The “Problematics of Culture and Theory” Seminar, held by the School of English at Aristotle University, will be hosting an online talk by Dr. Hector Calleros on Thursday, 12th March, 2026, at 13.00 (13.00-14.15).
The title of the online talk is:
“The Border of Freedom: Essays on Pluralism and Oppression”
The talk will take place via the Zoom platform. All those interested in attending via zoom, please submit the relevant registration form. The zoom link details for the event will be sent by email on the eve of the talk to all those who have registered for online participation.
In person attendance of the talk will be possible, but only a limited number of participants will be able to attend in person. If you are interested in meeting Dr Calleros and attending the talk in person, please email Dr. Roupakia at roupakia@enl.auth.gr.
Problematics Seminar Coordinators
Dr L.E. Roupakia (roupakia@enl.auth.gr) and Dr Å. Botonaki (botonaki@enl.auth.gr)
EVENT ABSTRACT
The lecture critically interrogates the concept of freedom in the United States as a contested, politically charged terrain where power and ethno-racial identities –classified by the U.S. Census- interact to establish the limits of inclusion and exclusion in American society. My work moves beyond mythologized ‘Founding moments’ to examine how narratives of freedom and social pluralism have framed selective practices of inclusion and exclusion. Also, it analyses cases from mainstream America, Native American groups, Mexican-Americans, Asian-Americans and African-Americans. My work tries to encourage students to rethink freedom in North America not a mythologized ‘founding moment’ or a universal ideal, but as a dynamic, ever-shifting terrain with temporary borders.
GUEST SPEAKER
Dr. Calleros is a lecturer and researcher at the American Studies Center of the University of Warsaw. His work focuses on political processes, social conflict, and ethnicity, placing Indigenous peoples at the centre of his analysis of democracy in the Americas. Methodologically, he relies on qualitative approaches to the study of political phenomena. He has conducted fieldwork in the United States, Poland, and Mexico, as well as archival research in Spain and the United Kingdom. His research also examines political institutions, with publications addressing the parliaments of Poland, Britain, and Mexico. Dr. Calleros earned his degree in Political Science from National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He pursued his doctoral studies in the United Kingdom, receiving his PhD from the University of Leeds. He also holds an MA in Legislative Studies from the University of Hull.
His most recent publication is a monograph that brings Indigenous peoples into contemporary political theory:
Calleros, Héctor. Political Community, Foundings and Indigenous Peoples: A Case Study of Chiapas’ Lacandon Community. Warsaw: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, 2024.
Available here.
