Ioannis has committed his professional career to break down social and cultural barriers for communities and groups at the margins of society, including young offenders, disabled, refugees and youth at risk. A PhD candidate at Goldsmiths University, he is researching the cultural practices of museums to connect and engage with young people living in socially disadvantaged communities. Supervisors: Professor Rosalyn George and Dr Esther Sayers
Η εισήγηση αυτή έγινε την Παρασκευή 20 Οκτωβρίου 2017 στα πλαίσια του ΕΥΚΕΣΕ Συνεδρίου «Το Καρπεν... more Η εισήγηση αυτή έγινε την Παρασκευή 20 Οκτωβρίου 2017 στα πλαίσια του ΕΥΚΕΣΕ Συνεδρίου «Το Καρπενήσι στη διαχρονική του πορεία απο την αρχαιότητα έως τις µέρες µας». Η ιστορία της Ευρυτανίας στη νεωτερική της διάσταση διακρίνεται από την εμφανή επικέντρωση των μελετητών στις πολεμικές επιχειρήσεις της κατοχικής περιόδου και της μετέπειτα εμφύλιας σύρραξης. Η εισήγηση αποσκοπούσε στην περιγραφή της κοινωνικής ιστορίας της πόλης του Καρπενησίου και την αναπαράσταση της συλλογικής ζωής των Καρπενησιωτών κατά την προπολεμική και μεταπολεμική περίοδο, όπως περιγράφεται και αναδημιουργείται μέσα από εθνογραφική έρευνα έξι ετών, προφορικές μαρτυρίες ηλικιωμένων, φωτογραφικό υλικό και αποσπάσματα ιστορικών μελετών. Η πείνα, οι διώξεις, οι καταστροφές, οι μετακινήσεις πληθυσμών, η σκληρή ιστορία της Κατοχής, ο αλληλοσπαραγμός, ο μόχθος και η υπομονή για οικονομική ανασυγκρότηση των πρώτων μεταπολεμικών χρόνων έχουν ως σκοπό όχι να αφαιρέσουν το πολιτικό από το κοινωνικό τοπίο της εποχής, αλλά να το θέσουν στο κέντρο του. Με αφετηρία την πρόσληψη του κοινωνικού ως μια ‘συλλογικότητα’ από διαφορετικούς οργανισμούς, η παρουσίαση προσπάθησε να ‘διαφοροποιήσει το ανθρώπινο από το μη ανθρώπινο ή το έμψυχο από το μη έμψυχο, όχι σε σχέση με τις δυνατότητες των παραγόντων για οργάνωση, όσο με βάση την αλληλεπίδραση που υπήρχε μεταξύ των διαφορετικών παραγόντων και οργανισμών’ (Patrick Joyce 2010) κατά την πορεία ανασύστασης της μνήμης και της δύναμης της πόλης του Καρπενησίου στις δεκαετίες που ακολούθησαν.
In recent years, museums have reviewed dramatically their cultural role by increasingly emphasisi... more In recent years, museums have reviewed dramatically their cultural role by increasingly emphasising the social value derived from active use of heritage (Smith 2006). Despite a growing interest of museums in engaging with young people, there is little research on the role of museums to bring about change to those youth deemed as being 'at risk'. I was driven to this paper by conflicting views of museums being evolved into places of change for a group, which is generally characterised as one of the most underrepresented audiences in museums. On the one hand, I have been positively surprised to identify a number of studies that explore museum interventions for disadvantaged young people who are interchangeably considered as being 'at risk'. On the other hand, I have to admit that I feel some despair due to the lack of previous research that seeks to examine museum programmes for young people on the margins of society. In this paper, I will reflect on the current stage of the literature review of my doctorate focusing on museum engagement with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds (funded by Goldsmiths University of London). Due to the limits of a conference paper, my aim is to critically explore the discursive practices of museums and shed some light on the power relations that play out in the relation of contemporary museums with young people.
In this study, I searched for representations of 'black teachers' through popular media stories. ... more In this study, I searched for representations of 'black teachers' through popular media stories. Teachers and students‟ representations in popular culture have long been the subject of different scholars and disciplines showing a distinctive interest in the central character of the school teacher in the world of film. This character has often been analysed in terms of gender, rarely class, race and ethnicity and there are even fewer accounts on sexuality. The limited research with regard to „race‟, education and popular culture indicates that Hollywood cinema and TV portray the white as saviour hero and the African American or Black British characters as representative of the „other‟ teacher. Within the framework of cultural studies and critical race theory, movies on black teachers are the focus of my consideration. As an outcome of content analysis and critical viewing of more than twenty movies, a sample of six features and TV movies were selected based on their racial significance inscribed on the central role of teacher. The teaching narratives of four black and two white teachers were addressed historically and intertextually by deriving evidence from diverse scholars, film critiques, box office covers and the comparative study of the popular texts themselves. The entire stories take place in secondary schools and are the classics The Blackboard Jungle (1955, USA) and To Sir with Love (1967, UK), Lean on me (1989, USA), Sarafina! (1992, USA & South Africa), Shoot the Messenger (2006, UK) and Freedom Writers (2007, USA).
In this interdisciplinary approach, these movies unveil racist stereotypes and ideological trends that are enforced and duplicated by popular media, very often at crucial historical and political times of racial relations and educational debates. A great number of them are based on real events and personal accounts of teachers, often crossing national boundaries and going to the past in order to narrate the experiences of black teachers and to talk about racial inequalities. This study found also that black teachers are more frequently depicted in film from the mid-1980s onwards and popular images of black school teachers are predominantly male and middle class. Black school teachers are very rarely portrayed as educated in the teaching profession, positioned in same-gender schools or belonging to the upper class. He/she more often appears working in urban schools, outside the classroom, and consistently resilient and dedicated to saving black and minority students in the „jungle‟ of inner cities or poor neighbourhoods.
Η εισήγηση αυτή έγινε την Παρασκευή 20 Οκτωβρίου 2017 στα πλαίσια του ΕΥΚΕΣΕ Συνεδρίου «Το Καρπεν... more Η εισήγηση αυτή έγινε την Παρασκευή 20 Οκτωβρίου 2017 στα πλαίσια του ΕΥΚΕΣΕ Συνεδρίου «Το Καρπενήσι στη διαχρονική του πορεία απο την αρχαιότητα έως τις µέρες µας». Η ιστορία της Ευρυτανίας στη νεωτερική της διάσταση διακρίνεται από την εμφανή επικέντρωση των μελετητών στις πολεμικές επιχειρήσεις της κατοχικής περιόδου και της μετέπειτα εμφύλιας σύρραξης. Η εισήγηση αποσκοπούσε στην περιγραφή της κοινωνικής ιστορίας της πόλης του Καρπενησίου και την αναπαράσταση της συλλογικής ζωής των Καρπενησιωτών κατά την προπολεμική και μεταπολεμική περίοδο, όπως περιγράφεται και αναδημιουργείται μέσα από εθνογραφική έρευνα έξι ετών, προφορικές μαρτυρίες ηλικιωμένων, φωτογραφικό υλικό και αποσπάσματα ιστορικών μελετών. Η πείνα, οι διώξεις, οι καταστροφές, οι μετακινήσεις πληθυσμών, η σκληρή ιστορία της Κατοχής, ο αλληλοσπαραγμός, ο μόχθος και η υπομονή για οικονομική ανασυγκρότηση των πρώτων μεταπολεμικών χρόνων έχουν ως σκοπό όχι να αφαιρέσουν το πολιτικό από το κοινωνικό τοπίο της εποχής, αλλά να το θέσουν στο κέντρο του. Με αφετηρία την πρόσληψη του κοινωνικού ως μια ‘συλλογικότητα’ από διαφορετικούς οργανισμούς, η παρουσίαση προσπάθησε να ‘διαφοροποιήσει το ανθρώπινο από το μη ανθρώπινο ή το έμψυχο από το μη έμψυχο, όχι σε σχέση με τις δυνατότητες των παραγόντων για οργάνωση, όσο με βάση την αλληλεπίδραση που υπήρχε μεταξύ των διαφορετικών παραγόντων και οργανισμών’ (Patrick Joyce 2010) κατά την πορεία ανασύστασης της μνήμης και της δύναμης της πόλης του Καρπενησίου στις δεκαετίες που ακολούθησαν.
In recent years, museums have reviewed dramatically their cultural role by increasingly emphasisi... more In recent years, museums have reviewed dramatically their cultural role by increasingly emphasising the social value derived from active use of heritage (Smith 2006). Despite a growing interest of museums in engaging with young people, there is little research on the role of museums to bring about change to those youth deemed as being 'at risk'. I was driven to this paper by conflicting views of museums being evolved into places of change for a group, which is generally characterised as one of the most underrepresented audiences in museums. On the one hand, I have been positively surprised to identify a number of studies that explore museum interventions for disadvantaged young people who are interchangeably considered as being 'at risk'. On the other hand, I have to admit that I feel some despair due to the lack of previous research that seeks to examine museum programmes for young people on the margins of society. In this paper, I will reflect on the current stage of the literature review of my doctorate focusing on museum engagement with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds (funded by Goldsmiths University of London). Due to the limits of a conference paper, my aim is to critically explore the discursive practices of museums and shed some light on the power relations that play out in the relation of contemporary museums with young people.
In this study, I searched for representations of 'black teachers' through popular media stories. ... more In this study, I searched for representations of 'black teachers' through popular media stories. Teachers and students‟ representations in popular culture have long been the subject of different scholars and disciplines showing a distinctive interest in the central character of the school teacher in the world of film. This character has often been analysed in terms of gender, rarely class, race and ethnicity and there are even fewer accounts on sexuality. The limited research with regard to „race‟, education and popular culture indicates that Hollywood cinema and TV portray the white as saviour hero and the African American or Black British characters as representative of the „other‟ teacher. Within the framework of cultural studies and critical race theory, movies on black teachers are the focus of my consideration. As an outcome of content analysis and critical viewing of more than twenty movies, a sample of six features and TV movies were selected based on their racial significance inscribed on the central role of teacher. The teaching narratives of four black and two white teachers were addressed historically and intertextually by deriving evidence from diverse scholars, film critiques, box office covers and the comparative study of the popular texts themselves. The entire stories take place in secondary schools and are the classics The Blackboard Jungle (1955, USA) and To Sir with Love (1967, UK), Lean on me (1989, USA), Sarafina! (1992, USA & South Africa), Shoot the Messenger (2006, UK) and Freedom Writers (2007, USA).
In this interdisciplinary approach, these movies unveil racist stereotypes and ideological trends that are enforced and duplicated by popular media, very often at crucial historical and political times of racial relations and educational debates. A great number of them are based on real events and personal accounts of teachers, often crossing national boundaries and going to the past in order to narrate the experiences of black teachers and to talk about racial inequalities. This study found also that black teachers are more frequently depicted in film from the mid-1980s onwards and popular images of black school teachers are predominantly male and middle class. Black school teachers are very rarely portrayed as educated in the teaching profession, positioned in same-gender schools or belonging to the upper class. He/she more often appears working in urban schools, outside the classroom, and consistently resilient and dedicated to saving black and minority students in the „jungle‟ of inner cities or poor neighbourhoods.
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Papers by Ioannis Athanasiou
Within the framework of cultural studies and critical race theory, movies on black teachers are the focus of my consideration. As an outcome of content analysis and critical viewing of more than twenty movies, a sample of six features and TV movies were selected based on their racial significance inscribed on the central role of teacher. The teaching narratives of four black and two white teachers were addressed historically and intertextually by deriving evidence from diverse scholars, film critiques, box office covers and the comparative study of the popular texts themselves. The entire stories take place in secondary schools and are the classics The Blackboard Jungle (1955, USA) and To Sir with Love (1967, UK), Lean on me (1989, USA), Sarafina! (1992, USA & South Africa), Shoot the Messenger (2006, UK) and Freedom Writers (2007, USA).
In this interdisciplinary approach, these movies unveil racist stereotypes and ideological trends that are enforced and duplicated by popular media, very often at crucial historical and political times of racial relations and educational debates. A great number of them are based on real events and personal accounts of teachers, often crossing national boundaries and going to the past in order to narrate the experiences of black teachers and to talk about racial inequalities. This study found also that black teachers are more frequently depicted in film from the mid-1980s onwards and popular images of black school teachers are predominantly male and middle class. Black school teachers are very rarely portrayed as educated in the teaching profession, positioned in same-gender schools or belonging to the upper class. He/she more often appears working in urban schools, outside the classroom, and consistently resilient and dedicated to saving black and minority students in the „jungle‟ of inner cities or poor neighbourhoods.
Within the framework of cultural studies and critical race theory, movies on black teachers are the focus of my consideration. As an outcome of content analysis and critical viewing of more than twenty movies, a sample of six features and TV movies were selected based on their racial significance inscribed on the central role of teacher. The teaching narratives of four black and two white teachers were addressed historically and intertextually by deriving evidence from diverse scholars, film critiques, box office covers and the comparative study of the popular texts themselves. The entire stories take place in secondary schools and are the classics The Blackboard Jungle (1955, USA) and To Sir with Love (1967, UK), Lean on me (1989, USA), Sarafina! (1992, USA & South Africa), Shoot the Messenger (2006, UK) and Freedom Writers (2007, USA).
In this interdisciplinary approach, these movies unveil racist stereotypes and ideological trends that are enforced and duplicated by popular media, very often at crucial historical and political times of racial relations and educational debates. A great number of them are based on real events and personal accounts of teachers, often crossing national boundaries and going to the past in order to narrate the experiences of black teachers and to talk about racial inequalities. This study found also that black teachers are more frequently depicted in film from the mid-1980s onwards and popular images of black school teachers are predominantly male and middle class. Black school teachers are very rarely portrayed as educated in the teaching profession, positioned in same-gender schools or belonging to the upper class. He/she more often appears working in urban schools, outside the classroom, and consistently resilient and dedicated to saving black and minority students in the „jungle‟ of inner cities or poor neighbourhoods.