Crossing the Aegean
Hafıza Merkezi and the Legal Centre Lesvos, in collaboration with Community Peacemaker Teams, have joined forces to envision a transnational Aegean that opposes xenophobia, racism, and anti-migrant rhetoric stemming from the concept of national borders.Our podcast, “Crossing the Aegean,” delves into the 1923 Population Exchange between Greece and Turkey, a landmark event that occurred a century ago.Throughout our podcast series, we’ll feature interviews with academics and activists specializing in the history of exchange, transnational migration, and critical refugee studies. Additionally, we’ll hear from individuals who recount their family’s history of forced migration, allowing them to shape and r...
The Epilogue of A Transnational Podcast: Crossing the Aegean Through Storytelling
Welcome to the final episode of “Crossing the Aegean: A Century of People on the Move.” It’s been an incredible journey through 14 episodes, and today, as we wrap up the series, we’d like to offer a reflection on everything we’ve explored and share what we’ve learned along the way.
In this episode, all those who have had a hand in making of the series will tell their stories of making a transnationaş podcast in English, Greek and Turkish: Christina Karvouni, Deniz Uludağ, Noémi Lévy-Aksu, Mert Koçak, Merve Bakdur...
“We Are All Migrants Somehow”: Musical Communities of the Exchange and the Node of Mytilini
Welcome to the new episode of our podcast series "Crossing the Aegean: A Century of People on the Move," where we continue to dive into the musical cartography of the Aegean. In this episode, Maria Seitanidou guides us into the musical communities of Northern Greece, Macedonia, Pontus, and Aegean. Maria Seitanidou is a local musician based in Mytilene, Lesvos, and a primary school teacher. She organizes and teaches traditional singing and dancing, and she also orchestrates traditional choirs.
Maria took us into a journey of music that started for her when she was...
Sounds of Migration: Music, Memory, and Identity in the Aegean
Welcome to the new episode of our podcast series "Crossing the Aegean: A Century of People on the Move," where we explore the historical and contemporary dimensions of migration in the Aegean. In this episode, we continue our exploration of the deep connection between forced migration, memory, and music with our guest, Stelios Moraïtis, a French-Greek PhD student in Social Anthropology.
Stelios is a member of the Migrations and Society Research Unit (URMIS) at the University of Côte d’Azur. He conducted fieldwork for a year and a half in Greece and...
"Maybe Only the Walls Know Now": Listening to Migration's Memory through Music
Welcome to the new episode of our podcast series “Crossing the Aegean: A Century of People on the Move.” In this episode, we continue to explore the impact of the Population Exchange on collective memory through music. The forced migration of 1923 displaced thousands of people from their homes, leaving behind not only material losses but also intergenerational trauma. During this process, music became both a means of expressing the suffering of the displaced and a tool for preserving and reconstructing their identities. We will also share some examples of music from Imbros and the wider Aegean region.
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Stories from the Inheritors of the Exchange IV: From Thrace to Macedonia and Greece
Welcome back to ‘Crossing the Aegean: A Century of People on the Move’, where we explore the historical and contemporary trajectory of migration across the Aegean. In this episode, we explore the memory of the Population Exchange through the perspectives of those with relatives who were part of the exchange. We focus on what it means to carry the legacy of the Exchange in one's lineage and how it influences people’s understanding of migration today. Additionally, we discuss how the Exchange has shaped the heterogeneous identities in the nations of Turkey and Greece.
Toda...
Stories from the Inheritors of the Exchange III: “All the Food is Spicy!”
Welcome back to 'Crossing the Aegean: A Century of People on the Move,' where we embark on an exploration of the historical and contemporary trajectory of migration across the Aegean. In this episode, once again we will delve into the Exchange, its aftermath, and its memory today by hearing from individuals who have or had relatives involved in the Exchange. We aim to understand and analyze what it means to carry the legacy of the Exchange in one's lineage and how it influences people’s way of relating to migration today.
This week's guest is...
Different Profiteers, Same Migration Route: Migration Industries at the Aegean
Welcome back to our podcast series, "Crossing the Aegean: A Century of People on the Move," where we discuss the historical and contemporary impacts of migration in the Aegean region. We continue to talk about the economic changes that the population exchange caused in the region. In the ninth episode, we will focus on how migration has developed into an industry, how this industry has grown over the years, and who has benefited from it.
This week's guest is Mert Koçak, who completed his PhD in 2023 in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology a...
The Transformation of Urban Spaces During the Population Exchange: Migrant Neigbourhoods of Mytilini
Welcome back to our podcast series, "Crossing the Aegean: A Century of People on the Move"! In our previous episode, before a brief hiatus, we discussed the Greeks of Istanbul and the narratives of those who migrated as well as those who remained. In the eighth episode, we will focus on how the exchange and the migrants rebuilt the urban geography and public space when they arrived in Greece, especially in Mitilini, the main town of Lesvos. Dimitra Glenti, our guest this week, studied architecture at the National Technical University of Athens. She completed her PhD in Social Anthropology and H...
Echoes of the Exchange: Greeks of Istanbul after 1923
Welcome back to our podcast series "Crossing the Aegean: A Century of People on the Move"! We continue to talk about the population that were not part of the exchange, but were greatly affected by its nationalist spirit. Last episode we talked about the experiences of the Greeks of Imbros.
In this episode, we host Foti Benlisoy and turn our attention to the Greeks of Istanbul. Foti graduated from Istanbul University Faculty of Law. He conducted his graduate and doctoral studies in the history department of Boğaziçi University. He has been wor...
Echoes of the Exchange: the Greeks of Imbros after 1923
Welcome back to our podcast series, "Crossing the Aegean: A Century of People on the Move"! In previous episodes, we delved into the stories of those with family histories tied to the exchange. In this episode, we explore the impact on Imbros, a region whose population was not included in the exchange but was profoundly affected by its nationalist fervor.
Our guest for this episode is Stelyo Berber, a musician born in Imbros. After years spent in Athens and Istanbul, he returned to Imbros and now serves as a music teacher and principal at Aya...
Fleeing the Empire: The Experience of Armenian Refugees in Greece
Welcome back to "Crossing the Aegean: A Century of People on the Move"! We are embarking on another leg of our journey tracing the footsteps of migrants and refugees whose stories have left an indelible mark on the Aegean landscape. In this episode, together with Merih Erol, we explore the Armenians who sought refuge in Greece during the 1920s, following the Armenian Genocide. She was interviewed by Noémi Lévy-Aksu. Ece Koçak summarized and provided commentary on Merih’s episode in Turkish, while Community Peacemaker Teams did the same in Greek.
Merih tells how s...
Stories from the Inheritors of the Exchange II
Welcome back to 'Crossing the Aegean: A Century of People on the Move,' where we delve into the historical and contemporary migrations across the Aegean. Here we are with another episode, where we listen to the stories of those with a family history of the exchange. Our guest in this episode is Veli Başyiğit. In this episode, our guest is Veli Başyiğit. Veli, a cultural worker, focuses on social memory, confronting difficult pasts, preserving cultural heritage and disseminating knowledge about these issues in creative ways. The original language of the episode is Turkish. Mert Koça...
Stories from the Inheritors of the Exchange I
Welcome back to 'Crossing the Aegean: A Century of People on the Move,' where we embark on an exploration into the historical and contemporary trajectory of migration across the Aegean. In this episode, we hear about the Exchange, its aftermath, and its memory today through people who have/had relatives within their families who were exchanged. We try to understand how contemporary Greece introduced and historicized the Exchange to the upcoming generations in the last 100 years. Following the footsteps of our previous episode with Emilia Salvanou, we explore how the ripples of the Exchange can still be felt...
How They Left and Returned: The Past and Present of the Population Exchange
Welcome back to 'Crossing the Aegean: A Century of People on the Move,' where we embark on an exploration into the historical and contemporary trajectory of migration across the Aegean. In this episode, we bring forth the experience of refugees in the 1920s after the Population Exchange. We shed light on their arduous journey upon arrival in Greece, showcasing their resilience in confronting challenges and forging new lives. Additionally, we explore the parallels between the experiences of these exchange communities and the contemporary struggles of asylum seekers, examining themes of otherness, exclusion, and the social cohesion difficulties they...
A Century-old Topic: The Meaning and Aftermath of the Population Exchange
Welcome to the first episode of the “Crossing the Aegean” series! In this episode, we’re exploring the history of the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in depth with historian Noémi Lévy-Aksu. We start by looking at how the communities involved in the exchange were chosen and then look into the social and cultural impact this exchange had on both sides of the Aegean.
Our guest for this episode is Noémi Lévy-Aksu. She is interviewed by Mert Koçak. Since the main language of the episode is English, Merve Bakdu...
Crossing the Aegean: A Century of People on the Move
Welcome to the intro episode of our podcast series! The aim of this episode is to provide our listeners with comprehensive background information on the 1923 Population Exchange between Greece and Turkey, which took place 100 years ago.
First of all, we will explain the historical and political developments that led to the exchange and how the exchange took place. Afterwards, we will talk about how religion-based national identity came to the fore in the exchange process, where the prerequisite for Turkishness was to believe in Sunni Islam, while the prerequisite for Greekness was to believe in...
