Building Schools Abroad: American Expats as Informal Diplomats
Following the centennial of the establishment of Anatolia College in Thessaloniki, and to commemorate its 25th anniversary season of public service initiatives, the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service at ACT has invited Sarah B. Snyder, Professor of Global Inquiry at American University in Washington, DC, to deliver the Spring 2025 Dukakis Lecture.
"Building Schools Abroad: American Expats as Informal Diplomats"
Wednesday, April 30, 6 PM
Emilios Riadis Hall - Helexpo
The lecture will be based on Professor Snyder’s forthcoming book, “Unofficial Diplomats,” which illustrates how private American citizens shaped the place of the United States in the world throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, serving as unofficial diplomats, representing the United States when formal relations did not exist or functioning as informal ambassadors to foreign communities alongside official U.S. representatives. Of particular interest to Anatolia College stakeholders are the efforts of expat Americans to create schools, colleges, and other cultural institutions in Greece and Ottoman Asia Minor.
The lecture will place in context the transformation which took place when Anatolia migrated to Thessaloniki, and will elucidate the efforts of American expats - missionaries and secular figures alike who contributed, and continue to contribute, to the school’s well being and renown. The event will also be an opportunity to take stock of the many lectures and other extracurricular activities which have contributed to forging Anatolia’s unique identity over the decades.
Joining Professor Snyder for post-lecture discussion will be representatives of Anatolia College, the American Farm School, and the American School of Classical Studies, all of which constitute the types of institutions created by American expats in a formative period of US foreign relations.
Evi Tramanza, Anatolia College
Damiana Koutsomiha, American Farm School
Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan, American School for Classical Studies in Athens
The lecture will be in English and is open to the general public. Please use the sign up link above to reserve your seat.
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About our speaker
Sarah B. Snyder is a historian who specializes in the influence of non-state actors such as human rights activists and expatriates on U.S. foreign relations. She is the author of prize-winning scholarship, including four books and numerous scholarly articles. Her current research studies the influence of expatriates on U.S. foreign relations in such places as the late Ottoman Near East. In addition to her current position at AU, she has taught and lectured at UCL, Yale, and Georgetown. Professor Snyder is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations
About the Dukakis Center
Named in honor of former Governor of Massachusetts (and Greek-American) Michael Dukakis, the Dukakis Center is an independent, non-partisan administrative unit of the American College of Thessaloniki, the university division of Anatolia College. The primary mission of the Dukakis Center is to encourage young people to take an active interest in public affairs. The Center is celebrating its 25th anniversary season of public service initiatives in 2024-25.
