The Centre for Classical Reception promotes the study of the afterlives of ancient Greece and Rome: from medieval romances to Renaissance architecture, nineteenth-century art to modern cinema. Our Centre explores not just the depth and significance of classical influences on later cultures, but also the ways in which the ancient world continues to reshape the world of today. Members of our Centre are drawn from a wide range of departments, including Classics and Ancient History, Archaeology, English Studies, History, and Modern Languages and Cultures. Durham has one of the world's most vibrant research communities in Classical Reception - and members of our Centre are involved in teaching, supervision and research across the breadth of the field. Recent high profile public events have included broadcasts, exhibitions - and a visit from the director Oliver Stone.
Vision
People
Projects
Publications
Upcoming events
Wednesday 6th November 1300
Dr Sophia Connell (Birkbeck) will speak on “Women Aristotelians in the 20th century” in Aristotle beyond the Academy series.
Monday 11th - Tuesday 12th November
Arlene Holmes-Henderson presents research at ‘Rhetoric Today’ conference in venice. She Chairs a panel of international collaborators on ‘Communicative competence for citizenship: the case for rhetoric in contemporary educational policy and practice’ Conference Program
Thursday 21st November
Arlene Holmes-Henderson is invited speaker to the Civil Service Classics Network
Tuesday December 3rd
Edith gives Postgate Lecture at University of Liverpool:
Sex, Politics, Slavery and Art: Adventures in the Reception of Aristotle
‘You know how to ball, I know Aristotle’, sings Taylor Swift in ‘So High School’ (2024), to distinguish her erudition from the sporting prowess of the American footballer whom she is dating. The allusion reveals the totemic association of Aristotle with high intellectual culture, but also shows how deep into the popular imagination this ancient Greek philosopher has penetrated. But Aristotle is a profoundly divisive figure. His name was for centuries associated with sex manuals. He often features as a darling of both left- and right-wing ideologues. His views on elites, women and slavery in his Politics have been deplored since the impact on the Academy of feminism and the Civil Rights movement and especially since the recent advent of ‘woke’ and ‘cancel’ culture. This illustrated talk reveals the acrimonious ways in which his authority has been contested in British and Irish culture since the Restoration.
Wednesday 11 December
1300 Dr Alessandro Vatri gives Aristotle beyond the Academy departmental seminar paper, “Margaret Moody’s Aristotle Detective novels”.
2.30-4.30pm Launch of Durham Centre for Classics Education Research and EngagementS (CERES) and re-launch of ACE project including public interview with Dr Christopher Stray (Swansea)
1700 Durham Prize in Classical Reception lecture and reception.
March 26th-27th 2025
Major international conference, the culmination of the Aristotle beyond the Academy project, Exploring the Public Reception of Aristotle
18 international scholars will give papers leading to an edited volume on diverse aspects of Aristotle’s cultural presences internationally, with a special focus on politics, rhetoric, and natural science.
