Title: Greeks neglect vs. Turkish pro active
Description: attitudes toward history
Nikephoros - May 3, 2007 10:53 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
| "The state of Greece's archives is a national disgrace: for over 20 years, while valueable documents moulder in ministry basements, scholars have been waiting for a modern public records building to be completed. Even with the assitance offered by patient and dedicated archivists struggling against official indifference, sustained research into the wartime period is almost impossible on the basis of Greek archives alone." |
Mark Mazower, Inside Hitler's Greece: The Experience of Occupation, 1941-44. Yale University Press(New Haven and London; reprint 1998) p. 423.
Right after that he goes on to the thank the relevant well organized foreign archives such as the US National archives that actually were helpful, organized and much easier to deal with. The US National Archives not any Greek archives are helpful to historians thinking of writing historical books on actual modern Greek history.
Marios L. Euruviades informs us in the introduction page 33 of Τα μυστικά αρχεία του Κίσιντζερ Η απόφαση για τη διχοτόμηση that once again researchers of modern Greek history were forced to use foreign archives to construct Greek history, again. He notes that with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Law 2594/1998, the Department of Historical Archives should release the relevant documents for 1974. But he poses the question if it will happen, are we in a position for it to ever happen?
If this is not enough to cause worry for modern Greeks. Meanwhile Turkey in the USA(the same USA that has great archives that historians of modern Greece are forced to use to construct our history due to our own lackings) Turkey is very active in promoting itself historically:
| QUOTE |
| "The Institute of Turkish Studies, Inc., located in Washington, D.C., was established in 1982 with a grant of three million dollars from the Republic of Turkey. [16] Information about its current finances is not readily available, but in 1989 it had expenditures of $264,593, of which $121,062 was for grants. That year it received gifts of nearly $240,000. The sources of the gifts are unknown to us, but in the past much of its financial support has come from American corporations that sell military equipment to the Turkish government. In 1992 the Institute began a fund-raising campaign to double its endowment to six million dollars, with funds to be raised from businesses in America and Turkey." |
Socrates - June 28, 2007 02:31 AM (GMT)
Very sad.
Some years ago when reseaching modern Greek history at librarys I only found a handfull of books in English.C.M Woodhouse excellent books being the main contribution.
Conversely,there was quite a few books on Turkey and even some taking a pro Skopjie line V Greece.
Truth and Knowledge always rise to the surface in the end but the meantime sometimes lasts for "generations".Especially in the US,most peoples view of knowledge is determined by the literature of the best funded "think tank".
Its vital that Greece funds archieves ,books and especially documentaries in English.We have nothing to hide,objective stuff best.Perhaps a well funded think tank established in the US ans UK.
A few millions spent here could save millions in defence.
Thermopyles - June 28, 2007 04:40 PM (GMT)
First time I read this article - should of read it sooner... What a joke, for us great Historians, to need others to do our historying (bushtalk) for us :damn: I can easily see hundreds of thousands of archives tunring to mold in warehouses... easily
Lord - June 29, 2007 12:51 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
| A few millions spent here could save millions in defence. |
well said Socrates...
123-t - June 29, 2007 02:47 PM (GMT)
A bit rational consideration might indeed further the goals.
Taking all possible means into account.
Nikephoros - July 10, 2007 02:25 AM (GMT)
In Turkey when the state says something about a historical topic and you publish against it, you will face serious troubles. So we cannot allow Turkey to export the state sponsored Kemalist official history abroad through massive grants like the Institute of Turkish Studies. From my notes the book College Majors Handbook with Real Career Paths... is a good source to look up for college majors and what career paths they have. I never looked up History Major but, it is common knowledge that most graduates enter a non related field to their degree. If the Turkish government offers a graduate from one of its well paid for Ottoman Studies or Modern Turkish Studies department a job it is easy to convert these people to being apostles of official Kemalist history. And these Apostles like to make lots of nasty claims against Greece and Greeks. In general instead of doing needed research they just parrot the well funded myths of the Turkish state.
The Turkish government may not be very moral or respectable but they are willing to do the things necessary to have their way. Meanwhile the Greek government does not give the necessary resources to historians inside Greece or outside to give the proper response.