Colloquium in Honor of Peter M. Smith: “Resemblance and Reality in Greek Thought”

On Saturday, May 28th, former students gathered in Murphey Hall to honor Peter M. Smith, Associate Professor Emeritus. The colloquium celebrated the publication of a Festschrift for Professor Smith, edited by Arum Park and entitled Resemblance and Reality in Greek Thought, which will be published later this year by Routledge. For further information about the volume, see here. The range and quality of papers (as well as the many impromptu anecdotes!) were a fitting tribute to the inspiring quality of Professor Smith’s teaching and mentorship during his thirty-four year career at Carolina. Thanks are due to Professor Park for organizing the event, to all those who contributed to the volume and the colloquium, and above all to Professor Smith, for his many years of dedication to the department, to his students, and to the highest standards of scholarship and teaching.

PeterFest — Back row, left to right: Keyne Cheshire (PhD 2001), David Johnson (PhD 1996), Norman Sandridge (PhD 2005), Patrick Lee Miller (MA 2002; PhD Philosophy 2005), Mark Mash (PhD 2010), Peter Aicher (PhD 1986), Derek Smith Keyser (PhD 2011). Front row, left to right: Debbie Felton (PhD 1995), Arum Park (PhD 2009), Sheila Murnaghan (PhD 1980), Jeffrey Beneker (PhD 2002), Edwin Carawan (PhD 1980), Mary Pendergraft (PhD 1982) Seated: Peter Smith

From May 24, 2016:

The Department of Classics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will host a colloquium titled “Resemblance and Reality in Greek Thought” to celebrate the teaching and scholarship of Associate Professor Emeritus Peter M. Smith, and the publication of the volume dedicated to him. The colloquium will be held in Murphey Hall room 104, on Saturday, May 28.

If you are interested in reading more about the publication, it can be found here.

From the editor, Arum Park:

“As has long been acknowledged, literature–or any art form–is a resemblance or representation of reality or of some conception of reality in the artist’s mind. Philosophers such as Plato recognized this distinction between reality and resemblance, but this recognition appears in many genres of Greek literature outside the realm of philosophy. This colloquium explores the themes of resemblance and reality in Greek thought, as reflected in genres such as philosophy, epic, lyric, Hellenistic poetry, historiography, and Greek tragedy.

What these papers also share is the influence of Peter M. Smith, whose kindness and intellectual mentorship we celebrate with this colloquium.”

Further details about the colloquium can be found here.