The Greek economic crisis and urban anthropology

For those who don’t know me personally, I was raised in California, but born in Greece. I am half American and half Greek. A lot of people tend to ask me what Greece is like after the economic meltdown, and I can only ever really respond about what I know from my friends and family since I live in England.

The Greek protests started in 2010 and quickly degraded into a social and economic crisis. Protests also seemed to be connected to the deep social unrest that was expressed in 2008, when a student was shot by the police in the suburb of Palaio Psychiko. The shooting sparked rioting across the country that was very similar to the rioting in London and other UK cities in 2011. 

View of Athens

The very social fabric of Greece is changing rapidly, and personally I find it terrifying. Divisions are increasing between migrant workers and Greek populations, crimes and suicides have escalated, and on a personal level everyone I know in Greece has been affected in some negative way by this social change.

Dr. Dimitris Dalakoglou is working on an Economic Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project to look at the way the financial crisis is affecting the urban spaces of Greece. The project also uses an anthropological approach to examine how social organization is changing to accommodate the current environment.

Link to the project website: http://www.crisis-scape.net/

Take a look at this short (15 minute) documentary video showing footage of the Greek meltdown over the years, because I think it accurately captures how frustrated and scared people in Greece feel about what is going on.  It’s also really poignant and well-edited for anyone just interested in documentaries.

Athens: Social Meltdown - English Subs http://vimeo.com/55968109 About this video "Dr Dimitris Dalakoglou explains the social meltdown which took place in Greece between May 2010 & June 2012 that is on going. This film contains videos and photos shot on the streets, often containing violence and paints a portrait of widespread economic hardship endured by a cities inhabitants. This film is part of an ongoing research project, which looks at the rapid structural changes which Greece is undergoing. This work in progress can be viewed here: www.crisis-scape.net Produced & Directed by Ross Domoney Interview: Dimitris Dalakoglou Filmed, Photographed & Edited by Ross Domoney"