Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GUNPRESS (The Underground Press during the Greek Civil War)
Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2024-08-31
The study of a country's press is an essential contribution to the humanities, the political and the social sciences. Up to a certain point this kind of research was limited to the biographies of journalists and publishers, the courses of the larger newspapers, the sizes and the formats of the publications. The modern researchers associate, however, the history of the press with the social reality and the historical events of the time, providing valuable information about the interaction between the press and the society etc.
This project is therefore very important because it enriches this particular kind of research, it applies the latter to a new source, it provides new historical elements and interpretations, it sheds light on some unexplored or debatable issues of the Greek history, it reduces the ethnocentrism by making constant comparisons with the Spanish case and it complements the picture of the underground publications that were issued in Europe in several different circumstances.
Τhe topic is also very related to a series of very crucial current European and global issues: it underlines the value of the press freedom and the consequences of the censorship, it analyzes the role of the media in intense political times, it gives an historical perspective to the spread of fake news, it describes the mode of operation and the impact of the illegal publications, it presents several aspects of the relationship between the society and the media, it refreshes the field of the resistance studies etc.
a) The project analyzes the “child abduction” and the transfer of Greek children in Eastern Europe through the illegal press and shed a different kind of light on this very important issue. b) The research provides new and original information on the “role of the women” using the underground publications. c) The project presents the image of Spain in the Greek illegal newspapers. d) The last deliverable compares the Greek and the Spanish clandestine publications and clarified several “journalistic” questions.
This project is therefore very important because it enriches this particular kind of research, it applies the latter to a new source, it provides new historical elements and interpretations, it sheds light on some unexplored or debatable issues of the Greek history, it reduces the ethnocentrism by making constant comparisons with the Spanish case and it complements the picture of the underground publications that were issued in Europe in several different circumstances.
Τhe topic is also very related to a series of very crucial current European and global issues: it underlines the value of the press freedom and the consequences of the censorship, it analyzes the role of the media in intense political times, it gives an historical perspective to the spread of fake news, it describes the mode of operation and the impact of the illegal publications, it presents several aspects of the relationship between the society and the media, it refreshes the field of the resistance studies etc.
a) The project analyzes the “child abduction” and the transfer of Greek children in Eastern Europe through the illegal press and shed a different kind of light on this very important issue. b) The research provides new and original information on the “role of the women” using the underground publications. c) The project presents the image of Spain in the Greek illegal newspapers. d) The last deliverable compares the Greek and the Spanish clandestine publications and clarified several “journalistic” questions.
The project added a proper problematization, a new approach and a comparative perspective that restricted introversion. It used new kinds of analysis, ideas, concepts, techniques and methods which lead to the next stage of development and perceived this piece of research in a contemporary way. It set new research questions, utilized new narratives, followed different paths, utilized an alternative and unused source, overcame some established stereotypes, highlighted some rather unknown topics etc.
It placed particular emphasis on the people who published clandestine newspapers and associated the media with the social reality of the time. The advancement in research that was carried out in the group, the working with a mix of disciplines beyond the field and the acquired transferable skills were communicated in a modern way to non-scientific audiences.
It also continued building the -poor so far- relevant theoretical framework. How do the media operate during civil wars? What are the differences between the legitimate and the illegal press? How much do the papers influence? Are there any models for those topics? What is the relationship between the media and the society?
The fellow used several ways of disseminating the research results to reach the academic community: publications in peer reviewed scientific journals, participation in conferences, web-based and social media channels. He gave a lecture at the monthly seminar for the postgraduate and doctoral students of the History Department of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and he will organize a seminar or a workshop at the HI.
The fellow also reached other audiences, like journalists and policymakers, that have an interest in the potential use of the results and disclosed them publicly with the aim to enable others to use them and take them up, maximizing the relevant impact. In fact this project had already a very important advantage since it engages certain Greek organizations which are directly related to the topic, such as the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers and the Journalists’ Union of Macedonia and Thrace Daily Newspapers.
The results will probably gain wider publicity and reach even more the expert audiences because they concern several Greek newspapers of that time which are being published to this day. The ER wrote some relevant articles in major national newspapers to advertise as much as possible this project. Ηe additionally used the professional network he acquired during his career that includes several journalists, politicians and public figures.
In order to promote effectively the research he also cooperated with the relevant office of the university to draw up a realistic detailed action plan that was updated frequently during the implementation of the project. He will also use the networks of the HI’s academic staff to disseminate the proposed action in Spain and abroad.
It placed particular emphasis on the people who published clandestine newspapers and associated the media with the social reality of the time. The advancement in research that was carried out in the group, the working with a mix of disciplines beyond the field and the acquired transferable skills were communicated in a modern way to non-scientific audiences.
It also continued building the -poor so far- relevant theoretical framework. How do the media operate during civil wars? What are the differences between the legitimate and the illegal press? How much do the papers influence? Are there any models for those topics? What is the relationship between the media and the society?
The fellow used several ways of disseminating the research results to reach the academic community: publications in peer reviewed scientific journals, participation in conferences, web-based and social media channels. He gave a lecture at the monthly seminar for the postgraduate and doctoral students of the History Department of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and he will organize a seminar or a workshop at the HI.
The fellow also reached other audiences, like journalists and policymakers, that have an interest in the potential use of the results and disclosed them publicly with the aim to enable others to use them and take them up, maximizing the relevant impact. In fact this project had already a very important advantage since it engages certain Greek organizations which are directly related to the topic, such as the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers and the Journalists’ Union of Macedonia and Thrace Daily Newspapers.
The results will probably gain wider publicity and reach even more the expert audiences because they concern several Greek newspapers of that time which are being published to this day. The ER wrote some relevant articles in major national newspapers to advertise as much as possible this project. Ηe additionally used the professional network he acquired during his career that includes several journalists, politicians and public figures.
In order to promote effectively the research he also cooperated with the relevant office of the university to draw up a realistic detailed action plan that was updated frequently during the implementation of the project. He will also use the networks of the HI’s academic staff to disseminate the proposed action in Spain and abroad.
The study boosted the state of the art since it put the Greek case in a wider European context to analyze the similarities and the differences between the domestic and the Spanish underground publications. It compared, for example, their numbers, their political ideology, their geographical dispersion etc. It also highlighted their local characteristics, the risks they faced, the resources they had, their advantages and their disadvantages.
The study analyzed an almost unexplored issue which enlightened many aspects of that harsh period. It brought new evidence about the occupation of Greece, refreshed the debate on the civil war, answered a series of crucial questions, helped the related sciences, presented new interpretations and became a scientific breakthrough that will probably launch new similar publications. It will hopefully trigger a wider historical debate on the role of the [underground] press, strengthen our historical self-knowledge etc.
The experienced researcher is considering submitting an ERC research proposal. He has already received two postdoctoral research offers in Germany (University of Flensburg and Freie University of Berlin).
He has promoted his scholarship at the Department of Journalism and Media, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, he has participated in the program “Science is Fantastic” and he has supported the Marie Curie scholarship in every possible way. As mentioned earlier, he has written several articles for national newspapers, he has helped Dr. Christos Aliprantis to prepare his research proposal for the Marie Curie fellowships and he has assisted his colleagues from the Complutense University who wanted to conduct a comparative study on the Greek and the Spanish television.
He also completed his new book and already sent it to a major Greek publishing house to issue his new work which is directly related to the scholarship as it is titled “Civil Infowar: Clandestine Press, Censorship and Propaganda during the Greek Civil War”. This endeavor is not a prerequisite for the completion of the project, according to the research proposal, but it will promote the specific program to both the academic and the general public of Greece, creating additional interest in the deliverables and the relative researched topics.
The study analyzed an almost unexplored issue which enlightened many aspects of that harsh period. It brought new evidence about the occupation of Greece, refreshed the debate on the civil war, answered a series of crucial questions, helped the related sciences, presented new interpretations and became a scientific breakthrough that will probably launch new similar publications. It will hopefully trigger a wider historical debate on the role of the [underground] press, strengthen our historical self-knowledge etc.
The experienced researcher is considering submitting an ERC research proposal. He has already received two postdoctoral research offers in Germany (University of Flensburg and Freie University of Berlin).
He has promoted his scholarship at the Department of Journalism and Media, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, he has participated in the program “Science is Fantastic” and he has supported the Marie Curie scholarship in every possible way. As mentioned earlier, he has written several articles for national newspapers, he has helped Dr. Christos Aliprantis to prepare his research proposal for the Marie Curie fellowships and he has assisted his colleagues from the Complutense University who wanted to conduct a comparative study on the Greek and the Spanish television.
He also completed his new book and already sent it to a major Greek publishing house to issue his new work which is directly related to the scholarship as it is titled “Civil Infowar: Clandestine Press, Censorship and Propaganda during the Greek Civil War”. This endeavor is not a prerequisite for the completion of the project, according to the research proposal, but it will promote the specific program to both the academic and the general public of Greece, creating additional interest in the deliverables and the relative researched topics.