Thomas Tsakalakis

Biography

Academic Qualifications
• I earned my PhD and my MA, both with Highest Honor, from the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies (UoA: University of Athens), after I had received my BA by graduating summa cum laude from the School of Philosophy of the UoA, where I majored in English Literature. I also hold a MSc in the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (UoA), and the Chartered Institute of Linguists' Diploma in Translation, in the subjects of: General Translation, Technology, and Science (with Distinction).

Scholarships/Academic Awards
i) From the Greek State Scholarships Foundation (1999-2003)
ii) From the Tokyo Foundation [Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund - SYLFF] (2004-2005)
iii) From the Special Research Fund of the University of Athens (2009-2012),  
iv) From a private entity outside academia, namely from the former Greek Minister of Justice Michael Stathopoulos (2014-2015).

Languages
Aside from Greek (of course), English is practically my mother tongue, and I have also studied Italian, in which I am proficient, and French, which I understand better than I speak it.

I was the keynote speaker in nine Conferences (two of them International, though both held in Greece, and one at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna).

I have worked for eleven years at the National and Kapodistrian UoA, the last ten at the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies and one year at the Athens School of Philosophy, either autonomously or as an assistant, teaching both BA and MA courses.

My non-academic employment history includes working for the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (at the Department of International Relations), for European Popular Bank, and for private language institutes where I taught English, Greek, and Translation Theory.

I was born into a working-class family in Athens (Greece), but spent part of my formative years in Boston, Massachusetts.

Education

BA, School of Philosophy, Athens, 2003
MA, Faculty of Communication & Media Studies, Athens, 2009
Diploma in Translation, London Institute of Linguists, 1995
PhD, Faculty of Communication & Media Studies, Athens, 2012
MSc, History&Philosophy of Science&Technology, Athens, 2022

Areas of Research / Professional Expertise

Ethics and bioethics, pessimism and nihilism, literary theory, modernity and postmodernity, the study of cultural prejudices and ethnic stereotypes in the media, film criticism, Samuel Beckett, the multifarious, far-reaching, and subversive sociocultural and/or communicational functions of the exceptional wit found in certain texts, the translation of literary and philosophical works.

Personal Interests

Philosophy, sci-fi, stand-up comedy, music (classical, rhythm & blues, hard rock), films and TV series that address philosophical issues, documentaries, theater, dogs, football (soccer).

Websites

• Academia.edu

• LinkedIn

• ORCID

Books

Articles

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