Clothes and Textiles of Anatolian Greek Refugees

What can clothing and textile artefacts tell us about the identities, experiences, and resilience of displaced Anatolian Greek communities, and how can we maintain intercultural memory?

Escaping the coast of Asia Minor, over one million Anatolian Greeks sought refuge in Greek territory before, during, and after the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922), endangering their memories and cultural heritage. Examining the clothing people chose to bring with them such as wedding dresses, and the textile trades they developed, including rug weaving, Clothes and Textiles of Anatolian Greek Refugees aims to shed light on complex historical events and deepen our understanding of the people in this post-conflict society.

Author Eleni Chasioti further highlights the significant role of contemporary museum collections that collect and preserve items in relation to forced migration as catalysts for maintaining intercultural memory and showing a path to healing and progression.

Inviting contemporary readers to weave together the fabric of past lives, this book is ideal reading for students of Fashion and Personal Style Studies, Fashion and Museum Curation, Forced Migration and Refugee Studies, Archaeology, History, and History of Art.

• Cover
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Copyright Page
• Abstract
• Table of Contents
• Note on language
• Content warning
• Introduction
• Learning objectives
• 1 Historical context, refugees’ arrival and their new life in Greece, contemporary matters
  • 1.1 Framing the history
  • 1.2 A short retrospection of the events that led to the Asia Minor Catastrophe
  • 1.3 Refugees arrive in Greece
  • 1.4 Contemporary matters: why is this topic still relevant today?
• 2 Museum objects narrate refugee stories
  • 2.1 The meaning of objects
  • 2.2 Collections in Greece founded by and dedicated to Asia Minor refugees
    • Educational Association of Varvasi, Faros Library, Chios
    • Museum of Asia Minor Hellenism “Filio Chaidemenou,” Nea Filadelfeia, Attica
    • Centre for the Study and Promotion of Asia Minor Culture, Nea Ionia, Attica
    • Museum of Merimna, the Charitable Society of Pontic Ladies, Thessaloniki
    • History Museum, Alexandroupoli
• 3 A starting point for exploring refugee memory in contemporary Türkiye
• 4 The role of institutions in maintaining the memory of divided and displaced communities
  • 4.1 Exhibitions organized in Greece on the centenary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe
  • 4.2 Curatorial responsibility
• 5 Closing remarks
  • Why remember, especially when memory is painful?
• Recommended projects
• References
• Recommended further reading
• Index

Eleni Chasioti is a Greek-born, UK-based independent curator and writer who is endlessly interested in exploring lived experiences within material culture and everyday objects. Eleni has a background in Archaeology and Art History and holds a master’s degree in Fashion Curation from London College of Fashion. She lives in South East London with her family.