Greek History and Culture Seminars: Professor Vrasidas Karalis on Cornelius Castoriadis’ Philosophy

Greek History and Culture Seminars: Professor Vrasidas Karalis on Cornelius Castoriadis’ Philosophy

The Greek Community of Melbourne is excited to announce the launch of their upcoming 2023 Greek History and Culture Seminars series with an engaging lecture on Greek philosophy. The series aims to showcase the rich cultural heritage and history of the Greek community to a wider audience.

The opening lecture, titled "Cornelius Castoriadis 100 years later: Greek Philosophy after the Greeks," will be presented by Professor Vrasidas Karalis, the Chair of Sir Nicholas Laurantos in Modern Greek and Byzantine Studies at the University of Sydney. It will be held on Thursday, March 2nd, 2023, at 7:00 pm, at the Greek Centre (Mezzanine level, 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne). Admission to the lecture is free, and it is open to the public.

During the lecture, Professor Karalis will delve into the intriguing paradox of Cornelius Castoriadis's philosophy, which comprises an extremely dense yet lucid philosophical language. This linguistic paradox offers a unique opportunity to explore the origins of philosophical articulation and the influence of the Greek language on the way Castoriadis understood and wrote philosophy in French.

Professor Karalis will also explore a text that Castoriadis added to the Greek translation of his Imaginary Institution of Society in 1978, which is not known in any other language. The brief text maps out the relationship he developed with his own Greek language through his philosophical writing in another language. This paper discusses the connection between thinking and articulating while interrogating Castoriadis’ relationship with ancient and modern Greek.

Professor Vrasidas Karalis is the Chair of Sir Nicholas Laurantos in Modern Greek and Byzantine Studies at the University of Sydney. He has a wealth of experience in the field, with numerous publications to his credit, including A History of Greek Cinema (Continuum 2012), Realism in Greek Cinema (I.B. Tauris, 2017), Recollections of Mr Manoly Lascaris (Brandl & Sclesinger, 2007), The Demons of Athens (Brandl & Schlesinger, 2013), Reflections on Presence (re.Press, 2016)., Realism in Post-War Greek Cinema (Bloomsbury, 2017), The Cinematic Language of Theo Angelopoulos (Berghan Press, 2021), and Theo Angelopoulos Filmmaker and Philosopher (Palgrave, 2023). He has also edited several collections, including Cornelios Castoriadis and the Project of Radical Democracy (2013), Martin Heidegger and the Aesthetics of Being (2008), Power, Justice, and Judgement in Hannah Arendt (2012).

The lecture is free and open to the public. This event is an excellent opportunity for those interested in Greek philosophy to learn from one of the leading experts in the field. Don't miss out on this exciting event that promises to offer a fascinating exploration of an essential aspect of Greek philosophy.

Date: Thursday 2 March 2023. Time: 7:00 pm

Location: Greek Centre (Mezzanine, 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne)

Admission: Free