Sunday, 26 October 2014

SWEDISH INSTITUTES AT ATHENS, ROME, AND ISTANBUL THREATENED WITH CLOSURE

Today´s news concerns the plan of the Swedish government to stop funding the Mediterranean Institutes at Athens, Rome and Istanbul from 2017 onwards. This budget cut would force all three research Institutes to close down. As you will see, a number of classicists has called attention to the issue and you are asked to sign a petition if you think the institutes´ scientific as well as educational work is worth saving.

See below for further information! Also notice the instructions on how to sign the petition in Swedish.


Dear colleagues,

Yesterday [23.10.14] the Swedish Government announced that they will end all state funding for the Swedish Institutes at Athens, Rome and Istanbul from 2017. Our research Institutes have no private funding and will therefore have to close down and terminate their work within two years.

The decision has been made without any prior consultation or investigation of the consequences: the Institutes will not be able to fulfill their responsibilities of taking care of archaeological material or sites in the Mediterranean and providing education with the fields of Classical Archaeology, Classics, Art History, Architecture and Social sciences, nor to conduct and publish research, give conferences, host cultural activities, take part in heritage management or run our research libraries in the Mediterranean countries.

The decision would be a huge tragedy for Classical research and education in Sweden and we ask you to consider signing the petition against it:

http://www.namninsamling.com/site/get.asp?Medelhavsinstitut#.VElipDs-IkA.facebook

Please enter through "Skriv på listan" (Sign the list)
Add your "förnamn" (name), "efternamn" (surname), emailadress (for verification only), "postort" (city), and "ämne/titel" (title/subject). Press "spara" (save) and sign through the verification email.

Thank you for your support,
Jenni Hjohlman

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