By Maria Kalogeroudi Two speakers with a common concern: acting against racial prejudice. The one, a journalist, the other, a community organizer. Meet Damian Mac Con Uladh. Damian is an activist journalist who used to work for Athens News. He explained what an activist journalist is: a journalist for whom the boundaries between personal and […]
Politis is interested in citizen activism round the world, not only in Greece. We report here about an interesting article in Deutsche Welle on a grass roots initiative aiming to monitor the upcoming election in Kenya, using a platform developed by a company called Ushahidi. Ushahidi calls itself a “non-profit tech company that changes the […]
By Anna-Maria Konsta In today’s insecure globalized world, where state and supranational structures seem to be collapsing, there are good reasons to reconnect citizenship with the city, especially if we focus on a “bottom-up” approach of citizenship and on citizenship as practice and participation. Contemporary urban theorists emphasize a number of characteristics of cities and […]
“Like the Spartans, Thebans, and Thespians at the Pass of Thermopylae, the Greeks were sacrificed to buy time for the alliance.” — Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, The Telegraph
“There has been a longstanding narrative of youth political apathy and disengagement from democratic life. However, this perception is now giving way to a richer account, one that seeks to illuminate the dynamic ways in which young people are redefining expressions of ‘citizenship,’ ‘political engagement,’ and ‘democracy.’ As the currents of social, political, financial, and […]
By Diego Salas Before coming to Greece, the talk of crisis had me shocked; I didn’t know what to expect (people in the streets is what I imagined) — all the riots and talk I had heard were making me apprehensive. After spending almost two months here I can say that this crisis is practically […]
Throughout Europe there has been an emphasis on public sector reform as the counterpart to austerity economics. In most cases, including Greece, little has been achieved. Paul Light of the Wagner School, NYU, makes a compelling case that the time is ripe in the US federal government for reform, now that sequester-imposed austerity has set […]
Politis found this note on Facebook today. Apparently citizens were discouraged from attending today’s Independence Day parade in downtown Athens. “When the public cannot be trusted to celebrate their country’s independence, what independence is it, exactly, that they have to celebrate?”
In this post we publish the responses of a group of young Greek voters to the question, “How will you feel when you go to vote in Sunday’s elections?” It is perfectly certain for a responsible and thoughtful citizen that his right to participate in politics by voting is not so simple. In a democratic […]
By Elizabeth B. Seliotes Bolling [Editor’s note: Politis welcomes Alaska-born Hellene Elizabeth B. Seliotes Bolling, who will contribute notes on the experience of a diaspora Greek during the crisis.] Being an American of Greek blood who grew up in Alaska but is living in Greece, I experience treatment from the older Greek generation that sometimes […]
By Pantelis Boukalas All those stereotypical expressions that recur in our speech probably once carried some actual meaning before losing it somewhere along the way. The value of these expressions was mostly undermined by overuse, which was in turn prompted by two apparently contradictory desires that in fact complement each other. On the one hand, […]
By David Wisner The Globe and Mail ran a story yesterday about “would-be Canadian citizens” who are up in arms about the oath of allegiance they must swear to the British monarch prior to earning full rights as citizens of Canada. The Citizenship Act requires applicants for citizenship to swear or affirm they will be […]
Mark Mazower, the author of “Salonica, City of Ghosts,” was interviewed in Kathimerini this past weekend. Here is what he had to say about political extremism in Greece today: “The new and highly disturbing feature of the scene in Greece is obviously the rise of the far right. Its emergence forces us to confront the […]
As part of the Social Science 399-Service Learning class during the Fall 2015 semester at the American College of Thessaloniki, study abroad student Megan Yuan, a Public Health major from Rutgers University, undertook primary research among one of the most marginalized and disenfranchised demographics: Roma women. Through the Service Learning class, co-taught by Ruth Sutton […]
By Maria Patsarika Some months ago I had an interesting conversation with a friend about what it means to achieve fulfillment in life. This was prompted by the dilemma that we face nowadays perhaps more acutely than ever: how can someone retain one’s ethos and character when modern times is characterised by such fluidity, uncertainty […]
Voters in democracies often express their dissatisfaction for the candidates, the parties, and, indeed, the political system itself by abstaining from voting on election day. (American voters may also vote for so-called “write-in” candidates whose name does not appear on the ballot.) In India, voters will henceforth have yet another alternative through which to express […]
A new academic year is beginning at the American College of Thessaloniki and the Dukakis Center is planning another banner year of events and public service initiatives. Politis caught up with Dr. David Wisner, Executive Director of the Dukakis Center, to get the inside story on the many events he has organized at ACT over […]
By David Wisner A few months ago I filed my Greek tax return, as I have every year since 1995; just recently I payed the first installment of my remaining income tax obligation for 2012. This year, like last, I had to submit all the receipts I had amassed over the course of the calendar […]
An excerpt below from an article by Brian Heaton in Governing relative to an Online Public Policy Simulator to be put into use in the US state of Massachusetts. “Estimating the financial impact of a new public policy is an uncertain science at best, even for the most experienced government official. What if [policy makers] […]