We are proud to announce that our Chairholder, Professor Pavlos Kavouras, has been appointed as Central Advisor to the Global Council for Anthropological Linguistics (GLOCAL) at SOAS, University of London. Prof. Kavouras’s role has been instrumental in developing scholarly understanding of Anthropology and Gender in Sub-Saharan Africa, contributing significantly to GLOCAL’s global networks and policy development.

Recent Activities:

Keynote Lectures

Beyond Ubuntu: Ego, We, and I – The Tripartite State of Humanity

African Assembly on Linguistic Anthropology, University of South Africa, Pretoria December 6, 2024

Our Chairholder delivered a keynote exploring the evolution of human consciousness through a philosophical journey beyond Ubuntu. The lecture examined the progression from individual ego through collective “We” to transcendent “I,” proposing a new theoretical framework for understanding human development and spiritual autonomy.

Africanness and Music: Ideology, Heritage, and Consciousness

African Assembly on Linguistic Anthropology, University of Nairobi October 18-21, 2023

Prof. Kavouras explored the complex fusion of identity, culture, and belonging in African music. The lecture examined how music shapes Africanness through traditional rhythms, instruments, and lyrics, serving as a conduit for cultural preservation and identity formation.

Recent Publications

Beyond Vulgarity’s Aesthetics and Difference’s Politics Unveiling Allegorical Transcendence Through Irony, Paradox, and Reversal

JOMELA (in press)

This upcoming publication investigates Greek world music performance through the lens of allegory, exploring how performers navigate the complexities of hegemony and anti-hegemony. The research examines how Greece’s heritage and contemporary challenges are reinterpreted through the dynamics of vulgarity and linguistic-cultural difference.

An Allegorical Anthropology of Trickster, Cain, and Music

JOMELA, April 1, 2021 DOI: 10.47298/jomela/v3-i2-a4

This work juxtaposes the mythological trickster with the biblical Cain to illuminate human ideology dynamics. The study connects art and language to these archetypal characters, developing a conceptual framework for understanding the relationship between interpretation and human consciousness.

Note: The full Letter of Association and Involvement from GLOCAL, and extensive abstacts of keynote lectures & publications can be accessed below.

The UNESCO Chair on Anthropology of Traditional Music: Representing and Repositioning Intangible Cultural Heritage continues to foster international academic collaboration and research through these significant contributions to the field.