Phenomenology of home in archaic Greek poetry

A01 seeks to create a phenomenology of home in archaic Greek poetry. Ancient Greek may lack a term that accurately corresponds to the many meanings and nuances of German Heimat; there are however representations of home in ancient Greek literature. Examining them not only promises new insights for both literature and cultural studies, but is also of relevance for a cross-cultural theory of home. The project considers three text groups: Homeric epic, Hesiod’s Works and Days and early Greek poetry.

Due to the lack of a specific term of home in Ancient Greek, the project follows a phenomenological approach, analysing different modes of belonging that are constitutive for home. To start with, the sensory character of home will be one of our objectives. We will also analyse the role played by places, things, practices, people and time and how they interact with each other in generating ideas and images of home. This includes the place and context of notions of home within plot and reflection. The project moves beyond the analysis of texts by also considering the historical background, socio-cultural significance and function of notions of belonging.

By examining a pre-modern culture subproject A01 contributes to the CRC’s effort to understand home as a trans-cultural phenomenon that isn’t limited to German-language modernity. The subproject demonstrates how the experience of resonance that is fundamental to Heimat can be explored in cultures without a corresponding term of home. Beyond that, the Homeric Odysseus offers a literary figure that plays an important role in modern explorations of home. Its analysis will provide an archaeology of modern ideas of home.