The next meeting of the Muhabbet: Conversations on the Eastern Mediterranean will take place at The Demos Center, 17 Ipitou Street, Plaka, Athens, on Friday, 13 February 2026 at 18:30. The event is co-organized by the Institute of Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF), together with the Institute of Hellenic Culture and Liberal Arts at The American College of Greece, and the Gennadius Library of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.

Political scientist Cengiz Aktar and historian Ilias Kolovos (Research Director at the Institute of Historical Research / NHRF) will talk about the shared history of Greek–Turkish relations and the issues that still grow out of that past.

Title of the discussion: Centuries of Parenthesis and Wounds that Never Heal?

Moderator: İlay Romain Örs (Institute of Hellenic Culture and Liberal Arts, The American College of Greece)

The event is free and open to the public. Conversations will be held in English. 

About Muhabbet

The Gennadius Library, in collaboration with the Institute of Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation and the Institute of Hellenic Culture and Liberal Arts, are co-organizing for the second consecutive year a series of discussions under the general title Muhabbet: East Mediterranean Conversations. The aim of this initiative is to create a space for dialogue among researchers, students, and others interested in the shared history and cultural heritage of the peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean. The term “Muhabbet” denotes friendly conversation.

The discussions are organized by: Ilay Romain Ors (PhD in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University), Katerina Boura (PhD in History, King’s College London), Ilias Kolovos (Director of Research, Institute of Historical Research, National Hellenic Research Foundation), and Anne McCabe (Researcher, Center for the Study of Ancient Documents, University of Oxford).

This year's program:

Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 18:30, Cotsen Hall, Gennadius Library, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Anapiron Polemou 9, Kolonaki, Athens 

Screening of the documentary Antoine the Fortunate (Nefin Dinç, 2020, Anemon Productions); in partnership with Cinedoc

Followed by a conversation between Ayhan Aktar and Kalliopi Amygdalou, Moderator: Elias Kolovos

 

Friday, February 13, 2026, 18:30, The Demos Center - The American College of Greece, Ipitou 17B, Plaka, Athens

Centuries of Parenthesis and Wounds that Never Heal?

Cengiz Aktar and Elias Kolovos, Moderator: İlay Romain Örs

 

Monday, March 2, 2026, 19:00, Benaki Museum of Greek Culture, Koumbari 1 and Vas. Sofias Avenue, Athens

Archaeology, Museums, and Photography in the Late Ottoman Empire: Osman Hamdi Bey and Theodore Macridy Bey

Bahattin Öztuncay and George Manginis, Moderator: Anne McCabe

The event is being organized in cooperation with the Benaki Museum

 

Thursday, April 16, 2026, 19:00, Cotsen Hall, Gennadius Library, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Anapiron Polemou 9, Kolonaki, Athens 

“I laugh so that I don’t cry”: Coexistence and Imperial Collapse in Ottoman Greek Satire

Kutay Onayli and Antonis Nasis, Moderator: Catherine Boura

 

Saturday, April 25, 2006, 11:30 Walking Tour in Palaio Faliro by Ilay Romain Ors: Istanbul/Poli in Athens 

 

Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 19:00, The Demos Center - The American College of Greece, Ipitou 17B, Plaka, Athens

An Ottoman Pompei

Christine Philliou and Melike Sümertaş, Moderator: Elias Kolovos

 

Tuesday, May 26, 2026, 19:00, The Demos Center - The American College of Greece, Ipitou 17B, Plaka, Athens

Greeks in the Ottoman Diplomatic Service

Sinan Kuneralp and Catherine Boura, Moderator: İlay Romain Örs