Visiting professor of the Australian Institute for Macedonian Studies, Professor Michalis Damanakis will kick off a full weekend of lectures and events hosted by the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria (GOCMV).
Professor Damanakis is a guest of honour at a number of events, starting with tonight’s book launch.
The Community will launch the Greek Consul of Education, Vassilios Gokas’ new book, New Migration from and to Greece, while Mr Damanakis will present a lecture as well.
Mr Damanakis is also booked to give a lecture on the Greek Language Education in the Diaspora on Monday 9 March at the Cutlural Centre.
The professor will exhibit his ideas for a more effective implementation of the Greek language to the educational programs of the country of residence. The lecture will focus on the production of teaching material and studies programs, teacher training, conventional and distance learning, as well as structures and methodology for e-learning.
GOCMV president, Bill Papastergiadis will be welcoming the professor, while Mr Gkokas, and Mrs V. Marinelis (Community languages, Victorian Ministry of Education) will contribute to the debate which will be held by Professor Anastasios Tamis. The lecture will begin at 7.00 pm.
Another event in Greek will take place at Mezzanine on Sunday, 8 March in an initiative by The Greek Australian Cultural League of Melbourne and Hellenic Writers Association of Australia. Writer Dionysia Mousouras, is to present her new book, entitled Beckonings. This is an open event, welcoming commentators over tea, coffee and sweets. The book launch is scheduled for 3.00 pm.
Last but not least, Peter Beilharz will also be launching his latest book: Thinking the Antipodes – Australian Essays, on Monday, 9 March. Nikos Papastergiadis, an esteemed Professor at the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne, will be presenting Beilharz’s work. Peter Beilharz is professor of Culture and society at the Curtin university. For many years he was a sociology professor, including director of the Thesis Eleven Centre for Cultural sociology at la Trobe university. Peter Beilharz has published 24 books and 200 papers across five continents. The writer came to argue that the idea of the antipodes made sense less in its geographical than its cultural form, viewed as a relation rather than a place. “Australians had one foot here and one there, whichever ‘there’ this was.” Thinking the Antipodes will be presented at the Greek Centre Melbourne – located at the corner of Lonsdale and Russell streets in Melbourne (Level 1, 168 Lonsdale Street) at 7.00 pm.
For more information visit www.greekcommunity.com.au
