The Centre for Asia Minor Studies (CAMS) recently concluded its Asia Minor Travel Seminar, an academic program that brought together students from Turkey, the United States, and Canada for an immersive exploration of Asia Minor Hellenism. Under the guidance of Professors Tom Papademetriou (Stockton University) and Paschalis M. Kitromilides, participants spent three weeks engaged in hands-on research and site visits, culminating in a seven-day journey through Pontus in search of the historical presence of Asia Minor’s Greek Orthodox communities.
During the seminar’s first phase in Athens, students attended lectures by CAMS researchers and delved into the Centre’s Oral History Archive. Their studies were enriched by visits to prominent institutions, including the Benaki Museum—where they were guided by Anna Ballian and Mara Verykokou—the National Historical Museum, the Gennadius Library, and the “Filio Haidemenou” Museum in Nea Philadelphia. Exploring historic refugee neighborhoods, they connected with both academic experts and members of the local community.
In the second phase, the seminar took students to Pontus, beginning in Trabzon and extending to significant historical locations once central to Asia Minor Hellenism. This journey offered them a profound encounter with the region’s layered past.
CAMS researchers Dimitris Kamouzis and Nicolas Nicolaides accompanied the students throughout the program’s first phase. Barbara Psychoula-Kontogianni, Head of the Archive and Library, provided invaluable support for the students’ archival work, while Haris Sarris presented the Musical Folklore Archive.
This year’s seminar was generously sponsored by the New York Life Insurance Company Center for the Study of Hellenism in Pontus and Asia Minor at Hellenic College Holy Cross, and the Dean C. and Zoë S. Pappas Interdisciplinary Center for Hellenic Studies at Stockton University.
A blog featuring reflections and insights from the participating students will be available soon.
