ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the Greek concept of hikesia, the ancient custom of hospitality and protection from persecution. It examines the tension between sacred and secular law, which was already controversial in ancient times, still features as a basis for contemporary theatrical and philosophical figurations of asylum and refugees. The chapter discusses two dramas which feature hikesia prominently: The Suppliant Maidens by Aeschylus and The Children of Hercules by Euripides, read through a production of the latter by the American director Peter Sellars. These examples are integrated into political and philosophical observations with reference to Derrida’s essay on hospitality, which points out that both hospitality and hostility share a common root. Then and now, political asylum places considerable pressure on the polity confronted with the dilemma of according strangers/refugees sanctuary.
