Open Lecture: The Demise of Egyptian Hellenism

Location: Greek Centre, Mezzanine, 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne 
Date: THURSDAY 24/8/2017 @ 7:00pm 
Presenter: John Georgiou
Entry: FREE

Synopsis

A synoptic view of the presence of the Greeks in Egypt since the nineteenth century: the establishment of the Greek communities, with special reference to community governance, and the relationships with the Greek Orthodox Church and the Greek State.

Contrary to popular belief that Nasser's revolution in 1952 led to the massive exodus of the Greeks in Egypt, this was only a decisive final phase of a fluctuation of movement over a long period of time, shaped by responses to various forces.

The presentation will explore the context of the presence of the Greeks in Egypt within the broader peripheral Hellenism or Hellenism of the Diaspora, particularly in the Arab-speaking Middle East during the various phases of its history.   The issues of identity and education will be seen through the links of the Greeks with other ethnic communities. Some comparisons with the Greek presence in Australia after World War II will also be made.

The presentation will include some personal observations and experiences to illustrate the effects and consequences of the decline of the Greek presence in Egypt after World War II.

Bio

John Georgiou is an architect, urban designer, lecturer, writer, broadcaster, President of the Melbourne Branch of the International Society of Friends of Nikos Kazantzakis and General Secretary of the Greek-Australian Cultural League of Melbourne. He is a keen researcher of Greek Literature and Culture.

Born in Alexandria, he completed his secondary education in the Averoff Gymnasium of the Greek Community and began his tertiary studies at the University of Alexandria before migrating to Australia where he completed his studies in Architecture and Urban Design.

He has participated in the Conference on Constantine Cavafy and Nikos Kazantzakis, organised by the Greek Studies Program & the Centre for Greek Studies of La Trobe University in November 2013.

In April 2016, he was the MC and co-ordinator of the Literary Afternoon in Remembrance of Dimitris Tsaloumas, organised by The Greek-Australian Cultural League of Melbourne, the Hellenic Writers Association of Australia, the Greek Studies Program of La Trobe University, the International Society of Friends of Nikos Kazantzakis-Melbourne Branch, the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria and Owl Publishing.

In 2 December of the same year he gave a talk in Greek on The Presence of Greeks in Egypt, within the programme of the 13th Biennial International Conference of the Society of Modern Greek Studies of Australia and New Zealand, organised by the Greek Studies Program of La Trobe University. Tonight's lecture is in many ways a sequel of that talk.

Sponsors

We thank the following donor: Kon Tsementis-Floudas | EEAMA (League of Greeks from Egypt and the Middle East).

During the course of the year considerable expenses are incurred in staging the seminars. In order to mitigate these costs individuals or organisations are invited to donate against a lecture of their choice. 

You too can donate for one or more seminars and (optionally) let your name or brand be known as a patron of culture to our members, visitors and followers, as well as the broader artistic and cultural community of Melbourne. Please email: info@greekcommunity.com.au or call 03 9662 2722.

We also thank the following corporate sponsors: