International Summer Institute on Modern Balkan and Eastern Mediterranean Jewries
Thessaloniki, Greece, 22-26 June 2026
The International Summer Institute on Modern Balkan and Mediterranean Jewries will take place in Thessaloniki, Greece, from 22 to 26 June 2026.
The Summer Institute is a multidisciplinary training programme on the history, culture and memory of the Jews of Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean in the late modern and contemporary periods. It welcomes 10-12 graduate students (advanced MA and PhD) from the region and internationally and from a range of disciplines.
Over five days, students will explore in depth the archival, methodological and conceptual advances in this fast-growing field through a series of lectures, seminar sessions, panel discussions, archival workshops and walkshops. Students will also receive feedback on their pre-circulated work-in-progress. Confirmed academics include Professor Constantine Iordachi (Central European University), Professor Matthias Lehmann (University of Cologne), Dr Devin Naar (University of Washington), Dr Nadége Ragaru (Sciences Po, Paris), Dr Paris Papamichos Chronakis (Royal Holloway University of London), Dr Esther Solomon (University of Ioannina) and Dr Giorgos Antoniou (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
The summer institute will take place in Thessaloniki, Greece, one of the most celebrated cities in Jewish history. It is organised by the Holocaust Research Institute (HRI) at Royal Holloway University of London, in cooperation with the Sephardi Studies Program of the University of Washington and the Chair of Jewish Studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Participation is free of charge. The organisers will provide accommodation for non-local participants for six nights and one meal per day.
Please apply by 5 May via the online form
For further inquiries, please contact Paris Papamichos Chronakis: paris.chronakis@rhul.ac.uk