Modern Greek

Sub-Faculty of Byzantine and Modern Greek

The Sub-Faculty of Byzantine and Modern Greek at University of Oxford is the only department in Britain to offer Medieval and Modern Greek as a major component of a BA degree, and one of the very few institutions worldwide where Modern Greek can be studied at graduate level.

Oxford has taught Modern Greek continuously since 1908, with the Bywater and Sotheby Professorship of Byzantine and Modern Greek Language and Literature established in 1915. It is therefore the longest-standing centre for the study of Medieval and Modern Greek literature and culture outside Greece.

Teaching and Research

The sub-faculty specialises in the Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern periods. Teaching and research range from Byzantine poetry and Cretan Renaissance drama to modern and contemporary Greek literature, culture, and cinema, including authors such as C.P. Cavafy, Nikos Kazantzakis, Yannis Ritsos, and George Seferis, as well as the cultural politics of the Greek 1960s.Currently specialising in the Medieval, Early Modern and Modern periods, our teaching and research cover topics ranging from Byzantine poetry and Cretan Renaissance drama, to C.P. Cavafy, Nikos Kazantzakis, Yannis Ritsos and George Seferis, the cultural politics of the Greek 1960s and contemporary Greek cinema.

Academic Staff

Of the members of the sub-faculty, Professor Stratis Papaioannou teaches Medieval and Early Modern Greek language and literature, Professor Dimitris Papanikolaou teaches Modern Greek literature and culture, and Senior Lecturer Kostas Skordyle s teaches Modern Greek language, translation and history while Faculty Research Fellow Pietro Bortone teaches Greek linguistics. Professor Constanze Guthenke, of the Faculty of Classics, also contributes to the teaching of Modern Greek literature and culture (esp. Poetry and the Reception of Classical literature). The sub-faculty additionally collaborates with a broad network of scholars and specialists from Oxford and beyond, who participate in our undergraduate teaching, graduate seminars and colloquia.

Libraries and Collections

The sub-faculty is supported by outstanding library resources. The Oxford University Modern Greek collection is housed primarily in the Taylor Institution Library and the Bodleian Library, including an important archival annex containing the papers of R. M. Dawkins (1871–1955). These holdings, together with related collections across Oxford libraries, make Oxford one of the most comprehensive centres for research in Modern Greek language, culture, and history outside Greece.Housed in the Taylor Institution Library and the main Bodleian Library, the Oxford University Modern Greek collection and its archival annex (which includes the important collection of R.M. Dawkins; 1871–1955), alongside the materials housed by Oriental Institute and the Sackler Libraries as well as the libraries of other faculties and colleges, combine to make Oxford one of the most comprehensive research collections in Modern Greek language, culture and history outside Greece.

Academic Life and Community

The sub-faculty fosters a close and vibrant academic community of students, researchers, and tutors. Undergraduate teaching is closely integrated with graduate seminars, workshops, conferences, film screenings, and cultural events, many of which are open to the public. This makes the sub-faculty a lively hub for Byzantine and Modern Greek studies.