The 1923 Exchange of Populations between Greece and Turkey ratified the dislocation of over a million Greek Orthodox Christians from Anatolia and Eastern Thrace to the Kingdom of Greece, while hundreds of thousands of Muslims abandoned their homes on the Greek side to move to Turkey. Resettlement was a massive challenge for both sides; the incoming refugees settled in the homes of the now departed, or lived in sheds and squats until the first housing projects were completed. Urban centres expanded considerably, while in the rural areas new villages were founded, and old ones were either abandonded or reinhabited. Gradually the refugees took over to repair, expand and reshape their dwellings, and during the following decades made a permanent contribution to the rural and urban landscapes they inhabited; a contribution that is still largely understudied. At the centennial of these events and while the Aegean continues to be a space of crossings, HOMEACROSS looks at the spatial legacies of the Population Exchange in Izmir and Attica, two provinces that received large numbers of refugees. First, it records and studies the urban and rural sites affected by the process –whether new, re-inhabited or abandoned– with the aim of creating an inclusive, accessible, digital repository of the buildings and spaces related to the Population Exchange. Second, it addresses questions of heritage preservation and memory, based on oral accounts and specific reconstructed or reused monuments, and the role of specific groups. Third, connecting the research to current events, it looks at contemporary problems of displacement and resettlement.
The study of the Population Exchange in its spatial dimension is important for a couple of reasons: it contributes to the understanding and protection of an important architectural heritage, one that preserves the collective memory of society, exemplifies Greek modern architecture, and testifies to the history and legacy of the welfare state. This heritage is in varying degrees of danger in both countries. Moreover, as displacement, the housing crisis, and conflict are still very much present in our region, it contributes to the better understanding of these problems and the search for sustainable solutions. Last, as this displacement and resettlement has greatly impacted the rural and urban landscapes were it took place, it allows us to better understand and assess the spatial challenges faced in these areas and to address them.
Combining extensive fieldwork, archival research and digital mapping technologies (GIS) to collect, analyse and visualise the data, this project explores a major event in the two sides’ national histories. While studies until now have mostly focused on the dislocation and the political events that caused it, this research investigates the refugees’ agency in shaping their surroundings, introduces new findings and new historiographical perspectives and contributes to a knowledge-based society.
