As part of the IMS Open Lecture Series 2023-2024, on Thursday, April 25 at 8:30 PM at the Institute for Mediterranean Studies, the Department of Ottoman History will host a lecture by Merih Erol, Associate Professor at Özyeğin University in Istanbul, titled: "A prolonged refugeehood: The case of the Armenians in Greece in the interwar period"

In the period 1920-1922, approximately 90,000–100,000 Armenians fled Turkey as the Turkish army captured the cities of Asia Minor from the Allied occupation forces. Along with families consisting mainly of women, the elderly and children, approximately 8,500 Armenian orphans were brought to Greece by international aid workers. Greece was one of the main recipients (apart from Syria and Lebanon) of Armenian refugees after their displacement from Asia Minor.

Focusing on Greece, my research seeks to fill an important gap in the study of the migration patterns and movements of the Christian populations of the Eastern Mediterranean as a consequence of the First World War which essentially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne. In this lecture, I will explore various aspects of the forced migration of Armenians to Greece, the emergency aid provided to Armenian orphans and refugees, the housing and settlement of Armenian refugees, their repatriation to Soviet Armenia, and issues of Greek citizenship.

Lecture will be in Greek.

Live stream available.