The Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece offered the Visiting Researchers in Nafplio program for the first time aiming to support the work of young researchers from Greek Universities and strengthen the interdisciplinary dialogue. The program included a week-long trip in February to Nafplio at the Center's facilities, during which the young researchers benefited from access to the resources and tools provided by the Harvard University digital library and had the opportunity to collaborate and interact with the CHS academic community. In the following text, you can find information on the experience and profiles of the five researchers from the five fields of interest of the program.

Natural Sciences: Adamantia Chantzi

Project: Study of representations of Plio-Pleistocene hominids from the 19th century to the present day in popular culture

Αbout her research visit

My participation in the Visiting Researchers in Nafplio program was a springboard for the progress of my research, as gaining access to one of the largest university digital libraries allowed me to enrich the primary material of my research. The access to a volume of data, which I did not have before, allowed me to join the pieces of the puzzle called “human evolution.” But beyond the indisputable utilitarian benefit, my meeting with other young scientists gave me a chance for fruitful interactions with colleagues of different specialties. Participating in this program made me realize the contemporary need for communication between various scientific fields. Interdisciplinarity requires the extroversion of scientists toward their peers and towards society. Interactions with new colleagues brought me closer to new concerns. At the same time, my contact with the older generation of scientists created a sense of community and helped me to realize that research is a marathon race, in a way.

Adamantia Chantzi has studied at the Department of Biology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) as an undergraduate and a postgraduate student. She completed the postgraduate program “Didactics of Biology.” Within her postgraduate thesis, she studied the representations of flora and fauna depicted in archeological findings of Delos Island, a research field she continued in her doctoral studies. She is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geology supervised by George Lyras, Associate professor of Historical Geology and Paleontology, NKUA. The title of her Ph.D. thesis is “Systematic evaluation of representations of Plio-Pleistocene Hominids from the 19th century until today in science and pop culture,” where she studies representations of the genera of Australopithecus and Homo and the contribution of the depictions to public opinion on topics related to the human evolution. Her research interests focus on communicating the science of Biology to the public and transforming knowledge for educational purposes, mainly in informal education.

Theater, Cinema, and Performing Arts: Marina Zigneli

Project: Melodrama and Gender in Maria Plyta's filmography

Αbout her research visit

For the academic year 2022-2023, I was appointed as a CHS Visiting Researcher in Nafplio. As part of this invaluable opportunity, I spent a week in Nafplio and, more particularly, at the premises of CHS Greece. There, along with four other early career researchers from various disciplines, I had the chance to conduct part of my Ph.D. research by accessing the resources of the digital library of Harvard University, with the help of the always friendly and accommodating staff of the Center. My proposed project focused on a comparative study between the use of melodrama in Hollywood cinema during the ‘50s and ‘60s and its use in Old Greek Cinema, especially in the work of the first female Greek director, Maria Plyta. Throughout this week, not only did I come across several relevant academic references that will facilitate and enrich my current research, but I also had the opportunity to engage in fruitful discussions with my colleagues, where we observed the points of convergence amidst our seemingly distant research topics. The whole experience was also reinforced by our interaction with the appointed academic committee that met our research projects with great eagerness and insightfulness and generously provided constructive feedback. I will forever cherish this week as one of my early academic career's most significant and rewarding experiences. I’m looking forward to further collaborating with the CHS Greece academic community.

Marina Zigneli is a graduate of the Department of English Language and Literature and holder of a Master's degree from the Film and Television Studies program of the School of Film at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh). Since 2021 she has been working on the first doctoral thesis in Greece on Maria Plyta, the first female Greek director, and her oeuvre. In 2022 she co-wrote, along with Associate Professor Betty Kaklamanidou, “Maria Plyta: The Unknown Female Director of Greek Cinema and European Modernism,” Handmade Cinema: Non-Catalog of the 63rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF). She also contributed to the first colloquium on Maria Plyta, organized by the Laboratory for the Study of Greek Cinema and Television of the School of Film at AUTh and hosted by the 63rd TIFF. At the same time, she is a columnist and editor in various media outlets. Her research interests include audiovisual representations of gender, feminist theory, and film genres.

Architecture and Urban Design: Niovi Tomou

Project: Investigating the regeneration and spatial inclusion in Greek island and mountain settlements

Αbout her research visit

Having been awarded the CHS Visiting Researchers in Nafplio program, I was granted the opportunity to combine my research topics, focusing on the importance of the Greek settlements, and determine how their regeneration and repopulation can be achieved through the values of universal design, urban design, and urban planning. During the week of 12 - 18 February 2023, I was allowed to access the international digital library of a prestigious institution, such as Harvard, and different intestate approaches to rural regeneration and accessibility worldwide, forming a more robust background for this research in a higher level of studies. The program gave us, all five visiting researchers, the opportunity to build bridges among us, enabling us to realize the affinity of our different research topics and discuss our approaches further. Our conversations produced new ideas and research questions, which can lead to future collaborations. Furthermore, we broadened our horizons as we collaborated and discussed with academic researchers from Greece, whose contributions and work are valuable. It was an honor for all of us to present our research results in this environment and be offered their feedback. Aspiring to become a young researcher and possibly a future Ph.D. student, this short-term internship provided me with all the necessary educational background to affront any aspect of urban planning and the chance to create bonds with researchers from various backgrounds. Undoubtedly, the program created a national network that enhances the multidimensional character of research and highlights the valuable meaning of interdisciplinary collaboration, especially among younger generations. Throughout the week, I fully realized the need for motivated people who inspire the younger generations to follow their dreams, be passionate and be persistent to surpass any obstacles while being active members of their universities and hence the society.

Niovi Tomou is an architect (University of Patras) and a postgraduate student in “Urban and Regional Planning” at the School of Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). Since her undergraduate studies, she has been investigating the relationship between the historical identity of the Aegean settlements and the accessibility of people with disabilities, considering the need to redefine the existing technocratic approach to inclusion. In the meantime, her master's thesis investigates how border mountain settlements in Epirus, Greece, can regenerate and repopulate.

Greek Language and Culture: Artemis Konstantidelli

Project: The Folktale as a Means of Education, Socialization and the Development of Intercultural Ability among Refugee Children

Αbout her research visit

As part of the program, I benefited manifold as I had the opportunity to tap into the “wealth” of Harvard’s digital library. Thus, I could access modern, foreign language literature on the subject I study, “storytelling” and “digital storytelling,” and the use of these as a means of education in cross-cultural environments. At the same time, I had the opportunity to interact with the other researchers who participated in the program and the interdisciplinary academic committee. Through this process, I had the chance to reflect on my research, perceive new aspects and perspectives of studying my subject, and find common scientific interests with other disparate - at first sight - fields. Finally, my stay in Nafplio was a unique experience, as beyond the library, I had the opportunity to get to know this historical and so beautiful city better!

Artemis Konstantidelli is a philologist-folklorist and a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Athens. She studies topics of popular culture, its manifestations today, and topics of digital Folklore and Ethnography.

Political Theory and International Relations: Demetrios Zounis

Project: The Influence of Bureaucratic Politics in the Decision Making Process, in France and USA during the period, 1985-1995

Αbout his research visit

During my stay in Nafplio, I had the opportunity to proceed, thanks to CHS Greece, to further conduct academic bibliographic research through Harvard’s digital library. The research aimed to focus mainly on the foreign policy of the countries of France and the USA during the period under review, which was achieved. In addition, further research into the theory of international relations and foreign policy was possible, the findings of which will undoubtedly help continue the research work. From essential to critical was the contribution of the members of the scientific committee of the Center, as well as the discussion with the competent academics, who, with their observations, contributed to the scientific relevance and constitution of the research. Finally, interpersonal contact with the other researchers was also important, personally and through their work presentation. On a personal level, I sincerely believe that it was the beginning of a sincere friendship. At the same time, through the scientific dialogue that developed throughout our presence at the Center, it became possible to assess the existence of an interdisciplinary dimension, which will enrich my research and ontologically my general perspective, helping productively to support my thesis defense. In conclusion, I would like to stress that the Center's administrative staff have done their best at every level to support a great experience.

Demetrios Zounis is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of International, European, and Area Studies at Panteion University. The topic of his doctoral thesis is “The Invisible Crisis and the management of the new era. The leadership-bureaucracy relationship in the decade 1985-1995. The cases of the USA and France.” His research interests are mainly related to the purpose of the doctoral thesis, which is to investigate the relationship between the commonly called bureaucracy and leadership in the decision-making process and the management of foreign policy within the specific, dynamic international environment during 1985-1995. The historical continuum is investigated in the light of the international relations of the two countries, the U.S.A. and France, which at this level largely coincide. Mainly we analyze in linear, chronological order the highlights of the above decade: For the U.S., the personal negotiation on the Reagan-Gorbachev nuclear weapons; the fall of the Wall; the fall of the SSR; the Gulf War; the Dayton Agreement. For France, the series: Single Act; German unification; the Maastricht Treaty; The War of Yugoslavia.