GR25 - DC - Identity - Our Identity

The students visited the lab during the course of history class. First there was a small presentation of key historical periods of Greece (Ottoman rule, Kingdom of Greece, Second Hellenic Republic, Restoration of Monarchy, modern Greece), major territorial changes in these periods and the basic concepts: national identity, borders, migration, immigrant identity. There was a discussion of how borders define a country’s geography and people’s sense of belonging and how immigration affects personal and collective identities.

Students were divided into groups. Each group was assigned each a historical period to research (e.g., 19th century Greece, Greece 1924–1935, Greece 1935–1973, contemporary Greece). The groups were given the assignments to:

At the end, each group made a short presentation, showing their maps, explaining historical changes and sharing insights on national and immigrant identity. A group discussion followed of how did changing borders shape the Greek national identity, whether borders can be a source of unity or conflict, how do immigrants experience their identity in a new country and how might Greece’s history affect current attitudes towards immigrants?

Results : A presentation of the action can be found here