The "Encounters" series was conceived by Professor Han Lamers, Director of the Norwegian Institute in Rome (DNIR), and Dr. Delia Tzortzaki, Leader of the Norwegian Institute at Athens (NIA). The initiative aims to provide a platform for emerging scholars from Norway, Italy, and Greece whose research bridges the two regions.
The inaugural event, held at a bustling Norwegian Institute in Rome, featured a lecture by Dr. Alessandro Palumbo from the University of Oslo and marked the beginning of a strategic collaboration aimed at supporting early-career researchers and strengthening the ties between the two institutions.
"We envisioned it as a space for encounter not only between various humanities disciplines, but also between the institutes in Athens and Rome and the communities they represent," stated Han Lamers in his welcome speech.
Following the successful launch, Lamers and Tzortzaki expressed their satisfaction and commitment to the project's future. "It was a very nice inauguration of what we hope will be a new tradition of encounters between the institutes," said Lamers. Delia Tzortzaki echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the series' longevity: "It's here to stay. Yesterday was a launch pad".
A platform for early career researchers
A core objective of the series is to support and showcase the ongoing work of early-career researchers, providing them with an international stage that is often hard to access. Professor Lamers pointed out that while there are conferences and keynote lectures, there is a gap in between for emerging scholars. "For early career researchers, it is not always easy to find international platforms for sharing their ideas," he explained.
This focus on the next generation is crucial for the vitality of research fields, particularly within the humanities. "Early career researchers are those that will bring results back in research, help research stay alive," said Tzortzaki. Lamers added that the series can offer a sense of empowerment to young humanities scholars in a field that is facing challenges.
Different, yet complementary
A key motivation behind the "Encounters" series is to explore the synergy between the two institutes. While they share a common mission to promote Norwegian scholarship abroad, they have distinct academic profiles. During the launch, many attendees expressed interest in the institutes’ different academic identities.
"Our institutes in Athens and here in Rome share a common mission. Yet each institution has its own evolving traditions and areas of focus," Lamers explained. He specified that the institute in Rome has with time broadened its scope to include subjects like the history of ideas and classics, while the institute in Athens has an even broader profile that also includes research in social sciences and the arts. Dr. Tzortzaki stressed that these differences are a strength, allowing the institutes to complement rather than compete with one another.
Inaugural Lecture on Scandinavian Epigraphy
The series was inaugurated by Dr. Alessandro Palumbo, an Associate Professor at the University of Oslo and a recent recipient of an ERC Starting Grant.
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His lecture, "When Scandinavian Epigraphy Became Latinized," explored the complex relationship between Latin and vernacular languages in medieval Scandinavian inscriptions, a topic central to his ongoing research for which he recently was rewarded an ERC Starting Grant. The choice of an emerging researcher with a highly relevant and internationally recognized project perfectly embodied the spirit of the "Encounters" series.
The series will continue by alternating between Athens and Rome, with the next lecture planned to take place in May in Athens. The successful launch in Rome has laid a strong foundation for what promises to be a lasting and fruitful collaboration.