Calendar

Muhabbet is an initiative aiming at bringing together scholars, students, and people interested in the shared social history and cultural heritage of the East Mediterranean. We wish to hold discussions about our common legacies in an informal and friendly environment, like that of the coffeehouses, which originated in the Ottoman East Mediterranean, where people used to come together to develop amicable conversations called muhabbet.

The study of Ottoman history, considerably enriched in recent years, has been read mostly as a prologue to Turkish history, thus leaving the diversity of ethnic and religious groups under its umbrella at the margins of the political, intellectual, and cultural history of the empire. They were much more than that. They not only participated in the everyday life of the imperial state, but contributed considerably to the making of the empire’s multicultural heritage. Our initiative aims especially in creating dialogues for the study of the Ottoman and post-Ottoman worlds, considering the contributions of both the Ottoman elite culture as well as the various ethnic and religious groups of the empire to the historical and contemporary societies of the East Mediterranean.

After a successful first season in 2025, we intend to continue in 2026 our informal conversations on a variety of topics that will bring together people with mutual interests into an open dialogue in the spirit of a friendly chat or Muhabbet. The conversations will facilitate a “safe space” for discussing aspects of the East Mediterranean peoples’ experiences and encourage the understanding of Ottoman history as part of the history of peoples of the region.

Organizers

Ilay Romain Ors (PhD in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University),
Catherine Boura (PhD in History, King’s College, University of London),
Elias Kolovos (Research Director, Institute of Historical Research, NHRF),
Anne McCabe (Research Associate, University of Oxford)

The Muhabbet initiative is co-organized by the Institute for Hellenic Culture and the Liberal Arts & The Demos Center of The American College of Greece, the Gennadius Library of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, and the Institute of Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation.

Muhabbet ‘26 Program

Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 18:30

Antoine the Fortunate (Nefin Dinç, 2020, Anemon Productions)
A Muhabbet conversation between:
Ayhan Aktar and Kalliopi Amygdalou
Moderator: Elias Kolovos
–in partnership with Cinedoc

Cotsen Hall, Gennadius Library, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Anapiron Polemou 9, Kolonaki, Athens

Friday, February 13, 2026, 18:30

Centuries of Parenthesis and Wounds that Never Heal?
A Muhabbet conversation between:
Cengiz Aktar and Elias Kolovos
Moderator: İlay Romain Örs

ACG Plaka Building, Ipitou 17B, Plaka, Athens

Monday, March 2, 2026, 19:00

Archaeology, Museums, and Photography in the Late Ottoman Empire: Osman Hamdi Bey and Theodore Macridy Bey
A Muhabbet conversation between:
Bahattin Öztuncay and George Manginis
Moderator: Anne McCabe
–in cooperation with the Benaki Museum

Benaki Museum of Greek Culture, Koumbari 1 and Vas. Sofias Avenue, Athens

Thursday, April 16, 2026, 19:00

“I laugh so that I don’t cry”: Coexistence and Imperial Collapse in Ottoman Greek Satire
A Muhabbet conversation between:
Kutay Onayli and Antonis Nasis
Moderator: Catherine Boura

Cotsen Hall, Gennadius Library, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Anapiron Polemou 9, Kolonaki, Athens

Saturday, April 25, 2006, 11:30

Poli/Istanbul in Athens
A Muhabbet conversation between:
A Walking Tour in Palaio Faliro and muhabbet by Ilay Romain Ors

Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 19:00

An Ottoman Pompei
A Muhabbet conversation between:
Christine Philliou and Melike Sümertaş
Moderator: Elias Kolovos

ACG Plaka Building, Ipitou 17B, Plaka, Athens

Tuesday, May 26, 2026, 19:00

Greeks in the Ottoman diplomatic service
A Muhabbet conversation between:
Sinan Kuneralp and Catherine Boura
Moderator: İlay Romain Örs

ACG Plaka Building, Ipitou 17B, Plaka, Athens

Shortcut to Wellness

When:
Wednesdays: February 11,18,25 , 2026 | 14:30-15:30
Where:
AC Auditorium – Aghia Paraskevi Campus
Organized by:
ACG Health and Wellness Center – The American College of Greece

About the event

A mini-series aimed at discovering quick ways “shortcuts” to our wellbeing through raising our body awareness, allowing our mind to fully rest and restore, cultivating acceptance, clarity, and inner ease through fascia training, sound baths and active meditation.

Agenda/Program

Facilitators

Olivia Kyriakidou
PhD, Assistant Professor, Psychology, Deree-ACG

Olivia is Assistant Professor of Psychology and Coordinator of the MS in Organizational Psychology at the Graduate School, Deree–ACG. Her work focuses on psychological wellbeing at work, inclusive organizational cultures, and human-centered approaches to performance and sustainability. She is the co-founder of CEFI – Centre for Inclusion at Work, providing consulting and training that support healthy, equitable, and resilient workplaces. Her research explores diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a particular interest in how emerging technologies impact employee wellbeing, identity, and experience at work. Olivia specializes in gender issues and supports organizations and HR professionals in cultivating inclusive, psychologically safe environments.

Liza Frangouli
Movement Therapist

Lisa is a former dancer and has a BA in Dance from Deree, The American College of Greece. She has attended numerous seminars including the distinguished Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and Laban School of Dance in London. Liza is a certified instructor in: Pilates by The Illium Centre of Light, RYT Yoga by The Yoga Union Centre in Bali, Fascial Fitness by The Fascial Fitness Centre in Germany and Integral Yoga Fascia by Daniella Meihn. She is a strong believer that movement is medicine. Using the numerous methods in which she has been trained, along with her international expertise developed through the years, she has been helping her clients feel better in their body for over 20 years. Liza approaches her work as a movement therapist and continues her life journey learning and discovering ways that balance the mind, body and spirit.

Chrisilia Faki
Sound Therapist / Art Psychotherapist

A graduate of Pierce College, with a talent for the expressive arts, studied Visual Communication and Graphic Design at Vakalo and the London College of Printing. She gained her Postgraduate Diploma in Art Psychotherapy at Goldsmiths University and worked with children and adults in educational and mental health care centers. Practicing the art of ceramics, she observed her geometric vessels as resonant containers, soon exploring sound as a means of meditation. She attended group sound therapy with Lyz Cooper and trained in crystal sound therapy, using Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls with Yantara Jiro. She gained extended knowledge about sound baths through sound and listening with Sara Auster and is a Certified Auster Sound Method Practitioner. She lives in Athens and holds space for meaningful transformative listening experiences, offering sound baths for inner connection, reflection, and healing.

Sophie Themelis
Executive Coordinator, Wellness, Pilates Instructor, ACG Health and Wellness Center

Born and raised in Amman, Jordan. With a BA in Dance and a strong background in exercise, meditation and wellness, Sophie has been working since 1990 at Deree as a group fitness instructor, faculty member, Recreational Sports Coordinator and finally Executive Coordinator, Wellness. Her expertise in group fitness and personal training enabled her to work in spas and sports clubs in Greece and Jordan and had a daily fitness program on Jordanian National Television. She has participated in congresses and seminars in Greece and abroad with the latest being: The Pilates Coach-Germany, The Physicalmind Institute/The Method Pilates -U.S.A, Grounding, Reiki, Biosynthesis, Pranic Healing Light- Greece. She has been a member of IDEA (The Health and Fitness Source) since 1998. Sophie speaks Arabic, English, French and Greek

For more information, please contact Sophie Themelis at 210 600 9800 ext. 1700 or at [email protected]

When:
Thursday, February 19, 2026 | 18:30 – 19:00
Where:
Online event
Organized by:
Deree-The American College of Greece

About the event

Join us for an interactive webinar on the Master’s in Learning Design and Technology. This session will feature an engaging conversation with our Program Director, Dr. Maria Avgerinou, who brings broad experience in instructional design, digital learning innovation, and academic leadership. She will walk through how the program blends theory with hands-on practice, prepares professionals for leadership in learning design, and responds to the evolving needs of global education and industry. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions and explore how this program can support their career goals.

About the speaker

Maria Avgerinou

With 20 years’ experience as a certified online educator across the US, UK, and Greece, Dr. Avgerinou is an internationally recognized scholar in online and blended learning. She has led pioneering research, advised institutions globally, and established this innovative program in Greece at ACG, shaping the future of digital education and professional learning.