Modern and Postmodern Reception of Antiquity

We are interested in the manyfold ways in which later periods have engaged with Greco-Roman antiquity, and how these periods have conceived of the classical past in complex and often surprising fashions. Our particular spearpoint is the reception of antiquity in the last three centuries.

David Rijser holds the chair of Receptions of Classical Antiquity. In addition to publications relating to various other periods (with Renaissance Rome as a focal point) he has also written extensively on the Classics in modern-day popular culture. Jacqueline Klooster is writing a monograph on the way in which modern works of literature retell ancient myths from the perspectives of the female characters involved in them.

Sofia Voutsaki works on the role of the past in shaping the modern Greek present, and has a special interest in the history of archaeology and in the organization of the heritage sector in contemporary Greece. Lidewijde de Jong maintains an interest in cultural heritage in crisis. Her current project MARE targets Roman-period sarcophagi and stelai that lack curation strategies and can be found in the public spaces of Lebanon and Turkey, or were reemployed as building materials. She is also involved in university-wide initiatives to implement research, education, and outreach activities on cultural heritage studies, including critical heritage studies and contested heritage.

Bettina Reitz-Joosse works on the politics of Latin in the 20th and 21st century. She co-directs Anchoring the Fascist Revolution, which is part of the Anchoring Innovation project, publishes on classical reception in Fascist Italy, and is the co-editor of the library of Fascist Latin Texts. Katharina Schön is working on the role of the ancient languages in Nazi Germany, with a special focus on Neo-Latin publications by Jewish authors and on regime-critical texts. Bram van der Velden is currently working on the translation and edition of an 18th-century Jesuit epic on Columbus’ ‘discovery’ of America. In addition, he is interested in the history of classical scholarship, with a particular eye to the 19th and 20th centuries.

In addition, we are also interested in reception more broadly conceived, including reception of Cicero in various periods (Leanne Jansen), the reception of the Platonic tradition in later periods (Albert Joosse), the impact of classical models in (early) modern colonisation (Jeremia Pelgrom), the reception of Greek sport and body culture (Onno van Nijf), ancient epigraphic heritage in Dutch collections (Onno van Nijf) and finally audience response to theatre (Felix Budelmann).

PhD students currently working within this theme:

• Federico Petris