Staff Report
Architectural historian Eleni BastÇa, associate professor at the UNM School of Architecture and Planning, will look to expand the scope and focus of the Modern Greek Studies Association -- a group that has recently elected her to its executive board.
BastÇa, author of The Creation of Modern Athens: Creating the Myth, said in a UNM press release that the literature, anthropology and history of modern Greece have been well documented in academic research.
BastÇa, who has a three-year term with the association, said that being elected is a real honor. She added that her research on built environments will help expand the already strong association.
Modern Greek studies can sometimes be an isolated field, a problem that can be easily avoided by collaborating with colleagues and scholars in alternative disciplines, BastÇa said.
She said she hopes to establish connections with researchers, students and colleagues from European, Mediterranean, Balkan, Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies programs. She also wants to get them involved in the program.
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According to its Web site, the program aims to stimulate the discovery and diffusion of knowledge about the language, arts, history, politics, economy and society of modern Greece.
BastÇa said that as someone who has always conducted research in a comparative and interdisciplinary fashion, she hopes to make Greek studies more relevant to students by taking that same approach to the MSGA Board.
She added that the comparative, interdisciplinary approach is a reflection of UNM and that she looks forward to bringing her experience from the program back to the University.
