On Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 18:30, we cordially invite you at the first meeting of the new season of the Muhabbet: East Mediterranean Conversations initiative.

Screening of the documentary Antoine the Fortunate (Nefin Dinç, 2020, Anemon Productions); in partnership with Cinedoc

Followed by a conversation between Ayhan Aktar and Kalliopi Amygdalou, Moderator: Elias Kolovos

Based on Antoine Köpe’s private memoirs and unseen archive collection of unprecedented scope and beauty, Antoine the Fortunate tells the story of survival of a man and his family during the most turbulent times of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of modern Turkey.

Antoine was an Austro-Hungarian citizen of the Ottoman Empire who witnessed the Balkan Wars, fought in Palestine during WW1, experienced the occupation of Constantinople by the Allied forces and the turmoil which led to the Kemalist Revolution and the declaration of the Turkish republic. His story is told through his memoirs and personal archive, which he started as a child in the early 20th century and continued throughout his life, including hundreds of never seen before home movies, photographs, sketches, comic strips, newspaper clippings, audio recordings and letters.

The documentary charts the rise and fall of the fortunes of this ordinary man and his family, as they struggle to survive and find their place in a changing world, helping us to make sense of the forces which swept through Turkey in the early 20th Century and transformed the lives of its inhabitants. Ultimately, it’s a first-person tale about coming to terms with childhood, identity, and memory, but also a historical record of the transformation of Europe.

Muhabbet is an initiative aiming at bringing together scholars, students, and people interested in the shared social history and cultural heritage of the East Mediterranean. We wish to hold discussions about our common legacies in an informal and friendly environment, like that of the coffeehouses, which originated in the Ottoman East Mediterranean, where people used to come together to develop amicable conversations called muhabbet. 

After a successful first season in 2025, we intend to continue in 2026 our informal conversations on a variety of topics that will bring together people with mutual interests into an open dialogue in the spirit of a friendly chat or Muhabbet. The conversations will facilitate a “safe space” for discussing aspects of the East Mediterranean peoples’ experiences and encourage the understanding of Ottoman history as part of the history of peoples of the region.

Organizers: Ilay Romain Ors (PhD in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University), Catherine Boura (PhD in History, King’s College, University of London), Elias Kolovos (Research Director, Institute of Historical Research, NHRF), Anne McCabe (Research Associate, Center for the Study of Ancient Documents, University of Oxford).

The initiative is endorsed by the Demos Center, the Institute of Hellenic Culture and Liberal Arts, ACG; the Gennadius Library of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the Institute of Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation.