Lines Between: Culture and Empire in the Eastern Mediterranean
Co-Hosted by European University Cyprus and Stockton University
The conference Lines Between: Culture and Empire in the Eastern Mediterranean was an interdisciplinary conference whose purpose was to examine various aspects of the politics of culture and empire in the Eastern Mediterranean. The conference was organized by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences of European University Cyprus in collaboration with Stockton University, New Jersey. Pre-conference activities began on Wednesday, June 3, with two panels where American and Cypriot students of English Literature presented papers that adopted a variety of critical approaches to Cyprus’ colonial history and contemporary identities. On June 4, the conference was officially opened at the Famagusta Gate, generously provided by the Nicosia Municipality. The Rector of European University Cyprus, Professor Kostas Gouliamos opened the evening with a talk, followed by United States Ambassador John Koenig and the British High Commissioner Damian Roderic Todd who also greeted the audience and spoke briefly on the significance of the conference and its themes in today’s politics. Keynote speakers at the conference were Rita Severis, Art Historian, Andrew Thompson, Professor of History at the University of Exeter, and Ella Shohat, Professor of Cultural Studies at New York University. The conference closed successfully on the afternoon of Saturday June 6.