Notes from the field: CERES MA students experience Greece

The only people who may drink more coffee than Greeks are U of T students. Or, on second thought, maybe that’s just me. Fortunately, every morning started with planning the day at a local coffee joint alongside Professor Robert Austin and Professor Themistoklis Aravossitas. Professor Austin is a seasoned veteran of International Course Modules (ICMs) running both the Georgia ICM for undergraduate students and the Greece ICM for CERES graduate students. The 2022 cohort for Greece was unique not only in its diversity of research projects but also in the fact that we were the first year to return to Greece post-COVID-19 — the last time this course took place was in 2019. With the world looking drastically different today, our cohort of 9 embarked on an ambitious (and successful) week in Athens.

The idea of the ICM is simple: students propose research projects of their choosing, and while in Athens, conduct interviews with identified stakeholders. This year the projects featured research on: energy and transportation infrastructure, Russo-Turkish rapprochement in relation to Greece, Greek media freedom, Greek immigration policy for refugees, COVID-19 and its impacts on refugees in Greece, Syriza’s impact on the Prespa Agreement, the geopolitics of natural gas pipelines, Greek Security and memories of Cyprus in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and last but not least, a historical analysis of the Pontian genocide. Each project serves as a lens through which the various aspects of Greece, and more specifically Athens, are illuminated, providing unique perspectives on Greece and Athens as both actors on the domestic stage and on the global stage. More importantly, together the projects paint a picture of post-COVID Greece and its future.

Besides attending group meetings with Stathis Potamitis (Lawyer and Managing Partner at PotamitisVerkis) and Panayotis Tsakonas (Professor of International Relations, Security Studies and Foreign Policy Analysis at the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Athens), each person had their own interviews. Olivia Pape was fortunate to meet with Member of the Hellenic Parliament Nikos Voutsis, who announced the Butis Agreement to the Hellenic Parliament in 2019. When I asked Olivia what struck her the most about the meeting, she responded without hesitation: “being immersed in Greek politics” – this interview, and others, made Greek politics tangible. In a similar vein, Dasha Akhova worked on memories of Cyprus in light of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. And like Olivia, Dasha felt that the European issues, which previously held a more abstract space for all of us, were suddenly actualized by the daily interactions with stakeholders and civilians alike. The professional nature of this trip added another dimension to these first-time visits.

On the other hand, Sasha Slobodov has visited Athens multiple times in the past, and while knowing her way around the city, she said that navigating the city through professional encounters was a new eye-opening experience. Previously seen as simply another Athenian street (Sekeri Str.), became the meeting place with Thanos Dokos, Greece’s National Security Advisor. I joined Sasha (and Dasha) for that meeting and can say the insight shared by Thanos Dokos was indispensable.

Perhaps what was the most striking for me were the personal stories of those individuals who we encountered during our day-to-day activities. A local corner store owner who exchanged greetings with our group every morning (his store was adjacent to the café) told us about his small business and the newfound challenges of keeping a convenience store open long hours while energy prices rise. Or when Olivia interacted with local students outside the Polytechnic University who were organizers for local leftist campaigns and told her (in brief) about the history of student mobilization in Athens. Not to mention the iconic mother-daughter duo who together own a small restaurant called Katsourbos, which serves fresh Cretan food. Greek hospitality extends to all corners of life, as Isaure Vorstman and Michaela Nudo learned when their interviewees spoke to them for over an hour each on their respective topics.

The Greece ICM captures both the professional and recreational aspects of travel. Our cohort was fortunate enough to experience Greek life through many lenses – both formal and informal – and as a result, we saw Athens in a way we (perhaps) would never see otherwise.