The Past and Present of Modern Greek Studies in the United States

Abstract

This article examines the past and present of Modern Greek Studies and assess the state of the field as well as the debate about its state and future which has unfolded over the past years. It argues that modern Greek studies in the United States has experienced a slow and fragmentary development because of three main factors: its incompatibility with the established academic disciplines and fields in the United States; the field’s own attempts to become relevant to current academic trends despite the lack of a sturdy “traditional” foundation and its dependence on outside funding and special arrangements with universities that has led to fragmentation because each “center” has to adapt to the realities of its host universities. Overcoming such obstacles would help Modern Greek Studies in the United States build on the considerable achievements of several of its component parts, the general difficulties notwithstanding.