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Online Conference: “The Genre of Hymn in Antiquity”

The Department of Greek Philology at the Democritus University of Thrace (Greece, Komotini) organizes the First International Online Conference “The Genre of Hymn in Antiquity” to be held from October 22nd to 24th 2021 via ZOOM.

Many definitions of “Hymn” oblige to start with the discussion on hymnodic genres, their norms and their transgressions, their transformations through subversion, transposition and combination with other genres. After Todorov’s statement “there has never been a literature without genres”, and this is so because a literary genre has its origin in human discourse, every genre arises like any speech act from the codification of discursive properties. Unlike other genres, however, the Hymn overtly fulfills a focused mission that appears to be of outmost importance both for the individual and the community and stems from the original identification of any act of singing (ἀείδειν) with praising (ὑμνεῖν). It is with Plato that a distinction between song for a mortal and song for a god came afore and was further developed in systematic categorizations in the late literary criticism (Menander, Proclus). Even so, the Hymn remains a speech act that explores different generic features, and takes all possible forms and performative modes. Despite similarities there is a huge variety in the way each Hymn, i.e., each hymnographer, selects its particular modes of praising and this opens a vast territory of interpretative approaches. Much scholarly attention has been deployed to defining the typology, the narratological aspects, the social parameters and the different attitudes towards the honored deities, the relationship to cult practice and to the local or panhellenic character of praising.

This conference seeks to bring together specialists on the hymnic genre in its multiple categories and forms. We envisage the conference as offering a series of independent yet mutually illuminating contributions from a wealth of approaches adopted towards the topic. We welcome different interpretative approaches according the various hymnic media, sociological, religious or even psychological topics and the cultural implications of hymnic poetry.

Confirmed Speakers: Peter Agόcs (London) – Luigi Battezzato (Pisa) – Claude Calame (Paris/Lausanne) – Teresa-Adele Cozzoli (Rome) – Christopher Faraone (Chicago) – George Gazis (Durham) – Zina Giannopoulou (Irvine, CA) – Flora P. Manakidou (Komotini) – Anastasia Maravela (Oslo) – Maria Noussia-Fantuzzi (Thessaloniki) – Georgia Petridou (Liverpool) – Polyxeni Strolonga (Athens) – Agnieszka Kotlińska-Toma (Wroclaw) – Maria Vamvouri (Zurich) – Tim Whitmarsh (Cambridge).

Session Chairs: Benjamin Acosta-Hughes (The Ohio State University), Marco Fantuzzi (University of Roehampton), Andrew Faulkner (University of Waterloo), Andrew Ford (Princeton University), Flora P. Manakidou (Democritus University of Thrace)

Please visit the Conference official website at:

https://helit.duth.gr/conference-hymns-classics2021/

Everyone is welcome: no fee is required, but registration is mandatory.

For your registration, please follow the link:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAqcumtpj4oHtyISJu23osmXWJeCmpwWWro

All those who register will be provided with the link(s), the password(s), and all the necessary technical information in order to participate in the Conference online.

For further information on the event or request, please contact hymns.classics2021@gmail.com

On behalf of the Scientific and the Organizing Committees,

Best regards,

Flora P. Manakidou and Maria Noussia-Fantuzzi

Conference Scientific Committee: Flora P. Manakidou (Democritus University of Thrace), Maria Noussia-Fantuzzi (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)

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Conference Organizing Committee: Flora P. Manakidou (Democritus University of Thrace), Maria Noussia-Fantuzzi (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), Ioannis Petropoulos (Democritus University of Thrace), Georgios Tsomis (Democritus University of Thrace)