March 24 - April 16, 2025
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[hybrid]
The second symposium "From Contemporaneity to Antiquity: Cultural Agency and Identities" will take place from 24 March to 16 April 2025. Its primary aim is to unite scholars from a wide range of disciplines in an interdisciplinary exploration of cultural identities, with a focus on their construction, transformation, and re-signification. This event adopts a holistic approach, which is not confined to the examination of a single theme. Rather, it strives to bring together researchers from various fields, fostering an enriching dialogue between Antiquity and the contemporary world.
A central feature of the symposium will be the contribution of Professor Irad Malkin, who has been invited to present themes from his paper "Egalitarianism and the Foundation of Greek Poleis", published in Rome and the Colonial City (edited by S. Greaves and A. Wallace-Hadrill). Malkin’s research, which examines the processes of foundation and political organisation in the Greek poleis, is closely aligned with the symposium's focus. His work offers invaluable insights into how these ancient social organisations can inform contemporary issues such as migration, territorial organisation, and spatial occupation. One key aspect of the discussions will be the reflection on migration, particularly in light of the newly founded cities in Angola and Mozambique, with contributions from scholars at higher education institutions in these countries. Moreover, Dr Malkin’s lecture will lay the groundwork for the theme of the following symposium: Migrations, Yesterday and Today.
For the opening lecture, Professor Delfim Leão has been invited to explore the concept of Greek law, Greek cultural identities, and democracy. His contribution will be crucial to the debate surrounding how ancient Greek concepts of law and identity shaped the democratic and political foundations of the modern world. Leão will contextualise the interplay between law and Greek cultural identities, encouraging reflection on the political organisation of the ancient poleis and their relevance for contemporary discussions on governance, rights, and democracy. This analysis will provide a valuable opportunity to reflect on the continuities and transformations in political practices, particularly in relation to contemporary challenges concerning migration and territorial organisation.
Thus, the symposium provides a unique platform for reflecting on forms of social organisation, memory, and identity, both in Antiquity and in contemporary societies, with particular emphasis on the complex global issues of migration and territorial occupation.
The event will be held in person at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Coimbra, managed by an organising committee responsible for the scientific and administrative guidance of the symposium, alongside an executive committee tasked with operationalising all activities. Additionally, the symposium will be streamed remotely via Streamyard, a digital studio, and broadcast live on YouTube and Facebook. This format was chosen due to connectivity limitations, especially in rural regions of Angola and Mozambique, where bandwidth is insufficient for Zoom to function effectively. Consequently, participants will gather in physical locations, interacting through projection screens. In the previous event, 17 such connection points were established.