The Greek Gastarbeiter in the Federal Republic of Germany (1960–1974)

Maria Adamopoulou

• Publisher: De Gruyter Oldenbourg
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN: 9783111201320
• eBook ISBN: 9783111203065
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

Was migration to Germany a blessing or a curse? The main argument of this book is that the Greek state conceived labor migration as a traineeship into Europeanization with its shiny varnish of progress. Jumping on a fully packed train to West Germany meant leaving the past behind. However, the tensed Cold War realities left no space for illusions; specters of the Nazi past and the Greek Civil War still haunted them all. Adopting a transnational approach, this monograph retargets attention to the sending state by exploring how the Greek Gastarbeiter 's welfare was intrinsically connected with their homeland through its exercise of long-distance nationalism. Apart from its fresh take in postwar migration, the book also addresses methodological challenges in creative ways. The narrative alternates between the macro- and the micro-level, including subnational and transnational actors and integrating a diverse set of primary sources and voices. Avoiding the trap of exceptionalism, it contextualizes the Greek case in the Mediterranean and Southeast European experience.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• List of Abbreviations
• Introduction
• 1 Nazi Skeletons in the Closet
• 2 (Un)Civil Conduct
• Intermezzo: Tragicomic
• 3 A Cursed Blessing
• 4 K(l)ein Griechenland
• 5 Junta and Co.
• Intermezzo: Dancing on the Train
• 6 Open End
• Conclusion
• Index