Author: Athanasios Koutoupas

“Έλλην”, “Ρωμηός”, “Γραικός” (Hellene, Romios, Graikos [Greek]): Three terms which by and large refer to the identity of the Greeks in the long course of History. The Greek people have been identified by many ethnonyms, with the most common being “Hellene” (Greek: Έλλην), while the name “Greeks” (Latin: Graeci) was used by the Romans, which gradually entered European languages through its use in Latin. Roman or Rhomaios or Romios is the name by which the Greeks were known in the Middle Ages, since virtually all Greeks were Roman citizens after 212 CE, whilst during Ottoman rule the name of the Orthodox Christian community was Rūm millet (Roman nation).

The proceedings of the international conference “Έλλην”, “Ρωμηός”, “Γραικός”: Collective Identifications and Identities, which took place from 19 to 21 January 2017, shed broad light on the complex process of the construction of these collective identifications.

The speakers of the Conference, which was organized by the Department of History and Archaeology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) and was one of the celebratory events for the 180 years since the establishment of the NKUA, noted in particular the overlapping and the intermittent changes in the meaning of these identifications in the stretch of time and the longue durée: from ancient Greece to the Hellenistic and the Byzantine world and then to the Latin/Venetian and the Ottoman periods as well as the first century of the Greek nation-state and in the stretch of a space that exceeds the limits of metropolitan Greece and includes the Diaspora and the Balkans.

Overall, 43 papers were presented at the conference, which were divided into three main focus areas: a. Identifications and identities in the ancient world; b. The empires and c. The long nineteenth century. The discussion that followed the presentations of each panel of speakers contributed substantially to the approach and better understanding of the multiple identifications in the Greek world.

The subject of the conference followed extensive reflections on issues of ethnic identity brought about by the drastic political and economic changes, as well as the surfacing of new social and cultural phenomena that have taken place in the last decades. “These issues were found at the epicenter of scholarly interest and Public History, thus provoking a strong discussion and a particularly interesting production of academic works. The pertinent research on primary sources has enriched our knowledge, has sharpened our historical vision, and has led to new critical perspectives, which have broadened our way of thinking on the historical process of concepts that have been used as collective identifications both in international and in Greek academic literature, as the conference organizing committee has mentioned.

The organizing committee comprised members of the academic staff of the Department of History and Archaeology. Conference participants consisted of members of the NKUA as well as universities and research institutes of Greece and other European countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Italy and Romania) and the USA.

Keynote Speaker and Chairwoman of the Conference, Professor of Modern History in the Department of History and Archaeology, Olga Katsiardi-Hering, asked by Greek News Agenda* what the dominant connotations of the terms Hellene, Greek and Romios were, answered as follows:

“As shown by the Conference announcements – and depending on the time and place in question – these terms described national, political and religious identities in antiquity, but in multinational political groupings of the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman eras too, as well as in the Diaspora. The term Greek/Greco/Grieche for a long period and up until the mid 18th century also referred to the Eastern Orthodox faithful. In the same vein, according to Ottoman and Ecumenical Patriarchate historical sources, the term Romios/Rum could have referred to the Orthodox Christian subjects of the Ottoman Empire as well as to the Patriarchate faithful. Gradually however and mostly from the 17th century onwards, the terms Hellene/ Greek/ Romios largely became synonymous, describing Greek identity. From the time of the Greek War of Independence (1821), Hellenic Republic and Hellene became the dominant terms defining the fledgling Greek nation-state and its nationals”.

(greeknewsagenda.gr)

How has the large Greek community in Australia been formed? How did the Greeks travel to Australia in the 1950s and 1960s? What were conditions like on ships like The Patris, The Flaminia and the others? What do Greeks remember of that experience? What happened when the boats arrived in Circular Quay?

The generation of Greeks that arrived in the 50s and 60s is fast disappearing. Their stories of adversity, strength, and progress to affluence are soon to be lost with them. Determined to not let this rich part of Australian and Greek history fade away with death notices, Associate Professor Nicholas Doumanis from the School of Humanities & Languages in the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales – with the support of the State Library and University of NSW – has set to document the fast disappearing first generations of Greek Australians.

As Doumanis clarifies, pre-war migration populations’ history has been well documented; however, there is a significant gap in post-war history, which saw the largest wave come from Greece to Australia. This wave saw mainly village and poor people come to the Lucky Country, either fleeing war or seeking better living conditions.

As pivotal as the contribution of the Greek population has been to what modern Australia is, “Australian historians don’t really know what to make of it, therefore it does not figure in the Australian history writing,” Professor Doumanis told Neos Kosmos. “Don’t forget,” he stresses, “Greece don’t genuinely consider us as part of their history. It’s upon us to show that we are part of the Australian history and a significant part of the Greek diaspora experience“.

The project aims to capture the unique oral histories, memoirs and memorabilia of hundreds of Greek Australians, creating a publicly accessible archive, to illuminate understanding of the journey of Greek immigrants and how these experiences have shaped Greek-Australian memory and its cultural heritage. The uniqueness of the project is that for the first time the story of migration will be told through the personal experiences of the each individual and thus history will be captured through the voice of those that lived it. The project will historically link migrant experiences with various Australian records enabling a greater academic and social understanding of the impact of migration in Australian.

“The idea is for this pilot project starting from Sydney’s Greek community to be adopted by other states as well. We are also looking into creating a book and an on-line data base,” Doumanis continues. An oral archive featuring interviews with about 200 Greek Australians will also be available to the public.

The original fund was almost enough to set the foundations of this project, but in order for it to be realized, additional financial support is required so as to: build a rich archive that will house the documents of various Greek institutions and materials that depict Greek Australian life such as photographs, films, letters and diaries; create a signature feature of 200 oral histories from first generation migrants; build an online interactive exhibition; develop online courses in Greek-Australian History that students can take as part of any degree at UNSW; enable the Archive to be accessible to any scholar, both locally and internationally, for future research and teaching.

More about Professor Doumanis’ project: Greek odyssey; The University of New South Wales Sydney: Greek Australian Archive; More about Greeks in Australia: Anastasios Tamis: The Greeks in Australia (2005); Professor Nicholas Doumanis’ forthcoming book (with Antonis Liakos): The Edinburgh History of the Greeks, 1909 to 2012: A Transitional History

(greeknewsagenda.gr)