Session 1: Identity and Difference
One of the most urgent and critical discussions in today's world turns on the concept of identity-and its mirror-image, difference. Debate has focused on the question of whether identity is inherent or constructed, and if the latter, through what influences and mechanisms. The argument ranges widely, for identity may be personal, social, ethnic or political; and of these the last two in particular involve issues that are of burning concern in today's global world. It can be argued that it was in classical Greece that the sense of individual consciousness first emerged, together with a strong and proud sense of what it meant to be "Greek." We are still debating what this means, and these issues of definition and consciousness underlie many of the major issues that we are wrestling with today.
The theme of this session ranges over many disciplines, from psychology and neuroscience to history and political science. In order to understand societies we need to understand the sp... More | Comments
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Identity and Difference - Period One
The formation of identity begins in childhood and varies from individual to individual, depending on context.
Visual evidence indicates that Greek identity formed before the Persian Wars.
An example from early Christian history shows how socio-historical circumstances during the Roman empire shaped the organization and policies of the early Church.
After the fall of Rome, Western Europe, Byzantium, and the Islamic World established complex communities whose members had diverse ethnic and religious identities.
Identity and Difference - Period Two
Despite theological differences, the psychosomatic prayer techniques of Hesychasts, yogis, and Sufis share many similarities.
Cultural exchange and interaction still occurs, even when two civilizations, such as the ancient Greeks and Persians, identify themselves as opposites of "the other."
While celebrating the spread of multiculturalism, one must also insist upon the universality of human rights, which not all countries or cultures protect or support.
Le caractère universel des droits de l’homme face aux particularismes revendiqués des pays souverainistes et différentialistes.
Identity and Difference - EUNIC Papers
The Eurovision Song Contest illuminates participants' coexisting European, national, and regional identities.
Europe’s rich experience of international and intercultural alliance, which embodies Greek traditions of pluralism, provides a clearer path to constructing a European identity.
Dionysius of Halicarnassus’s Roman Antiquities offers insight into how the rise of Rome complicates the concept of Hellenism and ultimately the identity of both cultures.
Innovative in style, this poetic essay recreates the challenges faced by a girl who develops a comfortable identity in early adulthood despite having spent her childhood amidst a family torn between cultures.
Identity and Difference - Respondents
Identity and Difference - The Immigration Challenge
Integration policies and how they are reflected in educational policies and school practices.