Ongoing Relevance: Ancient Greek Culture and Its Impact On
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
ONGOING RELEVANCE: ANCIENT GREEK CULTURE AND ITS IMPACT ON AMERICAN PROFESSIONALS AND AMERICAN PUBLIC MEMORY A Project Presented to the faculty of the Department of History California State University, Sacramento Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in History (Public History) by Caroline Graham Whyler SPRING 2018 © 2018 Caroline Graham Whyler ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ONGOING RELEVANCE: ANCIENT GREEK CULTURE AND ITS IMPACT ON AMERICAN PROFESSIONALS AND AMERICAN PUBLIC MEMORY A Project by Caroline Graham Whyler Approved by: __________________________________, Committee Chair Christopher J. Castañeda, PhD. __________________________________, Second Reader Despina M. Kreatsoulas, MA. ____________________________ Date iii Student: Caroline Graham Whyler I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and that this project is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for the project. __________________________, Graduate Coordinator ___________________ Anne Lindsay, PhD. Date Department of History iv Abstract of ONGOING RELEVANCE: ANCIENT GREEK CULTURE AND ITS IMPACT ON AMERICAN PROFESSIONALS AND AMERICAN PUBLIC MEMORY by Caroline Graham Whyler Statement of Problem This project will prove that Ancient Greeks were not simply a fantastical civilization relegated only to the past. They remain deeply still relevant and influential to American public memory. Sources of Data I will use three different sources of data. The first is the works of Homer, which are referenced constantly throughout the project. In addition, I will use secondary sources that reflect the relationship between Ancient Greece and memory. The third type of source that I will draw from, are six oral history interviews that I personally conducted. v Conclusions Reached I discovered that the Ancient Greeks remain relevant in our modern society because Americans can relate to their legacy and ongoing importance. The Ancient Greeks were extremely important in the promotion of the humanist philosophy, which enabled both their successes and failures to be prevalent in American Public Memory. __________________________, Committee Chair Christopher J. Castañeda _______________ Date vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Preface: Introduction to a Project ……………………….……………………………….ix Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………………....xi Illustrations ……………………………………………………………………………...xii Chapter 1. MEMORY AND THE VERY DISTANT PAST: A STUDY OF ANCIENT GREEK COLLECTIVE MEMORY THROUGH MODERN LENSES ………………………..1 2. PROJECT NARRATIVE FOR ORAL HISTORY OF AMERICAN PROFESSIONALS ………………………………………………...…………………16 3. RESULTS OF RESEARCH ON THE IMPACT OF ANCIENT GREEK CULTURE ON AMERICAN PROFESSIONALS ………………………………………………..25 4. ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION ON THE ONGOING RELEVANCE OF ANCIENT GREEK CULTURE AND ITS IMPACT ON AMERICAN PROFESSIONALS AND PUBLIC MEMORY………………………………………32 Appendix A. Self Interview with Caroline Whyler (Author) …………………………...40 Appendix B. Oral History Interview with Timothy Sandefur …………………………..49 Appendix C. Oral History Interview with Andrea Eis …………………………………..82 vii Appendix D. Oral History Interview with Harriet Stratis ……………………………...104 Appendix E. Oral History Interview with Renee Pappas ……………………………...130 Appendix F. Oral History Interview with Col. Rose Mary Sheldon…………………..159 Appendix G. Oral History Interview with Mary Louise Hart …………………………186 Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………..….205 viii PREFACE: Introduction to a Project Interest in the subject of memory and relevance of the Ancient Greeks evolves from years of academic passion and the education that I gained along the way. I was inspired to consider this project by Despina M. Kreatsoulas of The Politismos Museum of Greek History. I wanted to do an oral history project, and she suggested the idea of interviewing American professionals about the impact that the Ancient Greeks have had on American society. My decision to research and write my thesis on this subject was reached with finality when I realized that memory would play a pivotal role in the subject. Only upon conducting the interviews did I realize that I needed to expand Ancient Greek history to include Byzantine and Modern Greek history. A study of the impact of one particular time period on the modern day cannot be studied in isolation since it is inextricably linked to the times that came before and after it. I have learned the importance of understanding the author of a work, especially during my graduate studies. Being aware of the author’s background, where he or she was educated, and who he or she is associated with helps to clarify the academic choices he or she made. For this reason I feel it is important to summarize my history, how I came to study the subject, and why I feel it is relevant. It can be found as Appendix A. I originally wrote a chapter that was dedicated to my reasons for choosing this project. Instead, I decided that it would make more sense within the scope of my project to answer the questions that I eventually posed to my narrators. ix The reader would not only get to know me, but also start to formulate an understanding of the questions that form the crux of my research. x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Despina M. Kreatsoulas of The Politismos Museum of Greek History. Not only did she help me in every step of the process, she was always a wealth of knowledge and encouragement. I would like to thank the faculty and staff at the California State University, Sacramento, History Department. Especially, Dr. Christopher Castañeda, and Dr. Anne Lindsay who allowed to me take on this non-traditional project. LoriAnn Rodriguez, also deserves recognition for all of those times that I would come in with questions, and she would always find a solution for me. I would like to thank Dante, who has been a constant source of encouragement and inspiration since the first day of our graduate career. I would like to thank John and Brittany for always congratulating me on successes, and faithfully listening to my meltdowns during times of doubt. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents. Words cannot express just how much this project is as much theirs, as it is mine. xi ILLUSTRATIONS Illustration 1: Comparison of manly Greek to an effeminate Persian from the film 300. xii 1 Chapter 1 Memory and the Very Distant Past: A Study of Ancient Greek Collective Memory through Modern Lenses Introduction Memory is commonly used in the study of the recent past; however, it can also be used in the study of ancient history. The ancient record becomes more susceptible to loss and distortion as study goes further back, but the study of the ancient past can be impacted by collective memory, even when all of the people of the time have long since passed. Amos Funkenstein writes, “No memory, not even the most intimate and personal, can be disconnected from society, from the language and the symbolic system molded by the society over many generations.”1 Historians must consider not only the impact of the collective memory of ancient peoples, but also the impact of modern peoples’ current perceptions of the ancient past. For this reason, the connection between memory and ancient history is just as varied and useful as the connection between memory and contemporary historical events. Since the core of my work depends on the public memory of the Ancient Greeks, The Politismos Museum of Greek History is the ideal candidate with whom to receive this oral history project. The Politismos Museum of Greek History is an online museum that focuses on the history and culture of Greece from antiquity to modernity. The online museum opportunities to learn about the Greeks from the comfort of one’s smartphone, computer, or tablet. Politismos has a strong online presence. It also hosts a variety of 1 Amos Funkenstein, “On Collective Memory and Historical Consciousness,” History and Memory 1, no. 1. (1989), 7. 2 pop-up exhibits and lectures that are curated by experts from both the United States and Greece. Politismos is also working on children’s programs that will be accessible to children, both physically and online, and allow them to learn about Greece. Not only will it allow children to embrace new cultures, it will also be affordable for many school’s departments. In Greek, “politismos” is equivalent to “civilization” and “culture.” Throughout history Greeks have made extraordinary discoveries and contributions in science, philosophy, art, education, mathematics, government, literature, and architecture. Intellectual and moral refinement in the modern world are indebted to the Greek civilization. The term “politismos” encompasses all that the Museum wants people to understand about the Greeks. It is a term related to the Greek spirit and to overall cultural progress. Moreover, as “politismos” is characterized by a diversity of cultural traits, so is The Politismos Museum of Greek History. The goals and endeavors of the Museum expand to a variety of fields. Culture continues to advance, and The Politismos Museum of Greek History continues to adjust, and advance its content in an effort to keep pace. As this chapter will prove, the same themes that are used to analyze modern historical societies can be used to study the ancient world. Since ancient history is deeply affected by collective memory, it is impossible to properly study the Ancient Greeks without a solid understanding of the influence of collective memory on the written record. As a result, Ancient Greek collective memory can be studied through the lenses of literature, landscape, and the concept of landscape as a separate entity. 3 By the term landscape, I refer to monuments, sites, and locations that have cultural significance to people of the region—the Acropolis, the Washington Monument, or the Pyramids of Giza. These are grandiose examples, but less prominent spaces can be just as meaningful. For Native Americans the landscape might be the plains where their ancestors once lived. For my family it is the land that has been a part of us for five generations. The outstanding nature of the site and the number of people affected are not the point.