Hellenism in Asia

Event Details

ΕΚΤΑΚΤΟ ΣΕΜΙΝΑΡΙΟ ΣΤΑ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ

Ξεκινώντας από τις ιστορίες του θεού Διόνυσου και του Ηρακλή και προχωρώντας στον Μέγα Αλέξανδρο και τα Ελληνιστικά βασίλεια της Ασίας και επεκτείνοντας μέχρι τη σύγχρονη εποχή με την άφιξη το 1949 στην Τασκένδη (πρωτεύουσα του Ουζμπεκιστάν) 12.000 Ελλήνων μαχητών του Δημοκρατικού Στρατού που διέφυγαν από έναν φρικιαστικό εμφύλιο πόλεμο, πάντα υπήρχε μια ελληνική παρουσία στην Ασία. Η Ελληνική Κοινότητα της Τασκένδης σήμερα έχει απομείνει μόνο ένα μικρό κομμάτι από τους χιλιάδες που έφτασαν και έχτισαν νέες ζωές το 1949, αλλά αναβιώνει και έχει μια νέα ζωτικότητα. Επανασυνδέεται με την ελληνική του ταυτότητα καθώς προσπαθεί να επανασυνδεθεί με την κληρονομιά και τις πολιτιστικές του ρίζες. Οι προοπτικές και οι προκλήσεις μπορεί να είναι τεράστιες, αλλά είναι αποφασισμένη να γίνει ένας ακμάζων φάρος του Ελληνισμού της Διασποράς.

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Starting from stories of the god Dionysus and Hercules and moving onto to Alexander and the Hellenistic kingdoms of Asia and extending up to modern times with the arrival in 1949 in Tashkent (capital of Uzbekistan) of 12,000 Greek combatants fleeing a gruesome Civil War, there has always been a Greek presence in Asia. The Greek Community of Tashkent today is only a fraction of the thousands that arrived and built new lives in 1949 but it’s undergoing a resurgence and has a new vitality. It’s re-engaging with its Greek identity as it seeks to reconnect with its heritage and cultural roots. The prospects and challenges might be enormous but it’s determined to become a flourishing beacon of Diaspora Hellenism.

About Konstantinos Politis

Konstantinos Politis was born in Thessaloniki in 1964 and studied Theology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Art Conservation at the University of Avignon, France. In 1992 he founded NGO Restorers without Borders and has worked on the conservation of churches and monasteries in Mount Athos, Istanbul, the Balkans and the Holy Land. He has directed world heritage conservation projects in over 20 countries.

In 2004 he was invited to Tashkent where he now lives as an expert museologist by UNESCO. In cooperation with the Uzbek government, he has organised a large number of museums and exhibitions but has also worked on private design projects. Since 2020 he has been President of the Greek Cultural Centre and has personally undertaken the vast restoration of the Community’s building and the reorganisation of its educational and cultural programs.

How to Participate

This is an in-person only event, so please join us at the Greek Centre, on the Mezzanine (Press M in the elevator).

See our speaker live, ask questions during the Q&A and hobnob with fellow participants before and after the event.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Admission to this enlightening lecture is free, and all are invited to attend.