International Conference
ORTHODOX CONSTRUCTIONS OF THE EAST
June 16-19, 2022
“Thessalia” Conference Center
Melissatika, Volos, Greece
Since the time of the conflict between East and West, Eastern and Western Church, the idea of the East and the adjective “eastern” began to gradually replace the concept of the catholicity of the Church. The Orthodox Church is now called “Eastern”, its faithful live mainly in the Eastern Mediterranean and Eastern Europe, and this status as an element of identity will differentiate the Orthodox from the Roman Catholics and later from the Protestants. But what does it mean in practice to be "Eastern" and what are the elements that define the idea of the East? Why in the Orthodox imagination did the idea of the East and the category of “Eastern” assume such great importance? How is the idea of the “East” formed, through what is considered to be a predominant feature of Orthodoxy (Patristic theology, Palamism and Neo-Palamism, liturgical and monastic tradition, Eucharistic ecclesiology, iconography and iconology, Old Calendar, mystical theology, political tradition of Byzantium, etc); And finally, to what extent do the above constitute genuine expressions of the ecclesiastical ethos and Orthodox theological self-consciousness, and to what extent are we faced with a phenomenon of “construction” and “invention”?
All these questions and more will be confronted at the International Conference on the general theme “Orthodox Constructions of the East”, which is organized by the Volos Academy for Theological Studies in collaboration with the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University (New York, USA), the Chair for Orthodox Theology of the University of Münster (Germany), the Sankt Ignatius Orthodox Theological Academy (Stockholm, Sweden), the Institute for the Study of Culture and Christianity (Belgrade, Serbia), the Center for Philosophy and Theology of Trebinje (Bosnia-Herzegovina), the Biblical Theological Institute of St. Andrew (Moscow, Russia), the Romanian Institute of Inter-Orthodox, Inter-Christian and Inter-Religious Studies (INTER, Cluj-Napoca, Romania) and the European Forum of Orthodox Theological Faculties (EFOST, Bruxelles).
The Conference, which was initially scheduled for May 2020 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will take place between June 16 and 18, 2022 at the “Thessalia” Conference Center, in Melissatika, Volos, Greece, concluding on June 19 with the morning divine liturgy, and will be transmitted live on the Volos Academy YouTube channel.
The conference starts on Thursday June 16 at 18.00
The speakers of the Conference are the following:
Keynote lecture: Dr. Christos Yannaras, Professor Emeritus, Panteion University of Political Science, Athens, Greece: Constructing the Idea of the East through the Philokalia and The Rudder: The incompatibility of the ecclesial way of life with the spirit of the Law
Dr. Michael Hjälm , Dean, Sankt Ignatios Orthodox Theological Academy; Assistant Professor of Uppsala University, Sweden: Topophilia of the East / Metaphysics of place/space
Dr. George Demacopoulos , Co-funding Director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center, Fordham University, New York, USA: Justinian, Putin, and the Long Shadow of Emperor Cult
Revd. Dr. Perry Hamalis , Professor of Religious Studies, North Central College, Illinois, USA: Constructing the idea of the East via the tradition of “Symphonia”
Dr. Elias El Halabi , Associate Director of the Sheikh Nahayan Center for Arabic Studies and Intercultural Dialogue, Balamand University, Lebanon: The Construction of the idea of the East in Islamic context
Dr. Ekaterini Tsalampouni , Associate Professor, Faculty of Theology, University of Thessaloniki, Greece: Constructing the idea of the East via the Dialectics Patristic theology vs New Testament
Dr. Assaad Elias Kattan , Chair of Orthodox Theology, University of Münster, Germany: Authenticity, Exclusivity, and Superiority: Constructing the East in the Context of Orthodox Christian Monasticism and its Recent Revival
Dr. Stavros Yangazoglou , Assistant Professor, Faculty of Theology, University of Athens, Greece: The Construction of the idea of the East in Palamism & Neo-Palamism
Dr. Vukašin Milićević , Professor, Faculty of Orthodox Theology, University of Belgrade, Serbia: Τhe Construction of the idea of the East in the issue of Calendar
Dr. Davor Džalto, President, Institute for the Study of Culture and Christianity, Professor, Department of Eastern Christian Studies, University College Stockholm, Sweden: What is “Eastern” About Traditional Orthodox Iconography?
Dr. Vasilios N. Makrides , Professor, Erfurt University, Germany: Authenticity, Exclusivity, and Superiority: Constructing the East in the Context of Orthodox Christian Monasticism and its Recent Revival (20th-21st cent.)
Dr. Regula M. Zwahlen , Director, Sergii Bulgakov Research Center, University of Fribourg, Switzerland: The Slavophile Construction of the East: A Tragedy in European Intellectual History
Revd. Dr. Dimitrios Bathrellos , Visiting Professor, Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge, UK: Constructing the idea of the East via Eucharistic Ecclesiology
Dr. Pantelis Kalaitzidis , Director, Volos Academy for Theological Studies, Greece: On the Construction of the idea of the East via Christian Hellenism and Mystical Theology: Fr. Georges Florovsky and Vladimir Lossky
Dr. Sarah Riccardi-Swartz , Assistant Professor of religion and anthropology, Northeastern University, USA: Eastern Orthodoxies: Political Technology and the Building of New American Worlds
Dr. Candace Lukasik , Assistant Professor of Religion, Mississippi State University, USA: Between East and West: Coptic Christians as Martyrs and Migrants
The Conference will be attended by Ecumenical Observers, whο will present their commentaries before the concluding session:
Dr. Peter de Mey , Professor and Vice-Dean, Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, Leuven, Belgium
Rev. Dr. Panagiotis Kantartzis , Visiting Professor at Greek Bible College, Director of the Institute for the Study of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Athens, Greece
The Conference is open to the public (attendance in situ), by registering at https://forms.gle/yjzu6FmpKR59mkwX9 and the cost is
10 euros (including Conference folder and 4 coffee breaks) or
20 euros (including folder, 4 coffee breaks and 2 meals),
Τhe link for anyone who wants to watch it online is https://bit.ly/3GEJHCz.
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