Gonda Aline Hector Van Steen (born 8 April 1964 in

Aalst, Belgium Aalst (; french: Alost, ; Brabantian dialect, Brabantian: ''Oilsjt'') is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality on the Dender River, northwest from Brussels in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, ...

) is a Belgian-American classical scholar and

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

, who specialises in ancient and modern Greek language and literature. Since 2018, she has been

Koraes Professor of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature The Koraes Professor of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature is a chair in the Classics Department at King's College London. It was established in 1918 to serve as a focal point in the United Kingdom and beyond for the study ...

, the first woman to hold this position, and Director of the Centre for Hellenic Studies at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. She previously held the Cassas Chair in Greek Studies at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, and taught at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

and at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

. She has also served as the President of the

Modern Greek Studies Association The Modern Greek Studies Association (MGSA) is a scholarly organization for modern Greek studies in North America. It was founded in 1968. It is interdisciplinary, covering language, history, politics, economics, society, and the arts of modern G ...

(2012–2014).

Selected works

* Translated into Greek as ''Ζητούνται παιδιά από την Ελλάδα: Υιοθεσίες στην Αμερική του Ψυχρού Πολέμου'', Potamos editions, 2021. . * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Steen, Gonda 1964 births Living people Belgian classical scholars American classical scholars Linguists from Belgium Scholars of Greek language Academics of King's College London University of Florida faculty Cornell University faculty University of Arizona faculty Women classical scholars American people of Belgian descent Women literary historians