Thinking the Olympics: Modern Bodies, Classical Minds?
18-19 September 2008 at the Institute of Classical Studies, Senate House, University of London
This international, interdisciplinary conference seeks to appraise the changing relevance of the classical tradition within the new globalised context of Olympic culture, and to move beyond the exposure of invented Olympic traditions towards an understanding of how the modern Games, and protests around them, have re-directed those traditions to communicate well beyond the cultures that claim to inherit the classical world.
The potential scholarly importance and impact of the conference is suggested by recent events in the Olympic calendar. That the movement for the independence of Tibet decided to disrupt the 2008 torch ceremony at the heart of the ancient Games, Olympia, indicates that the classical tradition of the Olympics possesses abiding cultural resonance as a focus of contestation no less than idealisation.
The conference gratefully acknowledges the support of:
- The Department of English and Comparative Literature, Goldsmiths, University of London
- The Department of Classics, University of Reading
- The Classical Association
- The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies