Greek Transnational Diaspora Studies: The “Next Generation”

Doctoral candidates and early career scholars who work on transnational Modern Greek studies are scattered across continents and not necessarily familiar with the work of peers in their cohort, let alone in conversation with each other’s research.

To facilitate communication across this “next generation” of scholars Ergon: Greek/American & Diaspora Arts and Letters features academic profiles of a) PhD candidates nearing graduation; b) “early career” scholars; and c) independent scholars. These scholars’ work relates to Greek transnational diasporas in Australia, United States, Canada, and Western Europe.

The category “early career scholar” has no clear definition. For our purposes we invited information from researchers finding themselves between graduate school and a tenure track position for a period of five or so years. But these limits are flexible.

Participants were asked to address the following:

• Description of their research project(s)—what is it about, what questions is it asking. What theoretical framework and methodologies are employed?

• Their intellectual motivation for engaging with the research topic.

• The academic and public significance of the project—how and why it matters.

• A major challenge that the researcher faces as an early career scholar.

We also encouraged participants to incorporate an important aspect of their projects not covered in the above framework.

Yiorgos Anagnostou, editor

January 3, 2024

Participants [in progress]

Dr. Yiorgo Topalidis [Research subject: Ottoman Greeks; Whiteness; Anti-racism; White supremacist Whiteness; Migration]

Theo Xenophontos [Research subject: Cypriot Canadian Diaspora; Filmic History; Memory; Identity]

Angeliki Tsiotinou [Research subject: Museum representations; Uses of the past; Identity politics; American White Ethnic Groups; Multiculturalism; Transnationalism]

Dr. Foteini Kalantzi [Research subject: Greek diaspora; Political engagement; Diasporic vote]

Melina Mallos [Research subject: Greek migrant youth; New media: Identity; Digital spaces; A/r/tography]

Daphne Arapakis [Research subject: Diaspora; Settler Colonialism; Multiculturalism; Greek Australia]

Dr. Athanasia Chalari [Research subject: Brexit; Greek Diaspora; Identity transformation; Britishness]

Dr. Giota Tourgeli [Research subject: Transnationalism; Greek Americans; Remittances; Migration economy]

Fevronia K. Soumakis [Research subject: History of Education; Religion and Schooling; Gender; Diaspora; Greek America]