Description
Greek Orthodoxy is often considered to be the foremost example of religious nationalism. This talk brings attention to a different and somewhat overlooked aspect of Greek Orthodoxy and its expression in the Greek public sphere, namely the role of reform theologians who through criticism of the ‘abuse’ of religion in the name of the nation challenge the established view of Orthodoxy as a national identity marker. This reform theology has, since the late 1990s, manifested itself in two spheres: 1) The Volos Academy for Theological Studies which, albeit associated with the institutional church, provides an alternative platform for theologians who wish to challenge the traditional church discourse on nation and religion, and 2) Public education where a group of dedicated theologians and educators are attempting to modernize and adapt the religious education curricula to the needs of an increasingly diversified and multicultural Greece. Based on my recently published monograph New voices in Greek Orthodox Thought: Untying the Bond between Nation and Religion (Ashgate 2014), the talk presents a case study of this recent Greek theological discourse seen on the backdrop of questions of cultural and religious purity in Modern Greek cultural history.Center for Greek Studies, University of Florida
| Period | 17 Mar 2015 |
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| Held at | Unknown external organisation |