Introduction Modern Greek Studies and Public Scholarship: Intersections and Prospects

The interest of American universities in public scholarship, expressed as collaborative work between scholars in the humanities and social sciences with nonacademic publics, creates a new context to situate the public involvement of Modern Greek Studies in the United States. A field whose history is integrally connected with community crossovers, Greek studies has nevertheless refrained from reflecting on scholarly interfaces with publics beyond the campus. This essay probes this reticence. Moreover, it points to the value of the academy’s participation in collaborative public scholarship as a context to reflect on issues that Modern Greek Studies grapples with but does not always adequately settle: from its relationship with nonacademic publics in the United States, Greece, and elsewhere to critical pedagogies in the classroom, and from its reliance on private funds to the place of transnational studies in Modern Greek programs. Finally, the discussion explores intersections of public scholarship and Modern Greek Studies in the United States, locating challenges and prospects, introducing key issues, identifying emergent developments, and posing questions to foster further conversation.