21 August 2023

"War and Trauma: Ancient and Modern Dialogues",

Following the devastating wars of the 20th century, we said: “Never Again”, yet for millions of people conflict, and its ghosts, are facts of daily life. In Europe, we once more live in the shadow of a struggle which, directly or indirectly, has implications for us all. How do we try to make sense of war? How do we learn to live with, and despite of, the trauma it causes? 

This Europaeum Classics Colloquium (re)turns to the classical world to understand warfare in the ancient imagination. We all know of its place of pride in Spartan culture but not all were so bellicose. How did orators commend their populations to warfare, or, alternatively, dissuade them from it? We also pose contemporary questions about trauma to the ancients asking how classical poets and playwrights grappled with the complex range of emotion warfare stimulated, how they explored its effects for soldiers and civilians alike. We aim, then, to see how modern preoccupations illuminate hidden aspects of ancient texts while, at the same time, ancient texts provide fresh resources for surviving modern warfare. 
 
Confirmed speakers include Professor Francesco Citti (University of Bologna), Dr Rory Cox (St Andrews), Dr Diana Goncalves (Catholic University of Portugal).