Self identity plays a vital role in shaping the history and culture of a country, because it affects people's views and reactions to various social, economic and political issues. By understanding the self-identity of the people in a country, we can better understand its history and culture. For example, we can have a deeper understanding of the causes of certain events, the origin of culture and the development of the civilization. In this article, in this article, I will study Greek identity in combination with some historical events.
Ancient Greek ideology
The identity of Hellenism in ancient Greece was shaped by many factors such as blood, language, religion and customs. These characteristics have played a key role in defining the Greek identity and have had a profound impact on the development of Greece and contemporary Greek society.
Among them, language is an important part of the Greek identity. In all civilizations, language means communication, recording, and cultural creation. The role of language also applies to Greek culture. In times of crisis, such as the invasion of other countries, the Greeks divided the world into Greeks and 'Barbarian'. For the definition of 'Barbarian', Hellenisms wrote that 'Barbarian' was a word which implied, above all, inability to speak and reason in Greek' (Zacharia, 25). Language became the standard of Greek identity at the time of crisis. They regard themselves as a unified group with a common identity and culture, which makes them stand in the same camp against the invaders. Such identity helped the Greeks show extraordinary unity and also formed a stereotype. When people see the symbol of Greek unity, they will understand it as xenophobic or closed, so they don't really understand it. Plus, the unique language, religion and customs of Greece further promoted the formation of this stereotype. Zacharia responded to this stereotype, 'Yet, on the whole, the Greeks did not attempt to formulate self-definitions of Greekness, as such' (Zacharia, 27). It can be seen that Greek identity is defined by some stereotypes, and the true connotation of Greeks is not recognized. When xenophobia is defined, the inclusiveness of Greeks will not be shown. We can see the inclusiveness and openness to communication of this nation from how Greeks use a common culture or religion to promote and strengthen alliances between different Greek communities.
On the other hand, culture and history are also factors that affect Greek identity. ‘In the early 1830s, Athens was, on one hand, nothing more than a big dusty village but on another hand it was a settlement which was dominated by the imposing ruins of the Antique time like the Acropolis and its splendid Parthenon with their associations with the glories of the Classical Age of the Greek history’ (Sotirovic, 2).
Although the ancient Greek city was no longer glorious, the Greeks still designated it as the capital. The identity of the Greeks is inseparable from their pride in history and culture. It precipitated the myths, beliefs, and influence of Greek civilization on the world in different periods. Such self-awareness makes the Greeks more united and takes it as a responsibility to restore the glory of Greece. ‘ “contemplates for the first time the hideous spectacle of its ignorance, and shudders when it sets its eyes on the immense space that separates it from its ancestors’ glories ....” Painful though this discovery was for the Greeks, it was a call to action, not a cry of despair. “We descend from the ancients,” they said to themselves, “and we must try to regain the dignity of this name or no longer bear it” ’ (Zacharia, 169). As a part of Greek identity, a sense of mission and responsibility, this is also an idea of Great Greek origin.
In a word, the views on the characteristics of bloodline, language, religion and customs in Greek culture have affected the Greek self-recognition to a certain extent, but the rich connotation of Greek culture itself complicates identity or cultural cognition and has many subtle differences. I will mention the history of population exchange after the Greek-Turkish War in later articles to prove the inclusiveness in Greece's self-perception.
background of Greek financial crisis
Another important event affecting Greek identity was the economic crisis in 2008. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Greek economy had a brief boom. As part of the euro zone, Greece has a stable monetary system, which is also the reason why foreign investors choose Greece to invest. A large amount of investment has promoted Greece's employment, infrastructure, and consumption level, and accelerated Greece's economic development. Besides, the 2004 Athens Olympic Games brought more capital inflows, infrastructure construction, and international influence to Greece. However, according to Lynn (2011), Greek industry remains stuck in the past and largely unable to compete in the modern world. Mitsakis thought that ‘Despite a remarkable progress recorded in the financial sector, this was not initiated by national resources, but from external assistance and incentives, which were not used to autonomously expand further growth, but rather developed a dependence relationship with the external environment, especially the EU. All in all, it was inevitable for the economic crisis to badly affect Greece due to a relatively small manufacturing sector and due to a large share of the “shadow economy” which is estimated to be 25%-30% of GDP (Kouretas & Vlamis, 2010). Conditions began to deteriorate after the collapse of Lehman Brothers and by the time the significant pressure on valuations of Greek government bonds has started, both typified as the warnings of the approaching “storm” (Mylonas, 2013)’ (Mitsakis, 252).
- the effect of financial crisis:
The most intuitive impact of the economic crisis is unemployment and survival. The collapse of a large number of enterprises has led to unemployment. The extremely high inflation rate raises prices. Soon, people's savings could not support daily expenses. On the other hand, the government has to reduce public finance spending, which has put the most important parts of people's livelihood such as education, health care, and infrastructure into difficulties. The growing dissatisfaction of the Greek people with the government has gradually evolved into protests and demonstrations. This chaos has eded many social problems and further affected the identity of Greece. In the face of the collapse of the economy and the chaotic decision-making of the government, people generally feel confused and overwhelmed.
- Idea of Great Greek –> Idea to rebuild home and life
It is worth noting that after several years of troughs, Greece has gradually come out of the it by reforming its economic structure, seeking help from the European Union, and changing its tax system. According to Stournaras, ‘The fiscal adjustment was unprecedented, turning a primary deficit of 10.1% of GDP in 2009 into a primary surplus of 4.3% of GDP in 2018 (according to the enhanced surveillance definition). The primary surplus exceeded the programme target for the fourth year in a row.’... ‘A bold programme of structural reforms was implemented, covering various areas, such as the pension and healthcare systems, goods and services markets, the business environment, the tax system, the budgetary framework and public sector transparency’ (Stournaras, 3). From this, we can see that the construction of people's livelihood is the focus of the government when formulating policies. People's desire to rebuild their homes and return to ordinary life has built the identity of Greece after the economic crisis.
- Ancient Greek identity VS. Modern Greek identity:
In terms of self-identity, some modern identity obviously inherits the characteristics of ancient Greek identity, such as the unity of the Greeks in difficult times. On the other hand, we can see the development and progress of Greek identity. In modern Greece, all races are included in Greek discourse. The tolerance of other peoples and the yearning for ordinary life have become an important part of modern Greek identity.
