EVENT
EVENT
Cultural Dualism and its Value System(s): The Democratic Tradition in Modern Greece, in Historical Perspective
By P. Nikiforos Diamandouros
Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the University of Athens,
Member of the Academy of Athens
When: December 9, 2024 | 19:00
Where: ACG Events Hall, Τhe American College of Greece, 6, Gravias Str., Aghia Paraskevi
(Parking upon availability).
The lecture is free & open to the public.
About the lecture:
The point of departure for the lecture will be the conceptual distinction between “democracy,” defined minimally as a system guaranteeing free and fair elections in a given polity, and “liberal democracy,” understood as an institutionalized system of electorally contested alternation in power, intimately intertwined with the rule of law and an embedded arsenal of human rights as these evolved over time, since the Second World War.
The central focus of the analysis will be the evolution of the value system(s) associated with these two variants of democratic rule since the establishment of the modern Greek state in the early part of the 19th century. Special emphasis will be accorded to the way the value system(s) linked to these variants of democracy have, over time, internalized major international developments affecting Greece and accordingly conceptualized or reconceptualized notions such as “citizen,” “citizenship,” “civil” and “civic.”
The Eleftherios Venizelos Chair was established in 2003 in recognition of the Greek statesman’s contribution to this country and his support to The American College of Greece in its relocation from Asia Minor to Greece following the Catastrophe of Smyrna. The primary goal of the Chair is to focus research, debate and attention on the most important and interesting developments in Modern Greek history – a history in which Venizelos played a key role.
About P. Nikiforos Diamandouros:
Born in Athens, Greece, in June 1942, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros (Ph.D. Columbia, 1972) is an Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the University of Athens and Member, since 2014, of the Academy of Athens. Between 2012 and 2022, he also was Visiting Professor at the College of Europe (Bruges). He has served as European Ombudsman (2003-2013), as founding Ombudsman of Greece (1998-2003), and as Director and Chairman of the Greek National Centre of Social Research (EKKE). He is also Doctor honoris causa of the Panteion University (2015) and of The American College of Greece (2011). He has been decorated by the Presidents of France (Légion d’ honneur, 2014), Poland (Golden Cross of Merit, 2010), and Greece (Order of the Phoenix, 2004). His recent published work focuses on democracy, the rule of law, the ombudsman and public administration, and the relationship between politics and culture.
For more information, please contact the Office of College Events at [email protected]
To learn more about the Venizelos Chair Lecture Series click here.