Modern Greek myths : national stereotypes and modernity in postwar Greece

• Main Author: Kizis, Costandis
• Other Authors: Lathouri, Marina ; Sokratis, Georgiadis
• Published: Open University 2016
• Subjects: 720
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.700469

The thesis examines the architectural discussion on modernity and national identity in post-war Greece. In particular it focuses on four cases that try to reconcile national stereotypes with modern ideas and reflect the problematic process of absorbing modernity. Each of four cases is examined in a separate chapter and each chapter is concerned with a distinct aspect of the myths of Greekness, which appear in the work and discourse of the four main architects _ protagonists of the thesis: Aris Konstantinidis, Eero Saarinen, Alexandra Moreti and Konstantinos Doxiadis. The thesis seeks to contribute to the dis- solution of myths and constructs in architectural historiography in Greece and add to recent international scholarship on critical issues of national iden- tity and modernity. Time wise, the focus is on the period between the Second World War and the 1974 dictatorship in Greece. Yet, links with the interwar period and with the early period of the Greek state are made, and material published after 1974 (but composed before it) is also examined. A timeline (after the introduction) laying out the basic events of modern Greek history alongside with events that are mentioned in the thesis, aims to facilitate the reader to contextualise them in a wider historical lineage. Part of the thesis is based on original sources in Greek. In cases where translations were unavailable, Greek texts were translated by the author, while the original texts are included in the endnotes.