Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria

Presenter: Dimitris Gonis
Entry: Free

Synopsis

The French Revolution literally woke the Balkan peoples from their slumber.

When the 19th century arrived, the Greeks were in the best position to establish their nation-statehood. Their diachronic historico-cultural, linguistic and ecclesiastical pre-eminence allowed them to embark upon their nation-building project with a legitimacy that later Balkan nationalisms did not have.

The Greece of the late 18th and early 19th century did not only represent the vision of Greeks both in and outside Greece, but was also inspired by the romanticism and reverence with which the West in general viewed Hellenic civilisation. 

Within the new nation-state Homer, Aristotle, Alexander and Byzantium were to be resurrected as part of the civilised world's duty. The irredentism of the Great Idea, in a sense emerged out of a 'cultural arrogance' which was to inevitably clash with the national and political aims of the other Balkan peoples. 

It was this perceived cultural superiority in conjunction with the rampant 19th century Balkan nationalism that gave rise to 'Slavo-Macedonism' as an expression of anti-Hellenism. The 'Slavo-Macedonist' and therefore 'Slavo-Macedonism' essentially emerged as a reaction to Hellenisation and its historic, linguistic and ecclesiastical exclusion of 'the other'. 

Although the talk presents a brief, diachronic overview of 'Greekness', it essentially focuses on the period between Rigas Feraios' Hellenic Republic (1797) and the end of the Great Idea with the Treaty of Lausanne (1923).  Included in this period is the birth of Slavo-Macedonism, its first articulators and its ideologue, Krste Missirkov.

Biography

Dimitri Gonis was born in Melbourne but grew up in Messinia, Greece. 

He is currently writing his PhD thesis in Greek Studies at La Trobe University. His work focuses on the role of memory in the construction of Macedonian identities in Australia.

Since 2011 he has taught Modern Greek, Trans-territorial Hellenism as well as Ethnic and Civil Conflict in Southern Europe and in Cyprus in the School of Historical and European Studies at La Trobe University.  Dimitri is also a translator as well as the author of published poetry, articles and one book (The Cactus King, 1999).

Sponsors

We would like to thank Costas Dimaras for sponsoring tonight’s lecture. Such initiatives assist us in providing these lectures free to the public. If you would like to participate as a sponsor from as little as $100 please send us an email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

We would also like to thank our corporate sponsor: