What is a Voluntary Association? Rethinking Associational Life from Southeastern Europe: Concepts, Archives and Perspectives
Seminar #2 – Associational life as public sociality: A research project, a database, a case study
This hybrid seminar explores the notion of “public sociality,” referring to diverse forms of collective public action—both formal and informal. Drawing from the research project Forms of public sociality in 20th-century urban Greece: associations, networks of social intervention and collective subjectivities, the session presents three core components: a theoretical and methodological reflection on the concept of public sociality; an overview of the associations’ database developed through the project; and an in-depth case study focusing on mental health-related associations in Greece from the 1950s to the 1980s.Themes addressed include the conceptualisation of collective subjectivity, the negotiation of public/private and state/non-state boundaries, and the political dimensions of voluntary action.
Speakers:
Efi Avdela (University of Crete)
Despo Kritsotaki (Academy of Athens)
Dimitra Lampropoulou (University of Athens)
In collaboration with:
CETOBaC, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and the Modern Greek History Research Center of the Academy of Athens
Schedule: 10 April 2025, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Location: École française d’Athènes, Didotou 6, Athens (Hybrid – in-person and online)
Additional Information:
For more information: https://www.efa.gr/events/semmod-10-4-25/

