Modern and Contemporary History

Series Editor: Stratos N. Dordanas

The series aims to highlight works of Greek, Balkan, and broader European history that constitute original studies, raise new questions in their comparative dimension, or approach the past reflectively.

The contemporary odyssey of Syrian refugees awakens memories of the Greek refugee tragedy of 1940. Under the sky of the Aegean and the coasts of Asia Minor, similar stories unfolded—human dramas of Christians, Jews, and Muslims—a "sea of refugees" who have historically followed the same paths of exile, persecution, and martyrdom.

The book traces and reconstructs the dramatic journey of Greek refugees, mainly from the Eastern Aegean and the Dodecanese, who heroically escaped occupied Greece, settled until Liberation in the welcoming homelands of Cyprus, the Middle East, and Africa, and were repatriated with the actions of the international organization UNRRA immediately after the defeat of the Axis powers.

It utilizes numerous archival sources as well as oral testimonies to describe the Greek version of a humanitarian drama, a broader European experience during World War II. A thorough study that aims to keep the historical memory alive, with the hope that this very sea will transform into a hub of culture and peace. Maps and photographic material are included.