{"id":20993,"date":"2026-09-06T02:23:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T02:23:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/06\/celebrating-greek-language-and-culture-in-the-diaspora-greek-city-times\/"},"modified":"2026-09-06T02:23:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T02:23:57","slug":"celebrating-greek-language-and-culture-in-the-diaspora-greek-city-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/06\/celebrating-greek-language-and-culture-in-the-diaspora-greek-city-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Greek Language and Culture in the Diaspora \u2013 Greek City Times"},"content":{"rendered":"


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From 6 to 11 September, more than 120 presenters, including academics, journalists, artists, researchers and community leaders from Greece, Australia, the United States and beyond, will take part in the 12th International Summer University \u201cGreek Language, Culture and Media\u201d Conference<\/strong> at the University of NSW in Sydney.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe heart of Greece beats in the diaspora\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It will be a unique program of language, culture, education and the exchange of ideas under the event\u2019s guiding theme, \u201cThe Greek Language in Australia: From Memory to the Future\u201d.<\/p>\n

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At a press conference earlier this week, a message from the conference\u2019s founder and academic director, Professor Nikoletta Tsitsanoudi-Mallidi<\/strong> <\/a>of the University of Ioannina, was read out by AHEPA Sydney and NSW President Nia Gitsas<\/strong>, who is also a member of the organising committee.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe heart of Greece beats in the diaspora,\u201d Tsitsanoudi-Mallidi\u2019s message read, underlying a conviction that Greek language and culture abroad are not a diminished echo of the homeland but a living, generative part of it.<\/p>\n

Indicative themes:\u00a0<\/strong>The Greek language, from memory to the future<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 12th International Summer University seeks to open a substantive dialogue on the presence of the Greek language in Australia, highlighting both its historical course and the new challenges created by contemporary education, digital technology, the rise of artificial intelligence, the media, and the changing needs of Greek-speaking communities.<\/p>\n

The proceedings will explore the past, present and future of Greek in Australia, including innovative approaches to teaching, digital learning, the Greek language diaspora media, and partnerships among universities, communities and institutions to strengthen Greek-language education.<\/p>\n

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As Ms Gitsas declared:<\/p>\n

It is truly inspiring to see the Greek-Australian community coming together for a special cause, united by a shared commitment to education, culture, knowledge, and the strengthening of the bonds between Greece and Australia<\/em><\/p>\n

Presidential greetings<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The President of the Hellenic Republic, Constantine An. Tassoulas<\/strong>, has sent his greetings, welcoming the event in Sydney that highlights the Greek language as a living foundation of identity, memory and culture\u201d.\u00a0 He emphasised the diaspora\u2019s vital role in preserving Greek, the importance of cooperation among educational and cultural institutions, and the opportunities offered by technology and artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n

In concluding that the Greek language can be passed confidently to future generations, not only as a heritage of the past, but as a creative language of the future, the Greek Persident also echoed the sentiments of his predecessor, Prokopios Pavlopoulos<\/strong>, who in his greetings has\u00a0 declared that the \u201cHellenism of Australia inspires us through its ethos and its determination\u201d.<\/p>\n

Defending Multiculturalism and Multilingualism<\/strong><\/h4>\n

This ground-breaking conference will also be held in the background of a renewed assault on multiculturalism in this country<\/p>\n

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Dr Vasilis Adrachtas, Head of Modern Greek Studies at UNSW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Undeterred, Dr Vasilis Adrahtas<\/strong> stated at the press conference:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have all this discussion now about whether we are a multicultural or a monocultural society, whether we should speak other languages or just English. This discourse and rhetoric, which comes from the One Nation political party, is, if anything, a challenge to the way we have conceived ourselves for decades.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

He urged that it is not just about the emotionality of the Greeks and how they love their language and their culture; what the conference is aiming to chieve for the Greek language should be emulated for every community\u2019s ethnic language in the country.<\/p>\n

From memory to enterprise<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The event will also feature a rich cultural program and for the first time the conference organisers have deliberately woven in business and economic content alongside language and culture.<\/p>\n

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On the conference\u2019s final day, Friday 11 September, a dedicated roundtable at the Rex Vowels Theatre will examine the Australia\u2013European Union Free Trade Agreement and Horizon Europe, the EU\u2019s flagship research and innovation funding program, in a session convened by Konstantinos Sgouras<\/strong>, co-founder of Unity in Philia.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea is very simple,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Greek language remains strong when people have reasons to continue using it. Traditionally in Australia, Greek is connected with family, with cultural identity and heritage. But in the modern era, it can also be connected to business, professional networks, innovation, technology and international opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The classroom at the centre<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Artemis Theodoris<\/strong>, Secretary of the Foundation for Hellenic Studies at UNSW<\/a>,\u00a0spoke of what she and other educators describe as language shift \u2013 the gradual loss of a family language as older generations increasingly default to English, alongside declining enrolments and a shortage of qualified teachers in community language schools.<\/p>\n

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To counter this, it is necessary to build continuous learning pathways from early education through to tertiary study.\u00a0 Individual classroom teachers need ongoing professional development, up-to-date resources and reliable digital infrastructure, and closer cooperation between mainstream schools, community language schools, universities, cultural organisations, the media and families.<\/p>\n

Ms Theodoris added:<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cMultilingual education should not rely mainly on community goodwill, volunteer teachers, or lessons delivered outside regular hours.\u00a0 Australia needs a coordinated, adequately funded, long-term national approach that makes multilingualism part of mainstream education, rather than treating it as an optional extra.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

Heritage languages like Greek, she argued, should not be preserved simply as relics of migration but taught and valued as living Australian languages that contribute to identity, literacy and the country\u2019s broader intellectual future.<\/p>\n

Critical discourse analysis and the rise of neologisms and distinctive vocabulary<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Professor Nikoletta Tsitsanoudi-Mallidi, Dean of the University of Ioannina\u2019s School of Education, and its Laboratory for the Study of Social Issues, Media and Education, Critical Discourse Analysis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Any conference on the Greek language is not just confined to learning to speak and write in Greek.\u00a0 For this writer, semantics and the use of words are also fundamental to an understanding of language,<\/p>\n

Critical discourse analysis<\/strong> explores how language is reshaped and used to influence public understanding \u2013 especially in times of crisis \u2013 through recurring metaphors, neologisms, ideological frames and newly emerging \u2018layers of language.<\/p>\n

In \u201cGreek Media Discourse from the Restoration of Democracy to the Memoranda: Transformations and Symbolism\u201d<\/strong>, Professor Nikoletta Tsitsanoudis-Mallidis traces Greek media discourse from the 1974 restoration of democracy to Greece\u2019s financial crisis. \u00a0A \u201cmemorandum language\u201d quickly emerged, borrowing from medical\/therapeutic vocabulary.\u00a0 The Greek economy and the state were \u201cdiagnosed,\u201d \u201ctreated,\u201d or \u201cmedicated\u201d \u00a0as Greek debt was likened to an illness and a bankrupt Greece was administering the supposed \u201cmedicine\u201d in the form of austerity measures.<\/p>\n

Similarly, a militaristic\/wartime vocabulary has been mapped onto the refugee crisis in Greek public discourse \u2013 describing migration flows using fear-based language (\u03c6\u03bf\u03b2\u03bf\u03b3\u03bb\u03ce\u03c3\u03c3\u03b1<\/em>) of invasion, defence and conflict.\u00a0 \u00a0The Greek term \u03bb\u03b1\u03b8\u03c1\u03bf\u03bc\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03bd\u03ac\u03c3\u03c4\u03b7\u03c2<\/em> (meaning \u201cillegal\/clandestine migrant\u201d) is now regularly applied in framing asylum seekers and refugees as national security threats and military-style invaders.<\/p>\n

Every major social crisis creates its own distinctive vocabulary and discursive mechanisms, as also occurred with the language of the pandemic, and this now extends to more current debates about political power, genocide and femicide or gender-based violence (\u0393\u03c5\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9\u03ba\u03bf\u03ba\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd\u03af\u03b1<\/em>).\u00a0 Femicide is sadly very topical in both Greece and Australia, highlighting the important role of media reporting and the impact of political leanings on how media choose to portray specific cases.<\/p>\n

It also considers the future of Greek in the diaspora and digital age, asking whether education, media, technology and artificial intelligence will strengthen the language or accelerate its erosion.<\/p>\n

Greek Language and Artificial Intelligence, or Illiteracy<\/strong><\/h4>\n

An emerging theme is the promise or threat posed by Artificial Intelligence.\u00a0 The conference will eplore this new frontier and whether\u00a0 AI will lead towards the dissemination of Greek, or towards algorithmic confinement<\/p>\n

Greek language and culture<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It is a truism that language is experienced above all through cultural activities.\u00a0 In the case of the 12th International Summer University proceedigs, the cultural program is promising, coiciding as it does with celebrations in Sydney of three other landmark centenaries: the Greek Consulate-General in Sydney, the Hellenic Club and the Greek Herald.<\/p>\n

The Power of Greek Cartoonists<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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There will be an exhibition celebrating the influential legacy of Greek cartooning and its vital contribution to public discourse.<\/span>On Sunday 6 September, an exhibition of political cartoons by three of Greece\u2019s most acclaimed cartoonists, Ilias Makris<\/strong>, Andreas Petroulakis<\/strong> and Stathis Stavropoulos<\/strong> (better known as Stathis), will open at the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW in Lakemba with some sixty works, twenty from each artist, ranging across Greek, American and religious-political satire, and running for the length of the conference.<\/p>\n

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The caroonists\u00a0 will also take part in a round-table discussion during the conference where they will trace the evolution of cartooning in the Greek press and explore the enduring connections between art and politics, humour and criticism, and the Greek language as a vehicle for commentary and cultural expression.<\/p>\n

The Artistic Language of the Greek Spirit<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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The following evening, an art exhibition titled \u201cThe Greek Spirit<\/strong>,\u201d curated by Dr Adrahtas and featuring more than twenty works from artists including Helena Manatiadis, Petros Hovaguimian, Angela Kiki Konstantinopoulou and Kristina Tseo, will be unveiled, tracing what Adrahtas called \u201cthe diachronicity of the Hellenic spirit from antiquity to modernity\u201d and showing that in every period Hellenism changes but, but at the same time and in perhaps an indescribable way, it remains the same.<\/p>\n

Hail Arcadia<\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n

A documentary screening to be introduced by Nia Gitsas and presented by Virginia\u00a0 follows mid-week at the Rex Vowels Auditorium.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u201cHail Arcadia\u201d <\/strong>\u0391\u03c1\u03ba\u03b1\u03b4\u03af\u03b1 \u03a7\u03b1\u03af\u03c1\u03b5<\/strong> <\/em>is a lyrical, meditative Greek documentary <\/a>shot in 2015 \u2013 before the Greek crisis \u2013 by the acclaimed director Filippos Koutsaftis<\/strong> that beautifully weaves together the past and present of the myth-laden province of Arcadia.<\/p>\n

The 90 minute film explores a place that follows the myth of a mysterious inscription, \u201cEt in Arcadia ego\u201d<\/em><\/a>, a Latin phrase that essentially translates to \u201cI too was in Arcadia,\u201d traditionally interpreted as a reminder that hardship and ultimately death are present even in an idyllic utopia.<\/p>\n

Shot over the course of a decade, the film serves as a hauntingly beautiful but melancholic salute to a disappearing traditional way of life., Through fragmented imagery, breathtaking landscapes and evocative narration, Koutsaftis explores universal questions of life, memory and the enduring human spirit.<\/p>\n

The cultural program closes on Thursday 10 September with \u201cA Night of Traditional Hellenic Music and Dance<\/strong>,\u201d bringing together traditional dance groups of the diaspora representing Epirus, the Ionian islands, the Peloponnese, Pontos, Macedonia, Crete and Kalymnos.<\/p>\n

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Diaspora Media and the Greek Language<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Sydney conference will also see the formal presentation of the volume from the 2025 Boston gathering on the theme of the Hellenic Disapora Media, continuing a pattern in which each Summer University\u2019s academic output is published and launched at the following year\u2019s edition.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n

The conference is free for all to attend.\u00a0 So come along to experience the rich Greek language in dialogue, education and culture.<\/p>\n

For one week, we will certainly all be Greeks.<\/p>\n

Acknowledgments<\/h4>\n

The International Summer University<\/strong> <\/a>continues to building bridges between Greece, the Greek diaspora, universities, education, culture and contemporary communications media.<\/p>\n

The work of the Laboratory for the Study of Social Issues, Media and Education of the Department of Early Childhood Education, School of Education, University of Ioannina, in collaboration with the Greek Studies Program at the University of New South Wales and Unity in Philia, is gratefully acknowledged, togetherw ith thr following participants:<\/p>\n

\u2013 Foundation for Hellenic Studies UNSW<\/p>\n

\u2013 AHEPA Sydney & NSW<\/p>\n

\u2013 International Society of Friends of Nikos Kazantzakis, Sydney Branch<\/p>\n

\u2013 Numerous Greek diaspora organisations and institutions<\/p>\n

\u2013 Maliotis Cultural Center of Hellenic Holy Cross<\/p>\n

\u2013 Greek Applied Linguistics Association (GALA)<\/p>\n

\u2013 Southern California Library<\/p>\n

\u2013 The University of Chicago, Center for Hellenic Studies<\/p>\n

\u2013 Study in Greece<\/p>\n

\u2013 Australian Hellenic Educators Association<\/p>\n

\u2013 The Hellenic Club Sydney<\/p>\n

The event is also supported by the following media sponsors: ERT, ERT2, ERT3, ERT WORLD, First Programme 105.8, Voice of Greece and the Hellenic Parliament Channel.\u00a0 The\u00a0Australian media sponsors are The Greek Herald, Neos Kosmos, 2MM Radio Sydney, Darwin, Wollongong, the SBS Greek Program and Greek City Times.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

George Vardas is the Arts and Culture Editor.\u00a0 On Tuesday 8 September he will be part of a roundtable discussion on the Greek media of the diaspora\u00a0 at the conference<\/em><\/p>\n