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This research project proposes the implementation of an “entangled” study of two very different periods in Greek history, each characterized by the mass arrival of refugees and referred to as a “refugee crisis.” The first period is the autumn of 1922, and the second is the summer of 2015.

The aim of the project is not to treat these two periods as directly comparable or to juxtapose them in a linear manner; the characteristics of the refugees, the modes of movement, the reasons for flight, and the social, economic, and geopolitical contexts at both global and national or local levels were markedly different. These differences will not be overlooked but will instead be the subject of detailed analysis, forming the framework of the study (WP3,4).

At the same time, through an innovative and interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological approach, drawing from historiography, anthropology, and social geography, the research will seek to highlight the complex, multiple, and often unexpected relationships that emerge when examining the past through the lens of the present and vice versa.

The primary research questions revolve around Housing and Economies, topics that, while fundamental, are often underestimated in the existing literature on these two periods. To address these questions, the research will be developed across multiple, interconnected spatiotemporal scales:

(a) the management of the crisis by state and non-state actors,

(b) the representation of refugees and the crisis in media discourse,

(c) the transformations of various locales resulting from the arrival and settlement of refugees, and

(d) the everyday practices of refugees striving to rebuild their lives.

The core research phase is scheduled to conclude in 2022, with the centenary of the 1922 events serving as an opportunity to disseminate the findings not only within the academic community but also to the broader public.