of cultural representation.
La Descommunal: Revsta Iberoamericana de Patrimonio y Comunidad, 5:229-244, 2019
The small Cretan village of Gonies Malevyziou has been the host and subject of the international ... more The small Cretan village of Gonies Malevyziou has been the host and subject of the international field school Engaging Local Communities in Heritage Management through Archaeological Ethnography, run by the Heritage Management Organization (Athens, Greece), since 2014. Initially visited in 2010 for the excavation of the Minoan peak sanctuary of Philioremos (University of Kent, dir. Dr Evangelos Kyriakidis) (KYRIAKIDIS, forthcoming), which is situated on the mountain behind the village, Gonies itself rapidly became a place of ethnographic interest. Not only is it replete with historical and traditional buildings and objects, but it also hosts a population rich in, and proud of, local historical and cultural stories (KYRIAKIDIS and ANAGNOSTOPOULOS, 2016).
The 2017 field school research topic was material culture, and what its use and distribution can reveal about local practices, traditions, beliefs and gender roles. This paper presents the processes and results of this season as experienced by its participants. Below is an account by the four international students in archaeology, anthropology and heritage management who, under the guidance of a small team of professionals, received training in archaeological ethnography whilst residing in Gonies and undertaking month-long fieldwork research through direct engagement with the local population. The outcome of the 2017 season was a small exhibition -located within the village but advertised throughout the region and in the city of Heraklion- of objects
which the team and its interlocutors together selected as most expressive of life past and present in the village of Gonies.
Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, 2014
Πώς το παρελθόν νοηματοδοτείται μέσα στο μουσείο; Ποιος ο ρόλος του στη σύγχρονη κοινωνία και πώς... more Πώς το παρελθόν νοηματοδοτείται μέσα στο μουσείο; Ποιος ο
ρόλος του στη σύγχρονη κοινωνία και πώς αυτός αναδεικνύεται
μέσω των μουσείων; Τι έχει να πει το παρελθόν στο σήμερα και
ποια η σημασία της πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς; Πώς τα ελληνικά
μουσεία διαχειρίζονται το παρελθόν; Τα ερωτήματα αυτά δεν
είναι καινούρια. Η διαμόρφωση της σχέσης μουσείου και παρελθόντος, η άρρηκτη σύνδεση της σχέσης αυτής με ζητήματα
ταυτότητας, οι διαδικασίες μέσω των οποίων προβαίνει το μουσείο στην ερμηνεία και τη νοηματοδότηση του υλικού πολιτισμού, καθώς και η πρόσληψη των μηνυμάτων του μουσείου για
το παρελθόν από το κοινό είναι ζητήματα που έχουν αποτελέσει αντικείμενο έρευνας τόσο στη διεθνή όσο και στην ελληνική βιβλιογραφία (βλ. ενδεικτικά Vergo 1989· Kavanagh 1996·
Μπούνια και Γκαζή 2012· Χουρμουζιάδη 2006).
Η καινοτομία της ενότητας αυτής έγκειται στο γεγονός ότι
τα παραπάνω, καίρια για την αρχαιολογική και τη μουσειολογική πρακτική ερωτήματα επιχειρείται να απαντηθούν μέσα από
την προσωπική, ματιά τριών πρώην διευθυντών σημαντικών ελληνικών μουσείων. Ο Νικόλαος Καλτσάς (Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο), η Αναστασία Τούρτα (Μουσείο Βυζαντινού Πολιτισμού Θεσσαλονίκης) και ο Άγγελος Δεληβορριάς (Μουσείο
Μπενάκη) προβαίνουν σε τρεις προσωπικές προσεγγίσεις, καταθέσεις εκ βαθέων της εμπειρίας που αποκτήθηκε μέσω της
μακρόχρονης πορείας στον τομέα της διοίκησης μουσείων και
διαχείρισης συλλογών. Τα κείμενα των τριών συγγραφέων σκιαγραφούν την αναμέτρησή τους με το παρελθόν, τις καινοτομίες
που εφάρμοσαν στην προβολή του, καθώς και τις δυσκολίες και
τις προκλήσεις αυτού του εγχειρήματος. Παράλληλα αναδεικνύουν τις πολλαπλές και συχνά αντικρουόμενες προσεγγίσεις
που επικρατούν στη νοηματοδότηση του παρελθόντος, στη λήψη αποφάσεων και στη συγκρότηση των ερμηνειών του υλικού πολιτισμού.
AP: Online Journal in Public Archaeology, 2017
From the 19th century onwards classical antiquity has been the core ideological axis for the shap... more From the 19th century onwards classical antiquity has been the core ideological axis for the shaping of the modern Greek national narrative, as well as the main locus for the modern Greek identity to trace its roots. A critical reading of the complex processes of national formation brings to light issues relating, among others, to the 18th and 19th century ideological colonisation of ancient Greece by the West, the entangled bond between classical antiquity, Christianity and the Orthodox Church, primordial ideas of national origin, cultural dichotomies and stereotypes regarding the “civilised” West and the “barbarian” Orient, as well as perceptions about Europe’s moral debt to Greece. Most of these narratives extend well beyond the 19th century to present times and illustrate that the ongoing intertwined relationship of classical antiquity and modern Greek national imagination does not only embed beliefs of national ancestry but also holds a supranational agenda.
This rhetoric is successfully manifested in Salamineia, the commemorative ceremony organized annually, on the last weekend of September, in celebration of the Naval Battle of Salamis (480BC), which is considered as one of the most significant historical events of classical antiquity. The dual role attributed to the sea, as an actual and a symbolic historical locus, brings forward a perennial, deterministic and biological interpretation of history (“the sea existing in the blood of Greeks”), religious and political syncretism, the urge for the revival of the 19th century Philhellenism, polarized local, national and transnational discourses, and universal ideas that portray Greece as the stakeholder of global values, such as democracy, moral ideals and liberal thought, thus as the founder of western culture.
Making Heritage Together, 2022
Making Heritage Together, 2022
Making Heritage Together, 2022
Making Heritage Together, 2022
History Education Research Journal, 2012
Two of the most significant characteristics of post-modern societies are presentism as a dominant... more Two of the most significant characteristics of post-modern societies are presentism as a dominant status of historicity and confrontation with the traumatic past, namely that of World War II. Considering Distomo as one of the cities-symbols that endured the genocidal violence of National Socialism, as one of the main loci of memory in the Greek historical martyrdom, and as a focal point in the European network of martyr cities, the aforementioned confrontation concerns firstly, the management of the event in reference to identity and historical consciousness, a choice that points towards certain politics of memory in the local society, and, secondly, the moral claim for the recognition of the city’s suffering and the undertaking of responsibilities by the German State. In light of these, the authors approach the issue from a twofold point of view, that is, (a) by analyzing the ways National Socialism, WWII and the mass execution of Distomo’ residents are presented in secondary education history textbooks, and (b) by the interdisciplinary presentation of the local community’s memory politics, which are manifested in the Museum for the Victims of National Socialism and their Mausoleum, around which commemorative and performative rituals are organised on an annual basis. Apart from elevating the role of ceremonies in the memory-making process, this interdisciplinary approach researches the function of education within the official ceremonies, as an important field in the construction of memory.
International Journal of Heritage Studies, 2012
This paper investigates three cases of preservation and exhibition of human relics in Greek museu... more This paper investigates three cases of preservation and exhibition of human relics in Greek museums and demonstrates the ways in which they actively commemorate the maritime past in contemporary Greece. These exhibits, widely perceived as ‘national heirlooms’, all date from the period of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1830 AD): the embalmed heart of Admiral Andreas Miaoulis, exhibited in the Historical Archive-Museum of Hydra; the embalmed heart of Admiral Konstantinos Kanaris, exhibited in the National Historical Museum in Athens and the bones of the female Admiral Laskarina Bouboulina, exhibited in the Museum of Spetses. The display and the discourses associated with these relics are examined within the context of the significance of material culture for the preservation of national memory in general and maritime identity in particular. It is shown that the ‘power’ of these exhibits derives from the monumentalisation of otherwise complex life stories into bounded and concrete symbols of the past, which is analogous to an effort to counterpoise the immanence of death by the materiality of human remains. The materiality of these relics provides a locus for unique convergence of religious symbolism, maritime identity and national ideology. However, this paper attempts to go beyond an examination of such exhibits as symbols and treats them as objects in themselves, arguing that their purported sanctity and their profanity as material objects generate ambivalence which lies at the heart of nationalist and religious discourses.
AP: Online Journal in Public Archaeology, Apr 23, 2018
Every summer for the past four years, a small group of Greek and foreign students gather at the m... more Every summer for the past four years, a small group of Greek and foreign students gather at the mountainous village of Gonies Malevyziou in central Crete to participate in the monthly International Field School "Engaging Local Communities in Heritage Management through Archaeological Ethnography". The School is organised by the Heritage Management Organization and the Cultural Association of Gonies. Teaching ethnography to non anthropologists in the field is challenging as it brings multiple and interchanging roles for teachers and students alike. In this process of collective ethnographic learning, where the teaching setting is also our living setting and research setting, we often wonder about the entangled roles in the production of knowledge and interpretations articulated through theoretical readings, daily chores and lived experience. The demands of active research running side by side with methodological instruction and teaching create different expectations that shape the learning experience in unpredictable ways. This paper discusses some of the issues involved in this process: What is the local community members' position as producers, instigators, and transmitters of this knowledge? How are our multiple identities as teachers, researchers, friends, visitors, and locals/non-locals articulated within and outside the field? Finally, how is the knowledge produced managed and controlled by the community and the people responsible for the summer school?
In Search of Pre-Classical Antiquity: Rediscovering Ancient Peoples in Mediterranean Europe (19th and 20th c.), 2017
The idea for this volume emerged from critical self-reflection about diverse archaeological pract... more The idea for this volume emerged from critical self-reflection about diverse archaeological practices in a session presented at the 13th European Association of Archaeologists Annual Meeting (Zadar, Croatia, 2007), in particular the conflicting relationship between the 'mainstream' and the 'alternative'. The field of so-called 'fringe' or 'alternative' archaeology is vast and multifaceted, ranging from pseudoarchaeology, 'bad' archaeology practices, conspiracy theories and claims about lost civilizations to extraterrestrial cultures, (neo)shamanism, religious and/or nationalist demands. All these agendas have in common the fact that, through their differentiated readings and appropriations of the past, they create solidarities amongst their supporters.
Μελετώντας τα υλικά κατάλοιπα του παρελθόντος, ερχόμαστε αντιμέτωποι με το δύσκολο ερώτημα πότε ... more Μελετώντας τα υλικά κατάλοιπα του παρελθόντος, ερχόμαστε αντιμέτωποι με το δύσκολο ερώτημα πότε ξεκινά και πότε ολοκληρώνεται η βιογραφία τους. Το ερώτημα αυτό περιπλέκεται ακόμα περισσότερο όταν τα υλικά κατάλοιπα συνδέονται με ζώσες εμπειρίες και βιωμένες μνήμες. Μία τέτοια περίπτωση είναι αυτή του Επταπυργίου Θεσσαλονίκης (Γεντί Κουλέ), Βυζαντινό φρούριο, πρώην φυλακή (1890-1989), νυν επισκέψιμος αρχαιολογικός χώρος και Μνημείο Παγκόσμιας Πολιτιστικής Κληρονομιάς. Στα πλαίσια της αρχαιολογίας της μνήμης και της αρχαιολογίας του πρόσφατου παρελθόντος, αφορμώμενες από την μέχρι τώρα εθνογραφική έρευνά μας (2013-2017) με πρώην πολιτικούς κρατούμενους του Επταπυργίου κατά τη Δικτατορία (1967-1974), εξετάζουμε τί συμβαίνει όταν η ανάδειξη ενός αρχαίου μνημείου αποκλείει σύγχρονες ιστορικές περιόδους, οι οποίες περιλαμβάνουν περιπτώσεις 'δύσκολης' κληρονομιάς, τραυματικής και ζώσας μνήμης που αποζητά επίσημη ανάδειξη, πλαισίωση και αναγνώριση. Επιχειρούμε, επίσης, να φωτίσουμε τις ιδεολογικοπολιτικές παραμέτρους που ενθαρρύνουν και συντηρούν τον εν λόγω αποκλεισμό, καθώς και πώς αυτός επηρεάζει την αρχαιολογική πρακτική, τη διαχείριση του παρελθόντος και την διαμόρφωση του λόγου περί πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς.
The biography of the material past constitutes a challenging pursuit amongst those who study it. This venture is further complicated when ancient materiality is entangled with recent and difficult life-events, raw experiences, first-hand memories. Such is the case of the Eptapyrgio of Thessaloniki (Yedi Kule), a Byzantine fort, former prison (1890-1989) and at present, a UNESCO monument, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Thessaloniki City and a visited archaeological site. In the context of a politically aware archaeology and archaeological ethnography (2013-2017) with former political prisoners of Eptapyrgio (from the Junta period between 1967-1974), this paper throws light upon the interpretative and representational gap regarding the recent and difficult past of this ancient monument. It attempts to contextualise archaeological practice, while exploring its ideological and epistemological grounds, as well as the social connotations that link to it. This allows the discussion to go beyond the confines of local idiosyncrasy, as it widens the meaning of the past and it problematizes the larger issue of the politics of the past and the complexity of cultural representation.
La Descommunal: Revsta Iberoamericana de Patrimonio y Comunidad, 5:229-244, 2019
The small Cretan village of Gonies Malevyziou has been the host and subject of the international ... more The small Cretan village of Gonies Malevyziou has been the host and subject of the international field school Engaging Local Communities in Heritage Management through Archaeological Ethnography, run by the Heritage Management Organization (Athens, Greece), since 2014. Initially visited in 2010 for the excavation of the Minoan peak sanctuary of Philioremos (University of Kent, dir. Dr Evangelos Kyriakidis) (KYRIAKIDIS, forthcoming), which is situated on the mountain behind the village, Gonies itself rapidly became a place of ethnographic interest. Not only is it replete with historical and traditional buildings and objects, but it also hosts a population rich in, and proud of, local historical and cultural stories (KYRIAKIDIS and ANAGNOSTOPOULOS, 2016).
The 2017 field school research topic was material culture, and what its use and distribution can reveal about local practices, traditions, beliefs and gender roles. This paper presents the processes and results of this season as experienced by its participants. Below is an account by the four international students in archaeology, anthropology and heritage management who, under the guidance of a small team of professionals, received training in archaeological ethnography whilst residing in Gonies and undertaking month-long fieldwork research through direct engagement with the local population. The outcome of the 2017 season was a small exhibition -located within the village but advertised throughout the region and in the city of Heraklion- of objects
which the team and its interlocutors together selected as most expressive of life past and present in the village of Gonies.
Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, 2014
Πώς το παρελθόν νοηματοδοτείται μέσα στο μουσείο; Ποιος ο ρόλος του στη σύγχρονη κοινωνία και πώς... more Πώς το παρελθόν νοηματοδοτείται μέσα στο μουσείο; Ποιος ο
ρόλος του στη σύγχρονη κοινωνία και πώς αυτός αναδεικνύεται
μέσω των μουσείων; Τι έχει να πει το παρελθόν στο σήμερα και
ποια η σημασία της πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς; Πώς τα ελληνικά
μουσεία διαχειρίζονται το παρελθόν; Τα ερωτήματα αυτά δεν
είναι καινούρια. Η διαμόρφωση της σχέσης μουσείου και παρελθόντος, η άρρηκτη σύνδεση της σχέσης αυτής με ζητήματα
ταυτότητας, οι διαδικασίες μέσω των οποίων προβαίνει το μουσείο στην ερμηνεία και τη νοηματοδότηση του υλικού πολιτισμού, καθώς και η πρόσληψη των μηνυμάτων του μουσείου για
το παρελθόν από το κοινό είναι ζητήματα που έχουν αποτελέσει αντικείμενο έρευνας τόσο στη διεθνή όσο και στην ελληνική βιβλιογραφία (βλ. ενδεικτικά Vergo 1989· Kavanagh 1996·
Μπούνια και Γκαζή 2012· Χουρμουζιάδη 2006).
Η καινοτομία της ενότητας αυτής έγκειται στο γεγονός ότι
τα παραπάνω, καίρια για την αρχαιολογική και τη μουσειολογική πρακτική ερωτήματα επιχειρείται να απαντηθούν μέσα από
την προσωπική, ματιά τριών πρώην διευθυντών σημαντικών ελληνικών μουσείων. Ο Νικόλαος Καλτσάς (Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο), η Αναστασία Τούρτα (Μουσείο Βυζαντινού Πολιτισμού Θεσσαλονίκης) και ο Άγγελος Δεληβορριάς (Μουσείο
Μπενάκη) προβαίνουν σε τρεις προσωπικές προσεγγίσεις, καταθέσεις εκ βαθέων της εμπειρίας που αποκτήθηκε μέσω της
μακρόχρονης πορείας στον τομέα της διοίκησης μουσείων και
διαχείρισης συλλογών. Τα κείμενα των τριών συγγραφέων σκιαγραφούν την αναμέτρησή τους με το παρελθόν, τις καινοτομίες
που εφάρμοσαν στην προβολή του, καθώς και τις δυσκολίες και
τις προκλήσεις αυτού του εγχειρήματος. Παράλληλα αναδεικνύουν τις πολλαπλές και συχνά αντικρουόμενες προσεγγίσεις
που επικρατούν στη νοηματοδότηση του παρελθόντος, στη λήψη αποφάσεων και στη συγκρότηση των ερμηνειών του υλικού πολιτισμού.
AP: Online Journal in Public Archaeology, 2017
From the 19th century onwards classical antiquity has been the core ideological axis for the shap... more From the 19th century onwards classical antiquity has been the core ideological axis for the shaping of the modern Greek national narrative, as well as the main locus for the modern Greek identity to trace its roots. A critical reading of the complex processes of national formation brings to light issues relating, among others, to the 18th and 19th century ideological colonisation of ancient Greece by the West, the entangled bond between classical antiquity, Christianity and the Orthodox Church, primordial ideas of national origin, cultural dichotomies and stereotypes regarding the “civilised” West and the “barbarian” Orient, as well as perceptions about Europe’s moral debt to Greece. Most of these narratives extend well beyond the 19th century to present times and illustrate that the ongoing intertwined relationship of classical antiquity and modern Greek national imagination does not only embed beliefs of national ancestry but also holds a supranational agenda.
This rhetoric is successfully manifested in Salamineia, the commemorative ceremony organized annually, on the last weekend of September, in celebration of the Naval Battle of Salamis (480BC), which is considered as one of the most significant historical events of classical antiquity. The dual role attributed to the sea, as an actual and a symbolic historical locus, brings forward a perennial, deterministic and biological interpretation of history (“the sea existing in the blood of Greeks”), religious and political syncretism, the urge for the revival of the 19th century Philhellenism, polarized local, national and transnational discourses, and universal ideas that portray Greece as the stakeholder of global values, such as democracy, moral ideals and liberal thought, thus as the founder of western culture.
Aris Anagnostopoulos, Evangelos Kyriakidis, Eleni Stefanou, 2022
Making Heritage Together presents a case study of public archaeology by focusing on the collabora... more Making Heritage Together presents a case study of public archaeology by focusing on the collaborative creation of knowledge about the past with a rural community in central Crete. It is based on a long-term archaeological ethnography project that engaged this village community in collectively researching, preserving and managing their cultural heritage.
This volume presents the theoretical and local contexts for the project, explains the methodology and the project outcomes, and reviews in detail some of the public archaeology actions with the community as examples of collaborative, research-based heritage management. What the authors emphasize in this book is the value of local context in designing and implementing public archaeology projects, and the necessity of establishing methods to understand, collaborate and interact with culturally specific groups and publics. They argue for the implementation of archaeological ethnographic research as a method of creating instances and spaces for collaborative knowledge production. The volume contributes to a greater understanding of how rural communities can be successfully engaged in the management of their own heritage.
It will be relevant to archaeologists and other heritage professionals who aim to maximise the inclusivity and impact of small projects with minimal resources and achieve sustainable processes of collaboration with local stakeholders.
BAR International Series 2409
The idea for this volume emerged from critical self-reflection about diverse archaeological pract... more The idea for this volume emerged from critical self-reflection about diverse archaeological practices in a session presented at the 13th European Association of Archaeologists Annual Meeting (Zadar, Croatia, 2007), in particular the conflicting relationship between the ‘mainstream’ and the ‘alternative’.
The field of so-called ‘fringe’ or ‘alternative’ archaeology is vast and multifaceted, ranging from pseudoarchaeology, ‘bad’ archaeology practices, conspiracy theories and claims about lost civilizations to extraterrestrial cultures, (neo)shamanism, religious and/or nationalist demands. All these agendas have in common the fact that, through their differentiated readings and appropriations of the past, they create solidarities amongst their supporters.
Contents: From archaeology to archaeologies: themes, challenges and borders of the ‘other’ past (Anna Simandiraki-Grimshaw, Eleni Stefanou); 2) An insider‘s view of an alternative archaeology (Michael Cremo); 3) Performance, participation and pyramids: addressing meaning and method behind alternative archaeology in Visoko, Bosnia (Tera Pruitt); 4) Marginal and mainstream. Religion, politics and identity in the contemporary us, as seen through the lens of the Kennewick Man / The Ancient One (Liv Nilsson Stutz); 5) A clash of ideologies: Zimbabwean archaeology at the fringe (Paul Hubbard, Robert S. Burrett); 6) Academic constructs about the past and early education as (dis)entangled components of identity formation processes (Anna Zalewska); 7) Archaeology as allegory: the representations of archaeology in children’s literature in Brazil (Marcia Bezerra); 8) A look in the mirror and the perspective of others on the portrayal of archaeology in the mass media (Diane Scherlzler); 9) ‘Looting’ unveiled, archaeology revealed: case studies from western Greece (Ioanna Antoniadou); 10) Visual collision? prehistoric rock art and graffiti in an Armenian landscape (Fay Stevens); 11) The colours of the past (Cornelius Holtorf).
Nations and Nationalism, Jan 1, 2010
The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Sep 19, 2013
This is the syllabus for our 2015 Archaeological Ethnography Summer School, to be held in Gonies ... more This is the syllabus for our 2015 Archaeological Ethnography Summer School, to be held in Gonies Malevyziou, Crete, Greece, from June 21st to July 19th. If you are interested in applying, please send an email to inherity.info@gmail.com
DEADLINE EXTENDED Submit your abstract until 29/02/204
Our Archaeological Ethnography field school, aims to closely investigate the involvement of local... more Our Archaeological Ethnography field school, aims to closely investigate the involvement of locals with their material and intangible heritage in general, and the remains of various heritage sites scattered around the area of our lab-area, Gonies, Crete. We address the issues arising in the documentation, preservation, and dissemination of cultural heritage through our ethnographic research and our public engagement with the village of Gonies, as well as local and national stakeholders. Our goal is to develop a public archaeology program that will contribute to the sustainable development of the area, engage with the locals and render them more active in the protection of their own heritage.
"Το σεμινάριο αφορά στη μουσειακή εκπαίδευση και χωρίζεται σε τέσσερα μέρη: Στο πρώτο μέρος επι... more "Το σεμινάριο αφορά στη μουσειακή εκπαίδευση και χωρίζεται σε τέσσερα μέρη:
Στο πρώτο μέρος επιχειρείται μία σύντομη θεωρητική προσέγγιση του πεδίου της Μουσειοπαιδαγωγικής, καθώς και η ανάλυση βασικών όρων που αφορούν στο γνωστικό αντικείμενο.
Στο δεύτερο μέρος συζητούνται βασικές παιδαγωγικές θεωρίες, απαραίτητες στη διαδικασία σχεδιασμού εκπαιδευτικών προγραμμάτων, που αφορούν στη σύνδεση μουσείου-σχολείου και παιχνιδιού-μάθησης.
Το τρίτο μέρος επικεντρώνεται στη μεθοδολογία σχεδιασμού, στη στοχοθεσία, και στα συνήθη λάθη που γίνονται κατά τη διαδικασία ορισμού των στόχων ενός εκπαιδευτικού προγράμματος.
Το τέταρτο μέρος συζητά βασικές κατηγορίες πιθανού κοινού επισκεπτών με βάση τον ηλικιακό διαχωρισμό αλλά και τις ανάγκες τις κάθε ομάδας.
Η θεωρητική προσέγγιση θα συμπληρωθεί με πρακτικές ασκήσεις. Στους συμμετέχοντες θα δοθεί σχετική βιβλιογραφία, ελληνόγλωσση και ξενόγλωσση, καθώς και διαδικτυακοί τόποι με μουσειακό εκπαιδευτικό υλικό."
Cultural Education in Public Space: cultural walks and educational activities in the city of Rhod... more Cultural Education in Public Space: cultural walks and educational activities in the city of Rhodes.
This paper will illustrate aspects of the public interpretation and reception of the 1920s and 1930s architectural heritage of the Fascist Italian regime within the urban landscape of the city of Rhodes.
Firstly, the results of ethnographic research conducted during the period 2012-2013 will be presented regarding the public perceptions of the buildings of the Fascist Administration, which are either viewed based on their current use (mostly administrative buildings), or as “undesired heritage”, or, deceptively based on appearance, as medieval.
Secondly, an application of public heritage education will be presented based on an audience-based perspective, with a particular focus on adult groups with kids. The aim is to encourage an engaging experience of local history through cultural walks and heritage trails designed around the architectural heritage of the Fascist Regime within the urban context of Rhodes. Urban landscape is understood as a “living museum” that facilitates a model of in situ informal education which stems from a holistic view of the place: by taking into account not only historical and literary sources but also current perceptions and oral narratives gathered with ethnographic research methods, flexible cultural itineraries are designed so that adult groups with kids can engage with the place’s past and present through discovery, educational and hands-on activities.
Σε ποιον «ανήκει» το παρελθόν και πως διαμορφώνεται η σχέση μας με αυτό; Ποιες είναι οι πτυχές εν... more Σε ποιον «ανήκει» το παρελθόν και πως διαμορφώνεται η σχέση μας με αυτό; Ποιες είναι οι πτυχές ενός Μνημείου Παγκόσμιας Πολιτιστικής Κληρονομιάς σε «τοπικό», «εθνικό» και «διεθνές» επίπεδο; Πώς αναπτύσσονται οι διαφορετικές χρήσεις του χώρου, από τους κατοίκους μιας πόλης και πώς αυτές μεταλλάσσονται στο χρόνο; Υπάρχει τελικά μέθοδος για την επιτυχημένη αξιοποίηση του χώρου από τις διαφορετικές ομάδες που λειτουργούν σε αυτόν;
Αυτές και άλλες πολλές ερωτήσεις – εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρουσες για μια πόλη παγκόσμιας κληρονομιάς όπως η Ρόδος – θα εξεταστούν στην ομιλία.
Στην προηγούμενη συνεδρία μας στους Αρχαιολογικούς Διαλόγους του 2015, συζητήθηκε υπό το πρίσμα τ... more Στην προηγούμενη συνεδρία μας στους Αρχαιολογικούς Διαλόγους του 2015, συζητήθηκε υπό το πρίσμα της αρχαιολογικής εθνογραφίας το επίπεδο της επίδρασης του αρχαιολογικού Λόγου και της παρέμβασης της αρχαιολογικής πράξης στις τοπικές κοινωνίες. Ταυτόχρονα, οι τοπικές κοινωνίες αναδείχτηκαν ως ένα καίριο κομμάτι του περιβάλλοντος της έρευνας, το οποίο συχνά με άμεσο ή έμμεσο τρόπο ασκεί τη δική του επιρροή στη διαμόρφωση των ερευνητικών ερωτημάτων.
Are you a heritage caretaker? Does your fieldwork involve working with local communities? Are you... more Are you a heritage caretaker? Does your fieldwork involve working with local communities? Are you designing or running community engagement programs? Then join us at the EAA conference in Rome (28-31/08/2024) to bring out the similarities and differences of how we are engaging communities in our heritage projects, talk about the particularities of our work, the obstacles we are facing, the ways we overcome various hindrances, and how we see our field evolving in the future.
In this workshop on community engagement in archaeological heritage management individual colleagues and/or initiatives from all over Europe that do community engagement in Europe and beyond meet to discuss methods, limitations, prospects, and plan for the future.
In round tables participants will be divided into different working groups and with the guidance of the moderators they will engage in an organised discussion about (a) methods applied, (b) best practices implemented (c) selection of audiences, (d) non-participants and reasons for not getting involved, (e) power dynamics and issues of conflict, (f) common values emerging from community engagement heritage projects, (g) goals, objectives and future steps to be taken.
The purpose of this closed interactive workshop is to formulate a series of proposals for the development of a manual of best practices and methodologies for organizing actions to engage and activate local communities in archaeology and cultural heritage. Please note that this is not a workshop based on paper presentations, but an interactive one based on case studies and experience from the field.
To apply, please send us a short description (up to 250 words) of the project you are working on by 15 February 2024. If your application is successful, you will be notified by the end of February 2024.
Once selected, you will need to register at www.e-a-a.org to secure your participation.
La Descommunal, 2019
The small Cretan village of Gonies Malevyziou has been the host and subject of the international ... more The small Cretan village of Gonies Malevyziou has been the host and subject of the international field school Engaging Local Communities in Heritage Management through Archaeological Ethnography, run by the Heritage Management Organization (Athens, Greece), since 2014. Initially visited in 2010 for the excavation of the Minoan peak sanctuary of Philioremos (University of Kent, dir. Dr Evangelos Kyriakidis, see Kyriakidis forthcoming) which is situated on the mountain behind the village, Gonies itself rapidly became a place of ethnographic interest. Not only is it replete with historical and traditional buildings and objects, but it also hosts a population rich in, and proud of, local historical and cultural stories (see Kyriakidis and Anagnostopoulos 2016).
The 2017 field school research topic was material culture, and what its use and distribution can reveal about local practices, traditions, beliefs and gender roles. This paper presents the processes and results of this season as experienced by its participants. Below is an account by the four international students in archaeology, anthropology and heritage management who, under the guidance of a small team of professionals, received training in archaeological ethnography whilst residing in Gonies and undertaking month-long fieldwork research through direct engagement with the local population. The outcome of the 2017 season was a small exhibition - located within the village but advertised throughout the region and in the city of Heraklion - of objects which the team and its interlocutors together selected as most expressive of life past and present in the village of Gonies.
AP: Online Journal in Public Archaeology, 2018
Philioremos means ‘friend of the solitary’. And when on top of this Minoan peak sanctua... more Philioremos means ‘friend of the solitary’. And when on top of this Minoan peak sanctuary, which dates back to c.1800BC, you can feel why. A hill much lower than the imposing Ida Mountains in the south, it nonetheless commands an impressive 360° view of the surrounding mountain valley. Standing on top, usually ducking to avoid the strong, cold wind, you have the impression of being at a distance from everything. The sounds of sheep bells, fragments of speech, the howl of the wind, a passing car in the distance, a dog barking somewhere, village bells, gradually surround you and make you turn inside, to the sound of your beating heart and your panting breath. It is a sense of solitude that contrasts the criss-crossing networks and flows of people, objects, animals, memories, stories, and official bodies that make up this site. These immaterial flows often make no sound that can be picked up in the natural soundscape of the area. But as one draws near the village, the fragments of sound turn into a profusion of voices.