Efimia D. Karakantza
Director, Convenor and Primary Researcher
Email: jocasta@upatras.gr
URL: https://philology-upatras.academia.edu/EFIMIAKARAKANTZA
Efimia D. Karakantza is a Tenured Assistant Professor of Ancient Greek Literature at the University of Patras, Greece, where she has taught since 2007. Her degrees are from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (BA in Classics 1986) and Reading University (PhD in Classics 1993). She is a Fellow in Ancient Greek Literature of the Center for Hellenic Studies, University of Harvard, for which she directs the Kyklos Project. Most of her publications have been on Homer, Attic drama and approaches to Greek myths. Prof. Karakantza’s interest in Reception started with her book Ancient Greek Myths: The 20th-Century Discourse on Their Nature and Interpretation (Athens 2004, in Greek), where she studied five major approaches to traditional narratives (among which psychoanalysis, the French School, and Semiotics). In 2014 she introduced a new course on the Reception of Ancient Greek Drama at the Department of Philology (Classics Division) of the University of Patras. Efimia is interested in contemporary Greek cinema and theatrical performances that explore (directly or indirectly) aspects of the Classical tradition aiming at reconstructing a discourse that renegotiates issues of ethnic and political identity, gender, and ultimately the (new) notion of humanity.
Efstathia Maria C. Athanasopoulou
Convenor and Secondary Researcher
Email: jocasta@upatras.gr
URL: https://upatras.academia.edu/upatrasacademiaeduEfstathiaAthanasopoulou
Efstathia Athanasopoulou is currently a PhD Student at the Department of Philology, University of Patras. She holds a BA in Classics (2010) from the University of Patras, a BA in English Literature and Culture (2016) from the University of Athens, an MA in Classics (2010-2012) from the University of Patras and an MA in the Reception of the Classical World from UCL (2012-2013/2014). In 2011 she was awarded a full scholarship to participate in Harvard Summer School in Comparative Cultures. She also acts as Ohio-Patras Programme Coordinator. In 2014 she compiled syllabuses and taught Classical Reception on BA and MA levels at the Department of Philology, University of Patras. She conceptualised the creation of a research centre for the study of Classical Reception in Greece. Her research interests focus on Ancient Greek Drama, especially tragedy and satyr drama, and theatrical discourse. She has also been researching the reception of Ancient Greek tragedy in Anglophone Literature and Culture (especially postcolonial and world literature). Her current research work is focusing on new theoretical approaches to Classical Reception with an emphasis on posthumanism and distributed cognition.
Alexandros Velaoras
Archive Administrator and Copy editor
Email: jocasta@upatras.gr
URL: http://upatras.academia.edu/AlexandrosVelaoras
Alexandros Velaoras is responsible for the creation, organisation and updating of the archive and database of classical receptions in 21st-century Greece and Jocasta’s copy editor. He holds a BA in English Language and Literature (2002), a BA in French Language and Literature (2007), both from the University of Athens, Greece; a BA in Classics (2017) from the University of Patras, Greece; an MA in Renaissance English Literature from the University of Sussex, UK (2004); and an MA in European Literature and Culture from the University of Thessaloniki, Greece (2012). Alexandros teaches English in Secondary Education. He also contributes to the compilation of the Syllabus and Bibliography for the 8th-semester course on the Reception of Ancient Greek Drama (Dept. of Philology, University of Patras). His research interests include comparative literature, the reception of Greco-Roman antiquity in European literature, early modern literature and culture (especially drama) and classical tragedy.
Marietta Kotsafti
E-Communications Administrator
Email: jocasta@upatras.gr
Marietta Kotsafti is responsible for our social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube . She advised the creation of Jocasta website. She holds a BA in Modern Greek and Byzantine Studies from the Department of Philology, University of Patras. Marietta has participated in the International Symposium on Sport, Society and Culture, co-organized by the International Olympic Academy (IOA) and Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies (2013). She is currently acting as secretarial assistant for the Department of Philology, University of Patras Departmental Practical Training Programme, which is part of the University’s Student Internship scheme. She is also responsible for the documentation, digitization and video editing of the Reception of Ancient Greek Drama Course as part of the Program ” Open Academic Courses University of Patras”. From 2009 onwards, she works as a Graphic designer.
Andreas Filippopoulos
Site Administrator and Creative Associate
Email: jocasta@upatras.gr
Andreas Filippopoulos is responsible for the classification, documentation and organisation of material on our Jocasta webpage while partially acting as creative associate. He currently completes his studies in Byzantine and Modern Greek at the Department of Philology of the University of Patras. He spent a semester at the Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic as an Erasmus student (autumn/winter 2015/16). Andreas has participated twice in the International Symposium on Sport, Society and Culture, co-organized by the International Olympic Academy (IOA) and Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies (2013, 2015). He was a volunteer in the Skayiopouleio Centre for the Protection of Abused Children in 2012-2013 and 2015.
Gesthimani Seferiadi
Network Administrator
Email: jocasta@upatras.gr
Gesthimani Seferiadi is currently a PhD Student at the Department of Philology, University of Patras and acts as our network administrator, being responsible for the building of an international dynamic network of scholars (and artists). Her degrees are from the University of Patras (BA in Classics from the Department of Philology, 2011 and MA in Ancient Greek Theatre, Department of Theatrical Studies, 2011-2013). Gesthimani has attended the course on the Reception of Ancient Greek Drama at the Department of Philology (Spring semester 2015) and her research focuses on new theoretical approaches to ancient Greek tragedy, with special interest in studying tragedy in the light of gender perspectives. She is on the whole interested in approaching ancient Greek texts through a modern perspective free from the limitations imposed by our present viewpoint.
Alexandros Frantzis
Administrative Associate and Main Contributor
Email: jocasta@upatras.gr
Alexandros Frantzis acts as a main contributor of Jocasta. He holds a BA in Classics (2015) from the Department of Philology, University of Patras and he is currently pursuing postgraduate studies in Ancient Greek Theatre at the Department of Theatrical Studies. He has participated twice in the International Symposium Sports, Society and Culture organised by the International Olympic Academy in cooperation with the Center for Hellenic Studies, Harvard University (held in Ancient Olympia, 2013 and 2015). Alexandros was selected as a second runner up for the Harvard Summer School in Nafplion (2014). He has also participated in the Practical Training Programme of the University of Patras (teaching Ancient Greek to secondary school students) and he is especially interested in ancient Greek drama (tragedy and comedy) and its socio-political context (focussing on the ancient writer’s view).
Dimitra Athanasopoulou
Main Contributor
Email: jocasta@upatras.gr
Dimitra Athanasopoulou is a main contributor of Jocasta. She holds a BA in Classics from the Department of Philology, University of Patras and her thesis is on Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Edipo Re. She is fluent in English, French and Italian and she is in the process of beginning her BA in Law Studies.
Chrysanthi Militsopoulou
Web Designer and Developer
Email: jocasta@upatras.gr
Chrysanthi Militsopoulou is Jocasta’s web designer and developer. She is currently working on the construction of our Archive. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering and Informatics from the University of Patras while she is reading for a Master’s Degree at the same department.
Aspasia Balta
Creative Director
Email: jocasta@upatras.gr
Aspasia Balta has designed Jocasta’s logo by creatively reworking the beautiful head of a Lapith Woman. She acts as the project’s creative director responsible for the artistic choices and the creative designing of posters and other material for forthcoming events. Aspasia is a student of Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens and she has spent a semester as an Erasmus student at Roskilde University, Denmark. Aspasia has also designed the logo for Harvard’s University Kyklos Project on the Greek Epic Cycle.