Tazuko van Berkel
In The World Behind Words
Science
Synopsis
The World Behind Words
The words we use every day shape the world around us and the relationships we form with others. This insight is the driving force behind the work of classicist and philosopher Tazuko van Berkel. Day and night, she delves into Ancient Greek texts in search of concepts that reveal a fundamentally different worldview. Take, for example, ξένος (xenos), which remarkably can mean guest, host and stranger all at once. What does such a radically different understanding of a word in the past tell us about our relationship to ‘the other’ today?
This philosophical, contemplative short documentary follows Van Berkel on her quest. By uncovering the Ancient Greek worldview behind words such as economy, friendship, desire, trust or gratitude, she invites us to question – and perhaps even let go of – our habitual ways of thinking. In doing so, this award-winning scholar shows how the study of the classics is highly relevant to the present.
Credits
- Character
- Tazuko van Berkel
- Director
- Marleine van der Werf
- Country
- Netherlands
- Duration
- 17 min
- Year
- 2026
What do Ancient Greek words teach us about how we relate to one another today?
Tazuko van Berkel
Classicist and philosopher Tazuko van Berkel (1979) works at the intersection of Greek language, ancient history and philosophy. She is particularly interested in contemporary habits of thought: the seemingly self-evident ways in which modern people unconsciously view the world. Such habits of thought are embedded in language as well. By mapping the worldviews hidden behind Ancient Greek words – and placing them next to our current worldview – she reveals blind spots in our thinking.
Van Berkel earned her PhD at Leiden University and has been an Assistant Professor of Greek Language and Literature there since 2017. In her book The Economics of Friendship (2020), she describes how the rise of market thinking in ancient Greece transformed ideas about friendship. Her mission is to make people aware of their habits of thought. What makes her approach unique is that she actively engages with society, conducting Socratic dialogues in workshops with, for example, school students or financial professionals.
Acclaims
- Author of The Economics of Friendship (2020)
- Member of De Jonge Akademie of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Laureate of the Ammodo Science Award for Fundamental Research 2023
Director
Marleine van der Werf
Marleine van der Werf (1985) works as a filmmaker, artist and artistic researcher, operating from a documentary point of departure. She frequently collaborates with experts in the fields of science, philosophy and technology. Her films have been screened at various international festivals and have received several awards, including the NEXT Talent Award (2018, Playgrounds Digital Art Festival) and the Scientist Award (2019, Abu Dhabi Imagine Science Film Festival). In 2021, she was awarded an interdisciplinary grant from the Sundance Institute. In 2022/2023, she took part in the EMAP residency at Werkleitz in Halle (Germany).
Van der Werf previously created the Ammodo Doc The Underground Astronaut about biologist Toby Kiers.