After the in fact fabulous opening ceremony of the International Harvard Conference (“Reinforcing, Crossing, and Transcending Borders: Soccer in a Globalized World”), on Monday night, in the Acropolis Museum, with the Parthenon on the background, the time came for the participants in the conference to sit at the table and to present all those themes, whose discussion might bring about crucial decisions and actions for the contribution of soccer to the humankind.
The speeches began at 09:30 and continued for most of the day, with a full agenda and a great variety of themes. The President of Olympiacos, Mr. Evangelos Marinakis, was himself present in a part of the Conference. There, he had the opportunity to have conversations with scholars, and also with people connected with soccer that are present in Karaiskakis Stadium. With a small break early in the afternoon, the works lasted for several hours.
As for the… special features of the first day, there was the connection through Skype with a representative of UNESCO, with whom several themes concerning the human rights and the way in which they can be expressed through sports were discussed. Also present in Karaiskakis Stadium was the Paralympic Champion Pavlos Mamalos, who had talks with the people from Olympiacos and the conference participants.
Here’s in detail the program for Tuesday, September 5th, with the speeches and the themes focused on by the participant scholars from all around the world:
Conference Day 1_“G. Karaiskakis” Stadium
09:30 Panel 1: Citizenship and Belonging
“The sporting men have no country! Football as a social field for inter-ethnic understanding in the post-Yugoslav space?”
Dario Brentin, University Assistant, University of Graz, Austria
“For Many Young Refugees, Soccer Is a Path to Assimilation.”
Mike Hopps, Director of Editorial Services, Development Services Group, Inc., USA
“Who Belongs to the Nation? Sport, Migration and Citizenship Changes”
Gijsbert Oonk, Associate Professor of Global History, Erasmus University, the Netherlands
Moderator: Daren Graves, Associate Professor, Education Department, Simmons College, USA
11:30 Panel 2: Community Building
“The Role of Football in Peace-Building and Conflict Resolution”
Richard Giulianotti, Professor of Sociology, Loughborough University, UK
“The Fount of Africa’s Postcolonial Futures? On Youth, Football and a Moral Politics of Future-Making out of the Right to Dream Academy, Ghana”
Darragh McGee, Assistant Professor, University of Bath, UK
“Queer Mobilities Within and Across Soccer Spaces”
Deniz Aktan, PhD Candidate in Sociology, Bogazici University
Moderator: Daren Graves, Associate Professor, Education Department, Simmons College, USA
13:30 Lunch_Vammos Restaurant
14:45 Refugee Roundtable
Petros Kokkalis, Deputy Mayor of Pireaus, Director for the football club Elpida
Burkal Efe Sakızlıoğlu, Chairman, Fans Supporters Rights Association Turkey
Mark Doidge, Football Supporters Europe, Senior Research Fellow, Brighton University
Metin Davudovic, Fans Supporters Rights Association Turkey, Hastings United Academy Coordinator
Moderator: Amanda Lucia Munoz de Toro Alimonda, Coordinator of Advocates Abroad, providing free legal counsel to refugees in Europe.
The works will continue on Wednesday, September 6th, the final day of the conference. The agenda includes some particular interventions, among which the one by Lilian Thuram, a former world class player that will be present next to our own Christian Karembeu and also to Antonis Nikopolidis.
Here’s in detail the agenda for tomorrow (Wednesday), the second day of the conference in Karaiskakis Stadium, with the speeches and the themes in discussion:
09:00 Panel 3: Transnational Fandom
“I Love Messi and My Shirt Says Messi Loves Me”
Tamar Rapoport, Professor Emerita of Sociology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, and Columbia University
“Fandom at Work: The Salt Lake Stadium, Supporters Clubs and encounters of Organized Fandom in Contemporary Kolkata”
Rohan Sengupta, PhD Candidate, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta, India
“Expanding borders, expanding quarrels: rethinking transnational fandom through Turkish diaspora soccer fans”
John McManus, Postdoctoral Fellow, British Institute at Ankara, Turkey
“Transnational soccer fan identities and cultures in Zimbabwe: Globalisation, glocalisation, appropriation and hybridization”
Manase Kudzai Chiweshe, Senior Lecturer: Chinhoyi University of Technology, Harare, Zimbabwe
Moderator: Stephen Ortega, Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Program in History/Archives Management, Simmons College, USA
10:45 Panel 4: Expats and Migration
“Brazilian Expatriated Footballers: Crossing and Transcending Borders”
Carmen Rial, Professor of Anthropology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil
“Mexican-American Futboleros in Greater Mexico: Crossing and Transcending Borders”
Romeo Guzman, Assistant Professor in U.S. and Public History, California State University, Fresno, USA
“Football Im/mobilities: West African Perspectives”
Christian Ungruhe, Post-Doctoral Researcher, Aarhus University, Denmark
Moderator: Stephen Ortega, Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Program in History/Archives Management, Simmons College, USA
12:30 Player Roundtable
Temryss Maclean Lane, MA in American Indian Studies, University of California, Los Angeles. Former player for Ajax America Women and Balinge, Sweden.
Christian Karembeu, Strategic Advisor for Olympiacos F.C. He played professionally from 1990-2006 for several teams, including Real Madrid, Olympiacos, and the 1998 World Cup-winning French National Team.
Antonios Nikopolidis, Under 21 Greek National Team Coach, Former Olympiacos and Greek National Team Goalkeeper
Lilian Thuram, Former French National Team, FC Barcelona and Juventus Player and Human Rights Activist , Head of Lilian Thuram Foundation: Education against Racism
Moderator: Leanne Doherty Mason, Simmons College Arts and Sciences Dean; author of Level Playing Field for All: Female Leadership and Athletics
14:15 Lunch_Vammos Restaurant
Conference Conveners:
Sven Beckert, Laird Bell Professor of History, Harvard University, USA
Stephen Ortega, Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Program in History/Archives Management, Simmons College, USA
Yağmur Nuhrat, Instructor, Bilgi University, Turkey
Daren Graves, Associate Professor, Education Department, Simmons College, USA
For more pictures, press HERE.
