Search
CLOSEVenues
- Cotsen Hall, Gennadius Library, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Anapiron Polemou 9, Kolonaki, Athens
- The Demos Center, 17 Ipitou St., Plaka, Athens
Organizers
Ilay Romain Ors (PhD in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University), Catherine Boura (PhD in History, King’s College, University of London), Elias Kolovos (Research Director, Institute of Historical Research, NHRF), Anne McCabe (Research Associate, Center for the Study of Ancient Documents, University of Oxford).
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 study of Ottoman history, considerably enriched in recent years, has been read mostly as a prologue to Turkish history, thus leaving the diversity of ethnic and religious groups under its umbrella at the margins of the political, intellectual, and cultural history of the empire. They were much more than that. They not only participated in the everyday life of the imperial state, but contributed considerably to the making of the empire’s multicultural heritage. Our initiative aims especially in creating dialogues for the study of the Ottoman and post-Ottoman worlds, considering the contributions of both the Ottoman elite culture as well as the various ethnic and religious groups of the empire to the historical and contemporary societies of the East Mediterranean.
After a successful first season in 2025, we intend to continue in 2026 our informal conversations on a variety of topics that will bring together people with mutual interests into an open dialogue in the spirit of a friendly chat or Muhabbet. The conversations will facilitate a “safe space” for discussing aspects of the East Mediterranean peoples’ experiences and encourage the understanding of Ottoman history as part of the history of peoples of the region.
Program
Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 18:30 | Cotsen Hall, Gennadius Library, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Anapiron Polemou 9, Kolonaki, Athens
Screening of the documentary Antoine the Fortunate (Nefin Dinç, 2020, Anemon Productions); in partnership with Cinedoc
Followed by a conversation between Ayhan Aktar and Kalliopi Amygdalou, Moderator: Elias Kolovos
Friday, February 13, 2026, 18:30 | The Demos Center – The American College of Greece, Ipitou 17B, Plaka, Athens
Centuries of Parenthesis and Wounds that Never Heal?
Cengiz Aktar and Elias Kolovos, Moderator: İlay Romain Örs
Monday, March 2, 2026, 19:00 | Benaki Museum of Greek Culture, Koumbari 1 and Vas. Sofias Avenue, Athens
Archaeology, Museums, and Photography in the Late Ottoman Empire: Osman Hamdi Bey and Theodore Macridy Bey
Bahattin Öztuncay and George Manginis, Moderator: Anne McCabe
The event is being organized in cooperation with the Benaki Museum
Thursday, April 16, 2026, 19:00 | Cotsen Hall, Gennadius Library, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Anapiron Polemou 9, Kolonaki, Athens
“I laugh so that I don’t cry”: Coexistence and Imperial Collapse in Ottoman Greek Satire
Kutay Onayli and Antonis Nasis, Moderator: Catherine Boura
Saturday, April 25, 2006, 11:30
Walking Tour in Palaio Faliro by Ilay Romain Ors: Istanbul/Poli in Athens
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 19:00 | The Demos Center – The American College of Greece, Ipitou 17B, Plaka, Athens
An Ottoman Pompei
Christine Philliou and Melike Sümertaş, Moderator: Elias Kolovos
Tuesday, May 26, 2026, 19:00 | The Demos Center – The American College of Greece, Ipitou 17B, Plaka, Athens
Greeks in the Ottoman Diplomatic Service
Sinan Kuneralp and Catherine Boura, Moderator: İlay Romain Örs
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.
Venues
- Cotsen Hall, Gennadius Library, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Anapiron Polemou 9, Kolonaki, Athens
- The Demos Center, 17 Ipitou St., Plaka, Athens
Organizers
Ilay Romain Ors (PhD in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University), Catherine Boura (PhD in History, King’s College, University of London), Elias Kolovos (Research Director, Institute of Historical Research, NHRF), Anne McCabe (Research Associate, Center for the Study of Ancient Documents, University of Oxford).
Main page image: https://www.acg.edu/events/muhabbet-east-mediterranean-conversations/