By Catherine Curan

Six early-career scholars joined the Seeger Center's academic community for a week of research and intellectual exchange at the seventeenth International Graduate Student Conference in Modern Greek Studies.

The conference, "Works in Progress: New Approaches," was held at Princeton University from April 27 to May 4. The Seeger Center hosts this recurring spring conference to foster scholarship in the broad and dynamic field of Hellenic studies and provide an opportunity for outstanding doctoral students to exchange ideas with the Center's academic community. On campus, the students explored the Hellenic collections at Princeton University Library and attended academic and cultural events. The conference culminated in a day of student presentations of their research. 

The 2025 cohort included Io Chaviara, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Social Anthropology at Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences in Athens, Greece; Karmen Misiou, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Social and Political Sciences at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy; Elati Pontikopoulou Venieri, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy; Nikos Sgouromallis, a Ph.D. candidate in Modern Greek Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Athens, Greece; Ioannis (Yannis) Tournikiotis, a Ph.D. candidate in Theory and Practice of Archaeology at the Doctorate School of History of Art and Archaeology at Sorbonne University in Paris, France, and Orestis Tzirtzilakis, a DPhil candidate in Medieval and Modern Languages at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. 

Spanning fields from anthropology to social science, their research reflected the extraordinary depth and breadth of modern Greek studies. The conference was supported by the Michael George Mazarakis Modern Greek Studies Fund. Four participants traveled to Princeton to attend the event, and two early-career scholars participated via video conference.

"As a Byzantinist, I'm on the edge of modern Greek studies," said Peter Boudreau, a Mary Seeger O'Boyle postdoctoral fellow. "Above all, it was exciting to see how the six speakers conceived of the field and broadened it beyond traditional national and linguistic lines." 

The conference program began on Monday, April 28. Tomos Evans, a Mary Seeger O'Boyle postdoctoral fellow, led a walking tour of the campus. The students then attended one of the Seeger Center's signature events, a Monday lunch, followed by a guided tour of the Hellenic collections at Princeton University Library by David Jenkins, librarian for classics, Hellenic studies, and linguistics. 

Participants were inspired by the visit to Firestone Library and the in-depth introduction to the Hellenic collections, special collections, and the Center for Digital Humanities.

"It was a very informative experience that offered us a solid orientation, allowing us to explore in more depth the parts that interested each of us in the following days," said Sgouromallis.

The conference program also included lectures and explorations of Hellenic art, film, and music on campus. The students toured "Roberto Lugo / Orange and Black" at Art@Bainbridge. In addition, they viewed a selection of films from the Drama International Short Film Festival directed by Greek directors and attended the Center's spring concert, "From East to West Philadelphia Orchestra," featuring music from the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean.

"As a Ph.D. candidate at the Doctorate School of History of Art and Archaeology, I particularly appreciated the broader cultural exchange centered around the Seeger Center … I felt that the Center's Hellenic studies academic community embodies a union of people from around the world," said Tournikiotis. 

The Seeger Center paired each graduate student with a postdoctoral fellow as a mentor. The mentors worked with the students on their presentations and served as respondents.

Tournikiotis collaborated with Boudreau in the mentoring program. Their knowledge of art history provided immediate common ground, while Boudreau's focus on objects or monuments provided a productive contrast to Tournitkiotis' affinity for theoretical concerns. Their discussions before Tournkiotis' presentation, "La Villa grecque Kérylos: A Dream of the Greek House or of Archaeological Knowledge?"  inspired both scholars to "see the villa in a new way," said Boudreau.

Immersion in the Seeger Center’s academic community also inspired Chaviara to view her work from a fresh angle. She clarified her presentation for scholars from various fields. Chaviara said that collaboration with her mentor, Mary Seeger O'Boyle Postdoctoral Fellow George Maniotis, benefitted her paper and dissertation.

"The Seeger Center community felt very welcoming and not at all competitive, which transformed my presentation into an open and collaborative process. The feedback I received before and after my presentation—from my co-participants, mentor, postdoctoral fellows and guests, as well as Seeger Center Director Dimitri Gondicas and Professor Panou—contributed to a highly productive and enriching experience," said Chaviara.

The presentations featured three panels. Nikos Panou, senior lecturer in the Stanley J. Seeger '52 Center for Hellenic Studies and associate director for teaching, learning, and public service, chaired panel one, "On the Margins." Molly Greene, professor of history and Hellenic studies, chaired panel two, "Below the Surface," and Elizabeth (Lisa) Davis, professor of anthropology, chaired panel three, "Temporal Drag."