As final part of a successful Greek-German exhibition about the resistance against the Greek military junta 1967-1974, the Contemporary Social History Archives (ASKI), Greece, and the Archive of social Democracy in Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (AdsD in FES), Germany, are co- organizing a digital two-day conference (6-7 October 2020) with the working title:
“Greek-German relations during the military dictatorship in Greece (1967-1974)”.
The resistance against the military junta from 1967 to 1974 was a largely unknown aspect of German-Greek history at the beginning of the exhibition series. The German-Greek Exhibition (GGE) convincingly illustrates the need for cross-party and cross-stakeholder cooperation on existential issues such as the preservation of democracy and the rule of law. The GGE is thus setting an example against the nationalist and populist tendencies that are currently gaining strength in Europe.
At historical sites, in museums and memorials, in youth education centers and schools in Germany and Greece, it gave Germans and Greeks the opportunity to (again) become aware of the devastating effects of inhuman regimes and to demonstrate the relevance of active resistance. Hence, the GGE sees itself as a contribution to the further improvement of German-Greek relations.
In the course of the 16 exhibitions held in both countries, it became clear that Germans and Greeks have a keen interest in written material on the exhibition topic as well as scientific exchange about key historical events in German-Greek history.
Therefore, the conference aims to focus on the interplay between the anti-dictatorship movement in Europe and the social and political realities in Greece during the seven-year period of the military dictatorship. The goal of the conference is to enhance research on the broader issue of Greek-German relations in the postwar era and create a space of dialogue and exchange between researchers working on particular aspects of this story.
Accordingly, in this final scientific conference we offer experts from both countries to work on the following topics:
- The role of German political parties and organizations towards the military regime in Greece and the role of Greek communities in Germany (i.e. immigrants, students, self- exiled).
- The networks of solidarity between Germany and Greece and the impact of the military dictatorship in the German public sphere and political life.
- The Greek anti-dictatorship organizations and groups in Western Europe.
- Comparative aspects of military dictatorships in Southern Europe (Greece, Spain, Portugal).
- State level relationships and culture of remembrance between the Federal Republic of Germany and Greece – a future perspective.
The lectures are scheduled to be published in 2021, thereby contributing to political education in both countries and to strengthening the European culture of remembrance.
Given your studies or demonstrated work on these topics, we would like to invite you to participate as a speaker in the conference. Your presentation should not exceed 20 minutes in order to have ample time for discussion and debate. All the presentations will be held in English. Our goal is to bring established research together with young scientists. Therefore, PhD and master candidates are also welcome to apply.
Due to the current situation regarding the coronavirus covid-19, the conference will be held online via Zoom.
Please send us your proposal (max. 2000 characters including spaces), your academic CV and your contact details by June 20, 2020 at the email address jenny.schiemann@fes.de.
Looking forward to your participation.
Dr. Ursula Bitzegeio
Head of Unit, Public History, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung