Eventlist

Lecturer: Dimitris Gonis

Entry: FREE

Synopsis

The Greek consensus, both in the homeland and diaspora, is that the 'modern Macedonian nation is a recent and artificial construct; an exclusively Titoist initiative brought into existence with the establishment of the People's Republic of Macedonia in 1944. 

Central to the 'modern Macedonian' narrative has been Macedonism; an ideology commonly viewed as an extension of Tito's aim to convert geographical Macedonia's Slavs and Slavophones into ethnic Macedonians. There is however evidence which suggests that Macedonism i.e., the notion of a 'Macedonian nation', albeit limited to a few individuals, already existed in the middle of the 19^th century. 

It has, for example, been suggested that the linguistic endeavours of certain Macedono-Bulgarian educators during this period is clear evidence of an emerging linguistic Macedonism; in other words, a nascent but extant 'Macedonian consciousness'.   

This talk discusses the emergence of the first Macedonists and at least one man's clear definition of 'Macedonian nationhood', placing early Macedonism within the context of 19^th century nation-building.

Bio

Dimitri Gonis is a freelance writer and poet as well as a translator of academic articles and one book. For the past seven years he has worked as a sessional lecturer at La Trobe University, where he teaches he teaches a number of subjects: 'Ethnic and Civil Conflict in Southern Europe and in Cyprus', 'Transterritorial Hellenism' and modern Greek. He is currently completing his PhD which is titled: The Politics of Memory and Nationhood: Neo-Macedonism in Australia.

Sponsors

We'd like to thank the following donors: George Galanopoulos.

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: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 03 9662 2722.

We also like to thank the following corporate sponsors for their support: