Kinship, friendship and gender relations in two east Aegean village communities (Lesbos, Greece)

This thesis is concerned with the ways in which kinship and friendship are informed by cultural notions of gender in two villages of Northern Lesbos (East Aegean region of Greece) and it falls into four parts. It begins with a discussion of marriage and the creation of the domestic group, it moves on to consider relations in the predominantly female realm of house and neighbourhood and concludes with an examination of the social and cultural configurations present in the exclusively male domain of the coffeeshop and the village community at large. In the introductory chapter I briefly discuss the socio-economic and demographic context in a historical perspective. The analysis of informal courtship, match-making and dowering and the process of marriage more generally forms the focus of part one. Here it is shown that the religiously sanctioned ideal of the bilateral household (which is based on gender complementarity) is administered primarily by women and exhibits a matrilateral emphasis. This point is fully explored in part two where it is demonstrated that while men, especially those of low status, are domestically marginal, their wives in their maternal role dominate kin-based and mutually antagonistic networks of women. A close examination of the fragmented nature of male kinship and the content of affinity and neighbourship further confirms the centrality of women to kinship. The third part begins with an extensive discussion of the code of commensality and the drinking patterns it supports, the cycle of participation in different categories of coffeeshop and the symbolism of drinks. An analysis of male commensal friendship and the more asymmetric ties that arise in competitive drinking and gambling gives us the clues to understanding notions of gender that are specific to the coffeeshop and opposed to corresponding notions that arise in the context of the household. Finally the concluding part examines the values of individual personhood and 'belonging' in local society and assesses the contrast between two notions of the village and their implications for political behaviour

Philanthropy or solidarity? Ethical dilemmas about humanitarianism in crisis afflicted Greece

That philanthropy perpetuates the conditions that cause inequality is an old argument shared by thinkers such as Karl Marx, Oscar Wilde and Slavoj Zizek. I recorded the same argument in conversations regarding a growing humanitarian concern in austerity-ridden Greece. At the local level a number of solidarity initiatives provide the most impoverished families with humanitarian help. Some citizens participate in such initiatives wholeheartedly, while some other citizens criticize solidarity movements drawing primarily from Marxist-inspired arguments, such as, for example, that humanitarianism rationalises state inaction. The local narratives presented in this article bring forward two parallel possibilities engendered by the humanitarian face of social solidarity: first, its empowering potential (where solidarity initiatives enhance local social awareness), and second, the de-politicisation of the crisis and the experience of suffering (a liability that stems from the effectiveness of humanitarianism in ameliorating only temporarily the superficial consequences of the crisis). These two overlapping possibilities can help us problematise the contextual specificity and strategic employment of humanitarian solidarity in times of austerity

Psychiatric morbidity and social capital in rural communities of the Greek North Aegean islands

Which facets of social capital affect mental health in rural settings? This study explores the association between different aspects of social capital and psychiatric morbidity in rural communities of the Greek North Aegean islands. A large number of individual and community characteristics which may influence psychiatric morbidity are concurrently examined in multilevel models to account for the clustering of individuals within rural settings. The current findings indicate that psychiatric morbidity is to a large extent clustered within rural communities. Individuals’ perceived divisions in the community, i.e., political party preference, landholdings etc., low social support networks and lack of perceived solidarity are associated with psychiatric morbidity according to theoretical expectation. At the community level this risk is lower in villages with over 250 residents, where there are youth clubs or a common threat, for instance, property crime

The moving boundaries of social heat: gambling in rural China

Whilst gambling for money was prohibited during the Maoist era, since the 1980s it has become very common in many rural areas of central China. It is often the major communal activity in many villages, a focus point of daily gossip and an object of government campaigns. I describe several forms of gambling common in Bashan Township, Eastern Hubei Province, and relate them to local discourses on capability/skill and luck/fate. Gambling reproduces ‘social heat’, which is a desired form of social effervescence as long as it remains within certain boundaries. But the boundaries of accepted gambling and social heat in local sociality as well as those given in official representations and state discourse, are contested, and both stand in an ambiguous relationship to each other; a relationship that is described in terms of ‘cultural intimacy’. Using medium-range concepts such as ‘social heat’ and ‘cultural intimacy’ the article attempts to avoid the pitfalls of totalizing approaches which explain popular gambling as consequence of or resistance to ‘neoliberalism’

Iphigenia’s sacrifice: generational historicity as a structure of feeling in times of austerity

Iphi, an unemployed actor in austerity-ridden Greece, imagines a theatre adaptation of a classic tragedy, Iphigenia at Aulis, in which the heroine is sacrificed on the altar of austerity by politicians. While writing her play-script, Iphi has a dream: she is taken to the sacrificial altar, not by politicians, but by her own parents, the generation who lived through the affluent years before austerity. Iphi’s generational-analogical thinking introduces a politically inspiring historicity, which offers insights into the accountability of austerity. It also allows us to reassess the notion of generations as a local category and an anthropological analytical construct. The article indicates the emergence of an as yet not fully articulated generational awareness—a new structure of feeling—about austerity, which is outlined here as it develops in an incipient form. I argue that the emerging generational historicity communicates a critical message, but also hides from view less visible inequalities

Émotions et stratégies d'autonomie en Grèce égéenne

Traduit de l'anglais par Tina Jolas Tout récemment, depuis les travaux pionniers de C. Geertz (1976), R. Lévy (1973), M. Rosaldo (1980) et les premiers articles publiés dans Ethos, les ethnologues ont ajouté au catalogue déjà ancien de leurs intérêts l'étude des émotions, un champ de recherche qui procède théoriquement de ce que l'on a appelé la position constructiviste. Les émotions ne sont pas des objets matériels ; elles ne sont pas, comme le veut William James, des « instincts de "fil de..

The devolution of property and kinship practices in late-and post-Ottoman ethnic Greek societies. Some demo-economic factors of 19th and 20th century transformations

Eythimios Papataxiarchis et Socrates D. Petmezas, The devolution of property and kinship practices in late- and post-Ottoman ethnic Greek societies. Some demo-economic factors of 19th and 20th Century transformations, p. 217-241. Les auteurs ont cherché, dans cette synthèse de nombreuses publications (bibliographie), à comparer les différents modes de transmission du patrimoine qui existaient en Grèce et dans le monde hellénique à la fin de la domination ottomane. Cette typologie est mise en relation avec les systèmes de parenté et les types d'économie (agropastorale en Grèce centrale et septentrionale; agricole en Grèce continentale; maritime et agricole en Grèce «égéenne», incluant les régions côtières de Grèce, d'Asie mineure et les îles). Les auteurs insistent sur l'extrême diversité des solutions adoptées dans des contextes économiques et démographiques profondément contrastés. Un long processus de simplification et d'homogénéisation a ensuite accompagné les énormes changements démo-économiques et socio-politiques qui ont donné naissance à la Grèce moderne. Au cours de cette période, le mariage (avec importante dotation des filles) est devenu l'événement central qui conditionne le devenir social et symbolique des lignées en même temps que la dévolution du patrimoine.Petmezas Socrates, Papataxiarchis Eythimios. The devolution of property and kinship practices in late-and post-Ottoman ethnic Greek societies. Some demo-economic factors of 19th and 20th century transformations. In: Mélanges de l'École française de Rome. Italie et Méditerranée, tome 110, n°1. 1998. pp. 217-241