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Transnationalism and cosmopolitanism in the 1820s: Philhellenism(s) in the public sphere

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Title

Transnationalism and cosmopolitanism in the 1820s: Philhellenism(s) in the public sphere

Date

12 March 2021

Abstract

The story of philhellenism has been told many times, mostly from a strictly national point of view. British, French, German or American volunteers to the Greek cause have been examined as if they were independent actors operating along mutually exclusive national boundaries and cultures. This essay aims to survey certain key aspects of philhellenism in a transnational approach with relevance to the reactions in the public sphere regarding the Greek cause. We can distinguish four types of interest in the Greek struggle for independence: a. Military engagement of the foreign liberal army and naval officers who came to fight in Greece; b. Humanitarian action by European and American philanthropy committees gathering funds and provisions to assist the Greek population; c. Financial activity of bankers, investors and speculators who hastened to set up high risk but also extremely profitable loans; and d. State intervention by the Great Powers, openly from the Battle of Navarino in 1827 onwards but acting undercover much earlier. It is proposed to explore the shared and enduring solidarity of public opinion in the West during the years of the Greek national uprising as a result of these multiple commitments at different levels and to examine the philhellenic movement within the tensions and dynamics of European societies in the Age of Revolution.

(Edited abstract from organiser’s website)

Type specialization

Format

Text

Language

Number Of Pages - Duration

00:20:00

Rights

BY-NC-SA Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Position: 11185 (14 views)