“Ask the Assyrians, Armenians, Kurds”: Transcultural Memory and Nationalism in Greek Historical Discourse on Turkey

• Published in: History and memory Vol. 30; no. 2; pp. 3 - 39
• Main Author: Halstead, Huw
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Indiana University Press 22-09-2018
• Subjects: Analysis; Collective memory; Expatriates; Genocide; Greek foreign relations; Holocaust; Memory; Narrative history; Nationalism; Nazism; Political aspects; Riots; Turkish foreign relations; Video sharing; Greece; Turkey
• ISSN: 0935-560X; 1527-1994
• DOI: 10.2979/histmemo.30.2.02

Recent research has suggested that in the contemporary globalized and digitized world memories transcend national boundaries in a manner that might replace exclusive and antagonistic national histories with inclusive cosmopolitan solidarities. This article critically engages with such models by exploring transcultural cross-referencing in narratives about Greek-Turkish relationships in two different settings: print media produced by memory activists from the expatriated Greek minority of Turkey; and peer-to-peer debates in the “comments” section on YouTube. Whilst such transcultural discourses might indeed draw different victim communities closer together, they nevertheless also have the capacity to reinforce national histories and identities.