Ivana Vujosevica 19
81000 Podgorica
Montenegro
- Arts
- Heritage
- International/Cultural relations
- Religion
- Research
- Youth and education
Center for Hellenic Studies is a non-profit organization founded in 2015 and based in Podgorica. The Center is the first institution in Montenegro dedicated to the study and promotion of Hellenic culture and civilization. The main goal of the Center is the study of Greek cultural and intellectual heritage from antiquity to the present. Some of the specific goals of the Center are research in the fields of philosophy, literature, archaeology, philology, theology, history, art and other areas significant for the exploration of the Hellenic world; investigation into the influence of Hellenic culture on the formation of European identity, as well as fostering and stimulating the humanistic ideals founded on the universal values of the Hellenic culture.
The Center honors its mission through a variety of activities, such as organizing conferences, round tables, lectures, summer schools and workshops; establishing and strengthening connections with the Hellenic Republic and with Greek academic and educational institutions and associations, along with conducting public campaigns with the aim of popularization and promotion of Hellenic culture and civilization.
In January 2016 the Center organized a presentation of the volume "The Ways of Byzantine Philosophy", published in 2015 in the USA, edited by Dr. Mikonja Knezevic, the Center's general secretary. In February 2016 the Center has launched a series of lectures "Hellenism and the Contemporary world", within which ten scholars will give lectures on different aspects of Hellenic culture and thought - it is expected to conclude the series in June 2016. These lectures are also being posted on the Center's YouTube channel.
The Center's plans are to organize a round table "Notable Serbian Hellenists of the 20th Century" in September 2016, as well as the publication of the first issue of a journal of Hellenic studies under the Center's direction. In addition, Dr. Filip Ivanovic, executive director, and Dr. Mikonja Knezevic, general secretary, gave a number of interviews to Montenegrin TV stations and newspapers, promoting the aims and mission of the Center for Hellenic Studies.
Some of the aims of the Center for Hellenic Studies are shedding light on historic and cultural ties between Montenegro and Greece; establishing cooperation with similar organizations and institutions in Greece and abroad; providing insight into the formation of the European identity under the influence of Hellenic heritage; fostering and promoting universal humanistic values grounded in Hellenic culture and civilization. Thus, the Center will do its best to promote inter-national and inter-organizational cooperation, civil engagement, critical thinking, and exchange of ideas. It will also contribute to the general education and cultural awarness of the Montenegrin society, especially of the youth, through offering lectures, courses, summer schools, etc.
Main reasons for Center for Hellenic Studies's application to join the ALF Network are cooperation, exchange of ideas and funding.
Anna Lindh Foundation aims at connecting people from different countries of the Euro-Mediterranean, to which Montenegro too belongs, and improve inter-cultural understanding and cooperation. In this sense, the Center for Hellenic Studies is eager to engage in exchange with other similar organizations in the region greatly shaped by the shared values rooted in Hellenic culture, which is exactly the Center's main focus. ALF already gathers certain institutions from Montenegro (such as Faculty of Arts and the Ministry of Culture) with which the Center would like to cooperate. In addition, there are a number of foreign organizations/institutions, members of the ALF Network, which deal with Hellenic culture and civilization, so the membership to the ALF would facilitate the Center's connection with them.
Besides that, the ALF's goal is also to provide help with funding and capacity building, which is another of the Center's needs and it would facilitate the establishment of the Center for Hellenic Studies as a significant research and cultural institution in Montenegro.