This is the two-volume work titled ‘Reflections on the National Awakening. Anthology of Commemorative Speeches for March 25, 1821 at NKUA’, featuring speeches delivered at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens from the establishment of the official commemoration of the anniversary of the declaration of the War of Independence until 2021. The editorial team responsible for the selection and publication of the work consists of Professor Emeritus of Ancient History and former Vice-Rector of NKUA, Konstantinos Bouraselis, who conceived and designed the entire project, Vangelis Karamanolakis (Associate Professor of Theory and History of Historiography), Haido Barkoula (Special Teaching Staff), and Christina Bakoula (Historian, MTDE). The volume is published on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the 1821 Revolution and highlights the pivotal role of the University of Athens in the political and social life of the country and in the understanding of its history.

The first volume includes 33 speeches from 1871, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Revolution, until 1967. These include not only the commemorative speeches for March 25, but also those delivered at the unveiling ceremonies of the statues adorning the University’s Propylaea, which are milestones in the formation of the collective memory of 1821. Volume II contains 23 speeches from the eve of the April dictatorship until today (1967-2021).

The anthologized speeches were delivered by prominent scholars, typically researchers of 1821 and its broader dimensions. Some of these texts are significant essays offering a multifaceted and multi-perspective view of the Revolution. Their thematic focus is primarily on the event of the Revolution itself, while in many cases there is a focus on individuals or the heroes of the Struggle, and in other cases on the heroic moments or battles of the revolutionary period (Alamana, Gravia, Messolonghi, Psara, etc.). In many of the speeches, the Revolution is inscribed within the long history of Hellenism, with connections highlighted particularly to the ancient Greek and Roman past, and less so to the Byzantine past. Concurrently, the Revolution was linked to the struggles of the Greek state, whether the Cretan Question, the Balkan Wars, or the Asia Minor Campaign. Many of the commemorative texts are rich in references to poetry and literature.

The two volumes constitute a collection of different readings and studies of the 1821 Revolution. At the same time, this collection serves as a unique observatory for the various interpretations of the Struggle and the evolution of modern Greek ideology in the 19th and 20th centuries, proving invaluable for further modern Greek historiographical research.