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Events : EDUCATION

The Asia Minor Refugees and the Remaking of the Greek Left

with Dr Kostis Karpozilos

  • When:
  • Where: Online (YouTubeFacebook)
  • Entry: Free

Event Details

This presentation aims to illustrate the impact and importance of mobility, political geography, and transnational networks in the early history of Greek communism.

More specifically, it addresses the transformative impact of refugees from the declining Ottoman and Russian Empires in the remaking of Greek communism in the 1920s. At the end of the Greek-Turkish war of 1919-1922, the Greek State had received over one million refugees. Their arrival signaled the end of the country’s expansionist dreams and the passage into a new era marked by political and social instability and upheaval.

This talk explores the interplay between this process and the evolution of the Communist Party of Greece and its integration into the Comintern ecosystem.

Emphasizing the special place of refugees, exiles and immigrants in revolutionary projects, I argue that we should reconsider the importance of mobility and refugeedom in the evolution of radical politics in the 20th century.

About Dr Kostis Karpozilos

Kostis Karpozilos is the director of the Contemporary Social History Archives (ASKI-Athens, Greece). His forthcoming book “Out of Bounds: A Transnational History of Greek Communism”

addresses the interplay of diasporic communities, transnational networks and experiences of displacement in the development of the Greek communist movement.

He is the author of Red America: Greek Communists in the United States, 1920-1950 [Crete University Press, 2017; Berghahn Books, 2023]. Kostis was a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University, Princeton University and Oxford University and currently teaches at Panteion University in Athens. He received his Ph.D at the University of Crete (2010) and his M.A at Sheffield University (2004).

Sponsors

We thank Vicki Kyritsis and & Jim Claven for the kind donation that makes seminars like this possible.

During the course of the year considerable expenses are incurred in staging the seminars. In order to mitigate these costs individuals or organisations are invited to donate against a lecture of their choice.

You too can donate for one or more seminars and (optionally) let your name or brand be known as a patron of culture to our members, visitors and followers, as well as the broader artistic and cultural community of Melbourne. Please email: info@greekcommunity.com.au or call 03 9662 2722.

We thank the following corporate sponsors:

Delphi Accounting, Symposiarch Wines and the Kastellorizian Association of Victoria Inc.

About Greek History and Culture Seminars 2023

This event belongs to the series, Greek History and Culture Seminars 2023.

The Greek Community of Melbourne hosts a wide range of events, from intimate gatherings to large functions, and celebrates cultural diversity with vibrant festivals, performances, and exhibitions.

SERIES DATES: Thursday, 02/03/2023 – Thursday, 05/10/2023

See all Greek History and Culture Seminars 2023 published events.

  • LANGUAGE English
  • CATEGORY Education
  • EVENT SERIES Seminars > Greek History and Culture Seminars 2023
  • SERIES DATES Thursday, 02/03/2023 – Thursday, 05/10/2023
  • PRESENTED BY The Greek Community of Melbourne
  • FEATURING Dr Kostis Karpozilos
  • M.C. Nick Dallas
  • MAJOR DONORS Delphi Accounting, Symposiarch Wines and the Kastellorizian Association of Victoria Inc.
  • PLACE Online (YouTubeFacebook)