Opinions

Christmas and Loneliness for PhD Students: Curse or Blessing?

constantinakatsari December 24, 2009

Writing a PhD is a lonely process! Most of us dedicated scholars have been through the endless nights in front of the computer screen, we declined offers for a pint in the local pub or a cup of coffee in the corner café, and we missed the wedding of our best friend because we happened to be abroad on a conference. How much more antisocial could we be? Despite the lonely nature of the PhD, valiant departments are determined to create a social environment for the almost forgotten students. They or... »

Online Archaeology

constantinakatsari December 19, 2009

During my Ancient History Competition, the right answer did not come from the archaeology headquarters. Instead, an outsider claimed the coveted and yet non-existent prize. Scott Hurst, a photographer from Texas, recognized accurately the Rampin Rider from the Acropolis museum. Without any previous archaeological knowledge he used the google search engine in order to find statues in museums. He employed various terms until he realized that the statue resembled closely the sixth century kouroi. A... »

Academic Prostitution

constantinakatsari December 17, 2009

I admit I was fascinated by the story of Belle de Jour, the high class call girl, who became famous through her blog, book and TV series. I may not have read the book but I was fanatic about, initially, the blog and, then, the series, in which a sassy Billy Piper lives the high life in vibrant London. Throughout this time I thought that Belle was a fictitious character born by the perverse imagination of a male author. You can guess my surprise and subsequent curiosity when I found out not only ... »

Dress like an Ancient Historian: Tips

constantinakatsari December 12, 2009

Ancient historians occasionally become concerned about their image. Stress levels rise every time a scholar needs to pick the perfect outfit for a job interview or the occasional lecture. Some of us are even concerned about our every day clothes. I often catch myself thinking, what do I wear today for my Staff and Student Committee meeting? O vanitas vanitatum! When in such a dilemma, I look for advice. Or, alternatively, I follow the fashion sense of my role models. These are not Givanchy, Vale... »

Academic Administration. Good or Evil?

constantinakatsari December 7, 2009

Don’t you just love administration? And I do not mean “like”. I mean absolutely loving every minute you spend in front of your computer, downloading forms, filling them up and then sending them off to cyberspace. Did you ever wish you had more administrative tasks to complete? Did you ever look back at your long and arduous day hoping that you had one more report to fill before you went to bed? I know I did. No I am not perverse. I just came up with the perfect solution to a very difficult probl... »

Humboldt Fellowship in Berlin

constantinakatsari December 4, 2009

Two years ago I was over the moon. I just found out that I won the 18-month Humboldt Fellowship for Experienced Researchers in order to finish my monograph. My destination was Berlin, the Deutches Archäologisches Institut. The idea of living for a year and a half in this vibrant city, surrounded by excellent libraries, made me quiver with joy! And then, reality struck. I had to move to another country, yet again. This involved making arrangements about my salary, renting a flat, re-learning Germ... »

Why teach and study history

constantinakatsari November 29, 2009

In a previous post Neville Morley commented on the reasons for teaching history. It is worth repeating them in brief here. First of all, it provides critical skills, such as critical reading and analysis. Secondly, it helps us understand the way the world works. History draws together politics, economics, sociology etc. and studies their development and interaction over time. Thirdly, the study of history is a means of understanding how people work. As we are historical animals, we develop a sen... »

Burn History Books!

constantinakatsari November 25, 2009

No doubt the call to burn History books reminds us of some the darkest times in European History of the 20th century. I am very well aware that such calls led in the past to perverse actions and heinous crimes, nothing short of sacrilege. And yet, some books trigger such strongly negative feelings in me that I would rather see them burned. These are the History books produced by the Greek government and distributed to innocent schoolchildren. Once the books reach the classroom the teacher has no... »

The Beginning of History

constantinakatsari November 22, 2009

My friends assume that I always wanted to become a historian. Well, I am fairly certain this is not true. I have a vague memory that when I was seven I was infatuated with surgery. At that time, my baby brother was admitted to hospital with hernia. Since then, I was determined to become a baby surgeon. Cutting up little people became the sole purpose of my life. My parents encouraged me to follow this path, hoping that one day I will become a rich and famous doctor. The “doctor” part may have be... »