Modern Greek Studies in the United Kingdom: Suggestions for the Future

The future for Modern Greek Studies, with particular reference to the UK, lies in the potential for Neohellenists to position themselves and their subject in relation to the wider intellectual context, both inside and outside the "academy." In this, their US-based colleagues have often proved more adaptable, while usually lacking, on the other hand, the departmental base and developed graduate programs that are the norm in the UK. Contemporary fields of enquiry to which the specialist knowledge and skills of the Neohellenist ought to make a significant contribution include: classical tradition; study of nations and nationalism; modern Balkan history; comparative/world literature; translation studies; historical linguistics and socio-linguistics; film and gender studies. In contexts such as these, Modern Greek Studies can expect to come out of the "ghetto" and achieve both visibility and academic integration, without diluting the discipline-based rigor that has a long tradition in British universities.