Divided Cyprus: Modernity, History, and an Island in Conflict

New Anthropologies of Europe

by Yiannis Papadakis, Nicos Peristianis (Editor), Gisela Welz (Editor)

"[U]shers the reader into the complexities of the categorical ambiguity of Cyprus [and]... concentrates... on the Dead Zone of the divided society, in the cultural space where those who refuse to go to the poles gather." — Anastasia Karakasidou, Wellesley College

The volatile recent past of Cyprus has turned this island from the idyllic "island of Aphrodite" of tourist literature into a place renowned for hostile confrontations. Cyprus challenges familiar binary divisions, between Christianity and Islam, Greeks and Turks, Europe and the East, tradition and modernity. Anti-colonial struggles, the divisive effects of ethnic nationalism, war, invasion, territorial division, and population displacements are all facets of the notorious Cyprus Problem. Incorporating the most up-to-date social and cultural research on Cyprus, these essays examine nationalism and interethnic relations, Cyprus and the European Union, the impact of immigration, and the effects of tourism and international environmental movements, among other topics.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

235 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2006

Reviews

[Nicholas Whyte]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1173275...[return][return]Divided Cyprus: Modernity, History and an Island in Conflict is a set of essays based on papers given at a conference held in 2001, and then published in 2006. Both years were rather gloomy moments for the island, and the pre-2001 work on Turkish Cypriots in particular seemed to me to have dated rather quickly - it would be very interesting to read some research on the effects of the opening of the Green Line, and the change in Turkish and Turkish Cypriot policy; realistically it is too early to read any considered analysis of the swing on the Greek Cypriot side twelve months ago. There are good chapters by both Rebecca Bryant and Yiannis Papdakis, but in both cases much the same material can be found amplified in their books. All the writers pay homage to Peter Loizos, to whom the book is dedicated; my memory of his The Greek Gift, published in 1975, is that it was curiously silent on both Turkish Cypriots and women. [return][return]The two standout chapters for me were both largely about Greek Cypriot women - Ann Jepson on gardens, and Paul Sant Cassia on the families of the missing - both gave me insights that wouldn't have otherwise occurred to me. The collection as a whole is less heavy than Bryant's book, and probably more accessible to Cyprus newbies.