Guest post by Theodora Patrona, Visiting Scholar in Comparative Cultural Studies 2022-23
Research topic during fellowship: Borders, Migration, and Ethnicity in Historical Perspective: Greek Americans and Italian Americans in Context
In mid-February 2022 I applied for a CHS Fellowship in Comparative Cultural Studies. Being a junior member of staff (Special Teaching Fellow-"ΕΔΙΠ") of the School of English, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Ι was surprised to note the affinity of my research field -Greek and Italian migration to the US and their return migration/visits- with the topic of that year’s summer school “Borders, Migration, and Mobility in the Eastern Mediterranean”; I considered it a wonderful opportunity to enrich my CV, broaden my horizons and engage in discussions with some of the most erudite scholars in humanities. After a screening process and a brief zoom interview that followed in the spring, I was fortunate to be chosen as CHS Visiting Scholar in Comparative Cultural Studies for 2022-23.
As part of my appointment, I promptly received a substantial sum that has assisted me in my research; I also had all expenses covered to spend an exciting week in Nafplio in July 2022 with the participants of the summer program, a dozen of Harvard students rising juniors and sophomores and three Greek students from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in Patras along with the instructors of that specific week: Drs. Yiota Batsaki and Euridice Georganteli. Through the interaction with the former, I gained important insight as to how a contemporary young student and non-Greek perceives and responds to ancient Greek history and culture; through our discussions, I was guided to find new tools and details I had previously missed as well as fresh and more exciting ways to employ when teaching. As I prepared my brief presentation for them, the students’ stimuli led me into seeing my overall project on Greek American and Italian American authors from angles I had never considered before. The questions and comments that followed my talk instigated new projects in my mind as regards the digital expressions of ethnic identity through social media that students are so much more at ease expressing themselves in, like Instagram and TikTok. Equally, if not more fruitful for me, were the interactions with the course instructors, Drs. Batsaki and Georganteli: the former’s teachings on space and identity, closely affiliated with my own readings, foregrounded new connections that had escaped me. Dr. Georganteli’s area -numismatics- was an unchartered territory for me as I had no prior knowledge of it; it certainly renewed my interest in material culture, which is now attracting attention in Greek ethnic studies. With both scholars, we had some fascinating exchanges on diverse topics that attract us like space, gender, and ethnic history and we are beginning to create joint projects under the auspices of our respective institutions. In the same spirit of connecting, another instructor I met through the program, Professor George Syrimis, invited me to present my research at his home institution, Yale University, allowing me to speak to a wider audience. On a more personal level, what I need to underline, however, is that Yota and Euridice, from my first day in Nafplio, acted as my most obliging hostesses, long-time friends I would dare say, that always made sure I kept up with the team as they combined their insightful teachings with the educational trips, visits, and events around the broader area of Argolida but also Athens. I am most grateful for their warmth and friendship.
One of the most important aspects of this fellowship is the access to Harvard’s Digital Library. Because of my work overload so far I have had only very little time to profit from this unique privilege. As I am arranging my notes on the monograph I am struggling to complete on the obscure presence of Greek American women in the letters of the first half of the twentieth century, while also co-editing two more book projects on Greek American and Italian American culture, I am gradually discovering the wealth of this digital library. Very rare works from those early times of Greek American production as well as electronic books and articles that cannot be found elsewhere will prove extremely useful. My only wish would be to be able to extend this privilege and be able to use the digital library after the end of my appointment in May 2023. In closing, I need to warmly thank the staff of CHS Greece, whose personality and people skills stamp the spirit of this program. Most importantly, I want to express my deep gratitude to the program manager Evan Katsarelis as well as the program coordinator Mina Tsentourou who are the heart and soul of what I experienced. Their impeccable communicative and organizational skills, their unfailing politeness, and their warm hospitality are clearly the basic ingredients for success. I have very fond memories with them and hope to continue our collaboration and friendship in the future. On the whole, being a visiting fellow has been a most enriching, a unique experience for me; I enthusiastically recommend it to my colleagues and friends and I am sincerely thankful for the opportunity I was given.
About Theodora Patrona
Theodora Patrona teaches literary courses at the School of English of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki as a special teaching fellow. She has published extensively on Greek American and Italian American literature and film, and regularly reviews for journals and sites abroad. Dr. Patrona is the author of Return Narratives: Ethnic Space in Late Twentieth Century Greek American and Italian American Literature (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2017), and co-editor of Redirecting Ethnic Singularity: Italian Americans and Greek Americans in Conversation (FordhamUniversity Press, 2022).