The theme of this year’s summer school is cultural traumas formed and shaped by the Holocaust and genocides in the Balkans and the Middle east. In this framework we will examine three cases of genocides/cultural traumas, each one of them strongly related to the religion of the persecuted ethnic groups: the Yazidi of northern Iraq by the ISIS, the Jewish community of Thessaloniki by the Nazis, and the Pontic Greek community of Asia Minor by nationalist Turks.

The question the summer school will address is: How does the religion of the persecuted group affect cultural trauma? Does religion - both as an institution and as ‘deep culture’ - play a distinct role in the way cultural trauma is formed and shaped, or is there something intrinsically humane, cross-cultural and cross-religious which constitutes the core of cultural trauma? 

To this effect the summer school is inviting key members of the three persecuted communities to present their cases and to reflect on the ways their respected communities have dealt with the traumatic experience. What kind of narratives have emerged out of their communal interactions? What kind of sentiments and feelings emerge out of their commemorative events? How do they make sense of their experience? And what do they consider to be a healing process and justice?

The school invites people who are interested solely to attend and participate in discussions around the issues, as well as students who would like to receive the ECTS offered by the summer school and thus to write an essay on the subject based on the sources and material provided by the summer school. A diploma of attendance is awarded in both cases.   

Deadline: 18 August (extended)