The discussion (in English) will feature Anna Ballian (Benaki Museum) and Anastasia Drandaki (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens & Benaki Museum), moderated by Elias Kolovos (National Hellenic Research Foundation).

May 05, 2026
20:00

Demos Center, ACG

In this podcast, Christos Chrysanthopoulos, Special Scientific Member of the Institute of Historical Research, talks about the life and work of Theo Angelopoulos.

What is New Greek Cinema? What was the impact of Theo Angelopoulos for the Greek and World cinema? What was Angelopoulos’ relation with post-war Greek history and society? What were Angelopoulos’ work themes? What happened in Florina in 1990 during the filming of Τhe Suspended Step of the Stork? How important is the archive of Theo Angelopoulos for the study of his work?

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The discussion (in English) will feature Kutay Onayli (Junior Research Fellow, Magdalen College, University of Oxford) and Antonis Nasis (Sciences Po – CETOBaC, CNRS/EHESS), moderated by Catherine Boura.

April 16, 2026
19:00

Cotsen Hall, Gennadius Library, American School of Classical Studies at Athens

In this podcast, Dimitris Dimitropoulos, Director of Research in the Institute of Historical Research, talks about writing the history of 1821, on the occasion of the anniversary of 200 years from the Greek war of Independence. How do we write the history of the Revolution of 1821? What was the impact the Greek War of Independence on the lives of the inhabitants of the southern Greek peninsula? Who contributed to the formation of the newly formed Greek state in terms of government personnel? What can we say about the role of women?

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In this podcast, Kostas Tampakis, Senior Researcher in the Institute of Historical Research, talks about the relationship between the development of Natural Sciences and the historical context of the Cold War. How and why did the science of seismology and oceanography develop? Why did the Americans send men to the Moon? Why did Gagarin say “I went to space but I did not see God”? How is the teaching of Physics at schools in Greece related to NATO choices? Why was the Research Institute Demokritos founded in Greece? Is GPS part of a Cold War policy?

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«Les trois langages de l’universel : Les Lumières face au monde»

Prof. Antoine Lilti, Collège de France, Histoire des Lumières, XVIIIe – XXIe siècle

March 27, 2026
19:00

École française d’Athènes

The discussion (in English) will feature Bahattin Öztuncay (Curator of the Vehbi Koç Collection) and Giorgis Manginis (Scientific Director of the Benaki Museum), moderated by Anne McCabe (Research Associate, Center for the Study of Ancient Documents, University of Oxford).

March 02, 2026
19:00

Benaki Museum

In this podcast, Elias Kolovos, Director of Research in the Institute of Historical Research, talks about Evliya Çelebi, the famous Ottoman explorer. When did Evliya live? What was his account of his travels? What does he describe when he visits the Greek mainland? How does he describe the Parthenon? Was classical antiquity important for Evliya? Why does he describe the monument of Winds as “Plato’s çadır”? Why does he describe the siege of Chandax (modern Herakleion) as a “mine of dead bodies”? Does he record the oldest words of the Tsakonian dialect? What was his relationship with his beautiful slave? How does he fund his travels?

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A Muhabbet conversation between: Cengiz Aktar and Elias Kolovos (Research Director IHR/NHRF), about the historical background of Greek-Turkish relations and the issues stemming from this historic past.

Moderator: İlay Romain Örs (Institute of Hellenic Culture and Liberal Arts, The American College of Greece)

February 13, 2026
18:30

The Demos Center

In this podcast, Maria Christina Chatziioannou, Research Director Emerita of the Institute of Historical Research, talks about the history of Karytaina, a small mountainous community in Arcadia. Why do European travellers visit Karytaina during the 19th century? What was the strategic importance of the settlement and the castle? What do the inhabitants do for a living? What can archival research tell us about the history of the settlement and its people? Why do the inhabitants of Karytaina emigrate to Athens? What is the role of the millinery factory Pil Poul?

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In this podcast, Valentin Schneider, Research Collaborator in the Institute of Historical Research, talks about the German Occupation Database. What is this database? What kind of information does it include? How does the digitisation of the archive help research? How does the German administration record war crimes? How are the excessive German losses during the Battle of Crete justified? Is the German occupation of Greece and eastern Europe different than the one in western Europe? How many German soldiers came to Greece during the war?

The new, annual, open-access journal Witnessing: A Journal of Critical Humanities and Socially Engaged Arts has been published in December 2025.

Thoroughly interdisciplinary, the journal deals with the study of the past and present, through the looking glass of history, sound, listening and the notion of witnessing. Witnessing aims at enriching and critically informing perceptions about listening, sound, violence, resistance, and marginalization, cultivating a space for critical thinking and critical o/auralities, rupturing and transgressing the boundaries of national archives and archives of violence.

Muhabbet is an initiative aiming at bringing together scholars, students, and people interested in the shared social history and cultural heritage of the East Mediterranean. We wish to hold discussions about our common legacies in an informal and friendly environment, like that of the coffeehouses, which originated in the Ottoman East Mediterranean, where people used to come together to develop amicable conversations called muhabbet.

The initiative is endorsed by the Demos Center, the Institute of Hellenic Culture and Liberal Arts, ACG; the Gennadius Library of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the Institute of Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation.

January 27 - May 26, 2026

In this podcast, Kostis Gotsinas, Associate Researcher in the Institute of Historical Research, Kostas Tampakis, Senior Researcher in the Institute of Historical Research, discuss with Christy Constantakopoulou the history of drug use and addiction in Greece during the early 20th century. Why was drug use prohibited in Greece? What was the role of mental institutions? Did women ever use drugs? What were the networks of distribution and production of drugs in Greece and the eastern Mediterranean more generally?