Visual Memory and Identity: A Case Study of the Greek-Speaking Refugees from Sinasos, Anatolia

Within the context of the ‘visual turn’ images can no longer be considered as neutral artefactsbut as social constructs, closely connected with specific ‘regimes of truth’. As an integral partof ‘visual ideologies’, they function as ‘condensation symbols’ and ‘ideological markers,’ thatcould either...

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Main Authors: Karachristos, Ioannis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Centre for Southeast European Studies 2024-10-01
Series:Contemporary Southeastern Europe
Subjects:
Online Access:https://resolver.obvsg.at/urn:nbn:at:at-ubg:4-56879
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author Karachristos
Ioannis
author_facet Karachristos
Ioannis
author_sort Karachristos
collection DOAJ
description Within the context of the ‘visual turn’ images can no longer be considered as neutral artefactsbut as social constructs, closely connected with specific ‘regimes of truth’. As an integral partof ‘visual ideologies’, they function as ‘condensation symbols’ and ‘ideological markers,’ thatcould either support or question dominant narratives. Furthermore, in the case of refugeepopulations, images from the lost home/homeland, often but not exclusively combined witha discourse about loss, may have a significant impact on the construction of the group’s‘cultural memory’ and, ultimately, on the formation of their identities. These issues areaddressed through the example of the Greek-speaking refugees from Sinasos, Anatolia, whowere forced to flee their homeland in 1924 under the Lausanne Treaty for the CompulsoryExchange of Populations between Greece and Turkey. Before leaving, they organized a photoshoot of their hometown by two amateur photographers. Analysing the album that resultedfrom this endeavour, in combination with written sources and oral interviews, this articleexplores the socio-historical contexts of production of these images along with all theirsubsequent conceptualizations and uses from 1924 until the present day. As it turned out,these photos had an immense impact in shaping the collective memory of both the refugeesfrom Sinasos and their descendants.
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issn 2310-3612
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series Contemporary Southeastern Europe
spelling doaj-art-81ba12ff38db4d0daf1c4812bdd761472025-08-20T03:23:50ZengCentre for Southeast European StudiesContemporary Southeastern Europe2310-36122024-10-01Jahrgang 11 (2024)Heft 2356010.25364/02.11:2024.2.3AC17325614Visual Memory and Identity: A Case Study of the Greek-Speaking Refugees from Sinasos, AnatoliaKarachristosIoannisWithin the context of the ‘visual turn’ images can no longer be considered as neutral artefactsbut as social constructs, closely connected with specific ‘regimes of truth’. As an integral partof ‘visual ideologies’, they function as ‘condensation symbols’ and ‘ideological markers,’ thatcould either support or question dominant narratives. Furthermore, in the case of refugeepopulations, images from the lost home/homeland, often but not exclusively combined witha discourse about loss, may have a significant impact on the construction of the group’s‘cultural memory’ and, ultimately, on the formation of their identities. These issues areaddressed through the example of the Greek-speaking refugees from Sinasos, Anatolia, whowere forced to flee their homeland in 1924 under the Lausanne Treaty for the CompulsoryExchange of Populations between Greece and Turkey. Before leaving, they organized a photoshoot of their hometown by two amateur photographers. Analysing the album that resultedfrom this endeavour, in combination with written sources and oral interviews, this articleexplores the socio-historical contexts of production of these images along with all theirsubsequent conceptualizations and uses from 1924 until the present day. As it turned out,these photos had an immense impact in shaping the collective memory of both the refugeesfrom Sinasos and their descendants.https://resolver.obvsg.at/urn:nbn:at:at-ubg:4-56879photographyphoto albummemoryrefugeescappadocia
spellingShingle Karachristos
Ioannis
Visual Memory and Identity: A Case Study of the Greek-Speaking Refugees from Sinasos, Anatolia
Contemporary Southeastern Europe
photography
photo album
memory
refugees
cappadocia
title Visual Memory and Identity: A Case Study of the Greek-Speaking Refugees from Sinasos, Anatolia
title_full Visual Memory and Identity: A Case Study of the Greek-Speaking Refugees from Sinasos, Anatolia
title_fullStr Visual Memory and Identity: A Case Study of the Greek-Speaking Refugees from Sinasos, Anatolia
title_full_unstemmed Visual Memory and Identity: A Case Study of the Greek-Speaking Refugees from Sinasos, Anatolia
title_short Visual Memory and Identity: A Case Study of the Greek-Speaking Refugees from Sinasos, Anatolia
title_sort visual memory and identity a case study of the greek speaking refugees from sinasos anatolia
topic photography
photo album
memory
refugees
cappadocia
url https://resolver.obvsg.at/urn:nbn:at:at-ubg:4-56879
work_keys_str_mv AT karachristos visualmemoryandidentityacasestudyofthegreekspeakingrefugeesfromsinasosanatolia
AT ioannis visualmemoryandidentityacasestudyofthegreekspeakingrefugeesfromsinasosanatolia