Previous Events

Monday, 8 June 2026 (14:30-15:00)

A Public Lecture on “Outsiderness as a Spectrum”
5th Flloor, 9 Chalkokondili Street, Plateia Kannigos
Speaker: Pierre Leichner, Vice President, Community Art Council of Vancouver, Canada.
Moderator:  Gregory T. Papanikos, President of the Athens Institute.
Outsider art refers to a broad field of practice encompassing artists who may be self-taught or formally trained, but whose work develops outside early institutional, academic, and market validation. Often members of equity-deserving communities, these artists encounter systemic barriers to access, visibility, and recognition. Despite their foundational influence on modern and contemporary art since the early twentieth century, outsider artists and their contributions remain under-referenced within dominant art-historical narratives and institutional frameworks.

This presentation traces the evolution of outsider art from its origins in Art Brut to its contemporary emergence as an expanded field of practice. I will examine current outsider-focused festivals in Canada and internationally, and present selected case studies of contemporary artists to illustrate the diversity of practices, contexts, and lived experiences encompassed by outsiderness. The presentation concludes by identifying persistent structural barriers faced by outsider artists and proposes understanding outsiderness not as a fixed category, but as a fluid spectrum shaped by social, cultural, and institutional conditions.

Wednesday, 17 December 2025 (14:00-14:45)

A Public Lecture on “With Knowledge Under Siege Globally, How May Canada Act As A Lighthouse?” (more details)
5th Flloor, 9 Chalkokondili Street, Plateia Kannigos
Speaker: Marc Spooner, Professor, University of Regina, Canada
Moderator:  Gregory T. Papanikos, President of the Athens Institute.
The university’s biggest threats are not only occurring in fascist and authoritarian countries, but also in traditionally regarded as liberal democracies. Among a variety of developments of concern, our current moment features the outright banning of entire areas of study, the abolishment of tenure, and the curtailment of academic freedom, as well as a near ubiquitous push toward performance-based funding (Spooner, 2024). It also features chronic underfunding, international student quotas, and anti-woke sentiment with pushback against equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives meant to permit greater participation in increasingly conservative and authoritarian interventionist states. Canada, with its highly unionised higher education workforce, is uniquely positioned to resist as faculty associations fight to uphold the aspirational ideals of the university.
Discussants:
Kenneth Christie, Head, Politics & International Affairs Unit, Athens Institute & Professor, Royal Roads University, Canada.
Reinhard Reitzenstein, Professor, Director of Sculpture Program, State University of New York at Buffalo, USA.
Deric Shannon, Professor, Oxford College, Emory University, USA.
Timothy Congdon, Chair, Institute of International Monetary Research, UK.

Monday, 28 July 2025 (14:00-15:00) (more details)

A Public Lecture on “A Critical Look at Indigenization of Canadian Universities”
5th Flloor, 9 Chalkokondili Street, Plateia Kannigos
Speaker: Jim Clark, Professor, University of Winnipeg, Canada.
Summary
This talk offers a critical examination of the Indigenization of Canadian universities. It explores how institutions are incorporating Indigenous perspectives and practices and considers the validity of some initiatives. Specifically, facets of Indigenization appear to challenge traditional academic values, such as basing beliefs on reason and science. The issues are not unique to Canadian universities.

Monday, 16 June 2025 (14:15-15:00) (Announcement) (more details)
André Lecours, Professor, University of Ottawa, Canada.
Title: Trump and Canada: Tariffs, the 2025 Federal Election, and Beyond.

Monday, 9 June 2025 (14:00-14:45)
Eliza Gardiner, Professor, Theatre Department, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Vancouver Island University, Canada.
Title: Oedipus Rex and Canadian Crime and Punishment. (more details)

Monday, 26 May 2025 (16:30-17:30)

A Public Lecture on “Telling Stories About the Economy and Climate Crisis”(more details)
5th Flloor, 9 Chalkokondili Street, Plateia Kannigos
Speaker: Jennifer Ellen Good, Chair and Associate Professor, Brock University, Canada.
Summary
This talk explores  explores the role of narrative in shaping our understanding of complex global issues such as economic systems and the climate emergency.

Monday, 19 May 2025 (15:00-16:30)

A Symposium on Canadian Education at a Crossroads: Responding to Global Trends (more details)
5th Flloor, 9 Chalkokondili Street, Plateia Kannigos
Speakers:
–Svetlana Mikhaylichenko, Professor, University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada.
Title: Teaching Natural Sciences in a Canadian University.
–Catherine Lanaris, Professor, University of Quebec in Outaouais, Canada.
Title: Challenges of Developing Inclusive Practices in French-Canadian (Quebec) Elementary Schools and Teacher Training.
–Tom Wanyama, Associate Professor, W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology, McMaster University, Canada.
Title: Reimagining Canadian Engineering Education Through Learning Factories.
–Ron Phillips, Associate Professor, Nipissing University, Canada.
Title: Education in Canada: DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) are not Dirty Words to be Erased.

Monday, 12 May 2025 (12:30-13:30)

A Public Lecture on “The Affective Politics of the “Freedom Convoy”: Conspiracy, Nostalgia, and Masculinity” (more details)
5th Flloor, 9 Chalkokondili Street, Plateia Kannigos
Speaker: Zeinab Farokhi, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada.
Summary
This talk explores how the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” mobilized emotional rhetoric online to legitimize extremist ideologies. Through analysis of tweets using convoy-related hashtags, I examine how conspiracy theories act as “sticky objects” that generate powerful affective attachments. Drawing on affect theory and critical discourse analysis, I show how these digital narratives rely on nostalgia, white victimhood, and masculine grievance to create a sense of belonging while demonizing Others. The convoy’s digital footprint reveals how emotion is weaponized to mainstream far-right ideas.