Elektra Kostopoulou | New Jersey Institute of Technology (original) (raw)
Books by Elektra Kostopoulou
On a slightly rainy day in March 1894, a steamship of the Loyd Company entered the Ottoman port o... more On a slightly rainy day in March 1894, a steamship of the Loyd Company entered the Ottoman port of Candia in Crete. A little later, those walking around the port may have noticed a nervous British citizen arriving in a bad mood and exhausted by the long, difficult trip. The man was quite well dressed, in his middle forties, and his upper lip was covered with an elegant moustache. Other than that there was rather nothing really spectacular about him. Few could have guessed that this was the man who, a few years later, would wake the island's prehistoric kings, excavating the impressive Bronze Age palace of mythical Minos at the site of Knossos, and affording Crete international publicity. Moreover, few would have imagined that the respected archaeologist, appointed Keeper of the prestigious Ashmolean Museum, had been in his youth one of the most revolutionary reporters of the Manchester Guardian, whose passionate correspondence from the camps of the Balkan insurgents and hash language against the Ottoman Empire infuriated quite a few British diplomats and caused him to be imprisoned by the realm. Yet one had to know all this in order to understand why the man was warmly welcome by some of the local Christians; how he ended up becoming one of the greatest supporters of the Cretan revolution that broke out against the Ottomans in 1897; and why he was greatly rewarded for his support by the new authorities when the island became autonomous in 1898.
The man was Sir Arthur Evans; a name well-recognized today by anyone even remotely interested in the history of archaeology. This book, however, is not about him. Or, to be more accurate, it is not only about him. This is a book about the world in which the archaeologist met his fame; and which, contrary to the man, remains today almost unknown.
To be more specific, this is the story of Autonomous Crete (1898-1912), an Ottoman island that became autonomous in 1898, shared between a majority (2/3) of Christian and a minority of Muslim locals. Yet the main idea of the book is that the origins and implications of Autonomous Crete cannot be analyzed without reference to a much broader cosmos and a wide-ranging scheme of themes. Both as an actual locality and as a symbol, late Ottoman (ca. 1800-1898) and Autonomous Crete (1898-1912) were part of a transforming Mediterranean Sea over which western imperialism, nationalism, and the Ottoman Empire clashed and merged.
Τhe story of nineteenth-early twentieth century Crete then is the story of a contested Sea at the turn of much debated Century. It concerns empires trying to transform into nations and nations trying to take on the trappings of empires; Muslims converting to Christianity and Christians converting to Islam; archaeologists supporting insurgents and former insurgents elaborating in the name of archaeologists; Great Powers experimenting with practices of an early globalization and traditional localities reappearing in new guise. Last but not least, it concerns anonymous individuals who tried to find meaning or to gain power in a context of rapidly shifting loyalties.
Η μελέτη αυτή απορρέει από τις "Σελίδες της Δημογεροντίας Λέρου” και επιχειρεί να παρουσιάσει σε... more Η μελέτη αυτή απορρέει από τις "Σελίδες της Δημογεροντίας Λέρου” και επιχειρεί να παρουσιάσει σε μικρή κλίμακα κάποια από τα γενικά φαινόμενα που εκδηλώθηκαν στις ελληνικές κοινότητες της Οθωμανικής Αυτοκρατορίας στα τέλη του 19ου αιώνα. Τα Βιβλία της Δημογεροντίας συνιστούν ένα συνδυασμό κοινοτικού και προσωπικού αρχείου, καθώς πολλές φορές οι συντάκτες των εγγράφων είναι οι βασικοί πρωταγωνιστές των όσων περιγράφονται σε αυτά. Μέσα από ατομικές ιδιαιτερότητες και γενικές δομές, λοιπόν, η κοινωνία της Λέρου αναδεικνύεται ανάγλυφη αντανάκλαση των Βιβλίων. Παράλληλα, στο βαθμό που η Περιφέρεια αποτελεί μια μικρογραφία των συσχετισμών του Κέντρου, μελετώντας κανείς τη Λέρο μελετά μια ολόκληρη εποχή.
Από την άλλη, η μελέτη της περιφέρειας αποκαλύπτει ότι πολιτική ιστορία της Αυτοκρατορίας παρουσιάζει ποικίλες εκδοχές στην κοινωνική της εφαρμογή από τόπο σε τόπο. Ενδεικτικά, η εφαρμογή της Οθωμανική Μεταρρύθμισης στη Λέρο (Tanzimat), ήταν μια διαδικασία πολύ διαφορετική από αυτή που θα φανταζόταν κάνεις μελετώντας μόνο τα αρχεία της πρωτεύουσας και τις αντίστοιχες γενικές Οθωμανικές διακηρύξεις. Η κοινωνική και ιδεολογική περιπλοκότητα της περιφέρειας, με άλλα λόγια, βρισκόταν σε διάλογο, αλλά σπάνια σε απόλυτη ομοφωνία με τα προγράμματα ομογενοποίησης που χάραζε το διοικητικό κέντρο.
Οι Σελίδες από τα Βιβλία της Δημογεροντίας είναι, λοιπόν, σελίδες μιας προσωπικής, τοπικής, “εθνικής” και “πολυεθνικής” αφήγησης, μέρος μιας συνολικής πορείας που δε διαχωρίζεται σε Κέντρο-Περιφέρεια, Αυτοκρατορία-Έθνος, αλλά αποτελεί ρευστή σύνθεση Χώρου-Χρόνου-Ατόμου—σύνθεση που αναδεικνύεται εξίσου σημαντική σε κάθε της λεπτομέρεια. Με άλλα λόγια, οι Σελίδες αυτού του βιβλίου συνιστούν τίποτα περισσότερο και τίποτα λιγότερο από σελίδες ανθρώπινης ιστορίας.
Papers by Elektra Kostopoulou
Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, Jul 8, 2016
This paper discusses the inauguration of the Autonomous State of Crete in an attempt to address b... more This paper discusses the inauguration of the Autonomous State of Crete in an attempt to address both the specific contextual characteristics of its foundation and a few broader theoretical questions regarding the issues of interdependency and shared sovereignty in the context of modern state building. Specifically, the paper addresses the federal aspects of the Cretan polity by reference to region and religion. At a parallel level, it integrates this discussion with three political actors directly involved in the making of Autonomous Crete: the Great Powers, Greece and the Ottoman Empire. Moving away from acute dichotomies, this discussion suggests that autonomy reveals the blurry boundaries between nation-state and empire, as well as the origins of minority politics by reference to late 19th-century colonialist interventions. Cretans! Having accepted the nomination of Russia, Britain, France and Italy as High Commissioner of your autonomous country, I am acceding to your wishes and taking over the Governorship of Crete … I rely on you to show good will and submit to the laws, and to respect the appointed authorities whose duty is to see that the laws are duly carried out. I also rely on you to forget the disputes and dissension of the past and from now on live in peace with one another, as befits the children of the same affectionate homeland regardless of religion or race … I appeal to all for assistance in the pursuit of the common good, confident that with your great patriotism you will show Crete to have become a well-governed and prosperous cradle of progress that deserves the support of the Great Powers. (Prince George of Greece, December 1898) On 21 December 1898, the quay of Suda Bay on the Mediterranean island of Crete offered an interesting spectacle. Three admirals were waiting in full ceremonial regalia to receive a fourth one, about to debark from the Russian flagship Nikolai I. They were Admirals Pottier, Sir Gerald Noel and Betollo, representing, respectively, France, Britain and Italy. As for the fourth, Admiral Skridloff of Russia, he had just arrived from the Greek kingdom together with Prince George, the son of Greece's monarch. Following a Russian initiative,
Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, Jul 8, 2016
Islands of the Eastern Mediterranean, 2014
Journal of Modern Greek Studies, 2021
Journal of Modern Greek Studies, 2018
Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 2016
Nationalities Papers, 2016
This essay is an attempt to chart recent developments in the field of Modern Greek Studies, focus... more This essay is an attempt to chart recent developments in the field of Modern Greek Studies, focusing on shifting perceptions regarding Islam and Muslims. To do so, the essay positions the relevant literature in its historical context, touching upon both accomplishments and limitations. Its main proposition is that the Greek case is distinct yet connected to contemporary global contingencies and broader long-term regional dynamics. Athens remains the only European capital without a mosque. Moreover, despite recent academic endeavors, there exists today no coherent Greek field of Islamic Studies. That these absences have been brought recently under political and academic scrutiny constitutes, however, a noteworthy change. Most important, the traditional exclusion of Islam from the field of Modern Greek Studies does not suggest lack of relevance between the two but, quite to the contrary, reveals a set of loaded and complex socieconomic, geopolitical, and historical links that deserve ...
Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 2016
This paper discusses the inauguration of the Autonomous State of Crete in an attempt to address b... more This paper discusses the inauguration of the Autonomous State of Crete in an attempt to address both the specific contextual characteristics of its foundation and a few broader theoretical questions regarding the issues of interdependency and shared sovereignty in the context of modern state building. Specifically, the paper addresses the federal aspects of the Cretan polity by reference to region and religion. At a parallel level, it integrates this discussion with three political actors directly involved in the making of Autonomous Crete: the Great Powers, Greece and the Ottoman Empire. Moving away from acute dichotomies, this discussion suggests that autonomy reveals the blurry boundaries between nation-state and empire, as well as the origins of minority politics by reference to late 19th-century colonialist interventions. Cretans! Having accepted the nomination of Russia, Britain, France and Italy as High Commissioner of your autonomous country, I am acceding to your wishes and taking over the Governorship of Crete … I rely on you to show good will and submit to the laws, and to respect the appointed authorities whose duty is to see that the laws are duly carried out. I also rely on you to forget the disputes and dissension of the past and from now on live in peace with one another, as befits the children of the same affectionate homeland regardless of religion or race … I appeal to all for assistance in the pursuit of the common good, confident that with your great patriotism you will show Crete to have become a well-governed and prosperous cradle of progress that deserves the support of the Great Powers. (Prince George of Greece, December 1898) On 21 December 1898, the quay of Suda Bay on the Mediterranean island of Crete offered an interesting spectacle. Three admirals were waiting in full ceremonial regalia to receive a fourth one, about to debark from the Russian flagship Nikolai I. They were Admirals Pottier, Sir Gerald Noel and Betollo, representing, respectively, France, Britain and Italy. As for the fourth, Admiral Skridloff of Russia, he had just arrived from the Greek kingdom together with Prince George, the son of Greece's monarch. Following a Russian initiative,
Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, 2013
The establishment of autonomous governments more or less on the Eastern Roumelian model in all th... more The establishment of autonomous governments more or less on the Eastern Roumelian model in all the provinces remaining to the Sultan in Europe. .. completely finishes the Sultan's direct administrative authority on this side of the Bosphorus.. .. But not unnaturally the "unspeakable Turk" does not see things in the same light.-William Thomas Stead, "The Policy of Coersion"
On a slightly rainy day in March 1894, a steamship of the Loyd Company entered the Ottoman port o... more On a slightly rainy day in March 1894, a steamship of the Loyd Company entered the Ottoman port of Candia in Crete. A little later, those walking around the port may have noticed a nervous British citizen arriving in a bad mood and exhausted by the long, difficult trip. The man was quite well dressed, in his middle forties, and his upper lip was covered with an elegant moustache. Other than that there was rather nothing really spectacular about him. Few could have guessed that this was the man who, a few years later, would wake the island's prehistoric kings, excavating the impressive Bronze Age palace of mythical Minos at the site of Knossos, and affording Crete international publicity. Moreover, few would have imagined that the respected archaeologist, appointed Keeper of the prestigious Ashmolean Museum, had been in his youth one of the most revolutionary reporters of the Manchester Guardian, whose passionate correspondence from the camps of the Balkan insurgents and hash language against the Ottoman Empire infuriated quite a few British diplomats and caused him to be imprisoned by the realm. Yet one had to know all this in order to understand why the man was warmly welcome by some of the local Christians; how he ended up becoming one of the greatest supporters of the Cretan revolution that broke out against the Ottomans in 1897; and why he was greatly rewarded for his support by the new authorities when the island became autonomous in 1898.
The man was Sir Arthur Evans; a name well-recognized today by anyone even remotely interested in the history of archaeology. This book, however, is not about him. Or, to be more accurate, it is not only about him. This is a book about the world in which the archaeologist met his fame; and which, contrary to the man, remains today almost unknown.
To be more specific, this is the story of Autonomous Crete (1898-1912), an Ottoman island that became autonomous in 1898, shared between a majority (2/3) of Christian and a minority of Muslim locals. Yet the main idea of the book is that the origins and implications of Autonomous Crete cannot be analyzed without reference to a much broader cosmos and a wide-ranging scheme of themes. Both as an actual locality and as a symbol, late Ottoman (ca. 1800-1898) and Autonomous Crete (1898-1912) were part of a transforming Mediterranean Sea over which western imperialism, nationalism, and the Ottoman Empire clashed and merged.
Τhe story of nineteenth-early twentieth century Crete then is the story of a contested Sea at the turn of much debated Century. It concerns empires trying to transform into nations and nations trying to take on the trappings of empires; Muslims converting to Christianity and Christians converting to Islam; archaeologists supporting insurgents and former insurgents elaborating in the name of archaeologists; Great Powers experimenting with practices of an early globalization and traditional localities reappearing in new guise. Last but not least, it concerns anonymous individuals who tried to find meaning or to gain power in a context of rapidly shifting loyalties.
Η μελέτη αυτή απορρέει από τις "Σελίδες της Δημογεροντίας Λέρου” και επιχειρεί να παρουσιάσει σε... more Η μελέτη αυτή απορρέει από τις "Σελίδες της Δημογεροντίας Λέρου” και επιχειρεί να παρουσιάσει σε μικρή κλίμακα κάποια από τα γενικά φαινόμενα που εκδηλώθηκαν στις ελληνικές κοινότητες της Οθωμανικής Αυτοκρατορίας στα τέλη του 19ου αιώνα. Τα Βιβλία της Δημογεροντίας συνιστούν ένα συνδυασμό κοινοτικού και προσωπικού αρχείου, καθώς πολλές φορές οι συντάκτες των εγγράφων είναι οι βασικοί πρωταγωνιστές των όσων περιγράφονται σε αυτά. Μέσα από ατομικές ιδιαιτερότητες και γενικές δομές, λοιπόν, η κοινωνία της Λέρου αναδεικνύεται ανάγλυφη αντανάκλαση των Βιβλίων. Παράλληλα, στο βαθμό που η Περιφέρεια αποτελεί μια μικρογραφία των συσχετισμών του Κέντρου, μελετώντας κανείς τη Λέρο μελετά μια ολόκληρη εποχή.
Από την άλλη, η μελέτη της περιφέρειας αποκαλύπτει ότι πολιτική ιστορία της Αυτοκρατορίας παρουσιάζει ποικίλες εκδοχές στην κοινωνική της εφαρμογή από τόπο σε τόπο. Ενδεικτικά, η εφαρμογή της Οθωμανική Μεταρρύθμισης στη Λέρο (Tanzimat), ήταν μια διαδικασία πολύ διαφορετική από αυτή που θα φανταζόταν κάνεις μελετώντας μόνο τα αρχεία της πρωτεύουσας και τις αντίστοιχες γενικές Οθωμανικές διακηρύξεις. Η κοινωνική και ιδεολογική περιπλοκότητα της περιφέρειας, με άλλα λόγια, βρισκόταν σε διάλογο, αλλά σπάνια σε απόλυτη ομοφωνία με τα προγράμματα ομογενοποίησης που χάραζε το διοικητικό κέντρο.
Οι Σελίδες από τα Βιβλία της Δημογεροντίας είναι, λοιπόν, σελίδες μιας προσωπικής, τοπικής, “εθνικής” και “πολυεθνικής” αφήγησης, μέρος μιας συνολικής πορείας που δε διαχωρίζεται σε Κέντρο-Περιφέρεια, Αυτοκρατορία-Έθνος, αλλά αποτελεί ρευστή σύνθεση Χώρου-Χρόνου-Ατόμου—σύνθεση που αναδεικνύεται εξίσου σημαντική σε κάθε της λεπτομέρεια. Με άλλα λόγια, οι Σελίδες αυτού του βιβλίου συνιστούν τίποτα περισσότερο και τίποτα λιγότερο από σελίδες ανθρώπινης ιστορίας.
Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, Jul 8, 2016
This paper discusses the inauguration of the Autonomous State of Crete in an attempt to address b... more This paper discusses the inauguration of the Autonomous State of Crete in an attempt to address both the specific contextual characteristics of its foundation and a few broader theoretical questions regarding the issues of interdependency and shared sovereignty in the context of modern state building. Specifically, the paper addresses the federal aspects of the Cretan polity by reference to region and religion. At a parallel level, it integrates this discussion with three political actors directly involved in the making of Autonomous Crete: the Great Powers, Greece and the Ottoman Empire. Moving away from acute dichotomies, this discussion suggests that autonomy reveals the blurry boundaries between nation-state and empire, as well as the origins of minority politics by reference to late 19th-century colonialist interventions. Cretans! Having accepted the nomination of Russia, Britain, France and Italy as High Commissioner of your autonomous country, I am acceding to your wishes and taking over the Governorship of Crete … I rely on you to show good will and submit to the laws, and to respect the appointed authorities whose duty is to see that the laws are duly carried out. I also rely on you to forget the disputes and dissension of the past and from now on live in peace with one another, as befits the children of the same affectionate homeland regardless of religion or race … I appeal to all for assistance in the pursuit of the common good, confident that with your great patriotism you will show Crete to have become a well-governed and prosperous cradle of progress that deserves the support of the Great Powers. (Prince George of Greece, December 1898) On 21 December 1898, the quay of Suda Bay on the Mediterranean island of Crete offered an interesting spectacle. Three admirals were waiting in full ceremonial regalia to receive a fourth one, about to debark from the Russian flagship Nikolai I. They were Admirals Pottier, Sir Gerald Noel and Betollo, representing, respectively, France, Britain and Italy. As for the fourth, Admiral Skridloff of Russia, he had just arrived from the Greek kingdom together with Prince George, the son of Greece's monarch. Following a Russian initiative,
Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, Jul 8, 2016
Islands of the Eastern Mediterranean, 2014
Journal of Modern Greek Studies, 2021
Journal of Modern Greek Studies, 2018
Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 2016
Nationalities Papers, 2016
This essay is an attempt to chart recent developments in the field of Modern Greek Studies, focus... more This essay is an attempt to chart recent developments in the field of Modern Greek Studies, focusing on shifting perceptions regarding Islam and Muslims. To do so, the essay positions the relevant literature in its historical context, touching upon both accomplishments and limitations. Its main proposition is that the Greek case is distinct yet connected to contemporary global contingencies and broader long-term regional dynamics. Athens remains the only European capital without a mosque. Moreover, despite recent academic endeavors, there exists today no coherent Greek field of Islamic Studies. That these absences have been brought recently under political and academic scrutiny constitutes, however, a noteworthy change. Most important, the traditional exclusion of Islam from the field of Modern Greek Studies does not suggest lack of relevance between the two but, quite to the contrary, reveals a set of loaded and complex socieconomic, geopolitical, and historical links that deserve ...
Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 2016
This paper discusses the inauguration of the Autonomous State of Crete in an attempt to address b... more This paper discusses the inauguration of the Autonomous State of Crete in an attempt to address both the specific contextual characteristics of its foundation and a few broader theoretical questions regarding the issues of interdependency and shared sovereignty in the context of modern state building. Specifically, the paper addresses the federal aspects of the Cretan polity by reference to region and religion. At a parallel level, it integrates this discussion with three political actors directly involved in the making of Autonomous Crete: the Great Powers, Greece and the Ottoman Empire. Moving away from acute dichotomies, this discussion suggests that autonomy reveals the blurry boundaries between nation-state and empire, as well as the origins of minority politics by reference to late 19th-century colonialist interventions. Cretans! Having accepted the nomination of Russia, Britain, France and Italy as High Commissioner of your autonomous country, I am acceding to your wishes and taking over the Governorship of Crete … I rely on you to show good will and submit to the laws, and to respect the appointed authorities whose duty is to see that the laws are duly carried out. I also rely on you to forget the disputes and dissension of the past and from now on live in peace with one another, as befits the children of the same affectionate homeland regardless of religion or race … I appeal to all for assistance in the pursuit of the common good, confident that with your great patriotism you will show Crete to have become a well-governed and prosperous cradle of progress that deserves the support of the Great Powers. (Prince George of Greece, December 1898) On 21 December 1898, the quay of Suda Bay on the Mediterranean island of Crete offered an interesting spectacle. Three admirals were waiting in full ceremonial regalia to receive a fourth one, about to debark from the Russian flagship Nikolai I. They were Admirals Pottier, Sir Gerald Noel and Betollo, representing, respectively, France, Britain and Italy. As for the fourth, Admiral Skridloff of Russia, he had just arrived from the Greek kingdom together with Prince George, the son of Greece's monarch. Following a Russian initiative,
Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, 2013
The establishment of autonomous governments more or less on the Eastern Roumelian model in all th... more The establishment of autonomous governments more or less on the Eastern Roumelian model in all the provinces remaining to the Sultan in Europe. .. completely finishes the Sultan's direct administrative authority on this side of the Bosphorus.. .. But not unnaturally the "unspeakable Turk" does not see things in the same light.-William Thomas Stead, "The Policy of Coersion"
This essay is an attempt to chart recent developments in the field of Modern Greek Studies, focus... more This essay is an attempt to chart recent developments in the field of Modern Greek Studies, focusing on shifting perceptions regarding Islam and Muslims. To do so, the essay positions the relevant literature in its historical context, touching upon both accomplishments and limitations. Its main proposition is that the Greek case is distinct yet connected to contemporary global contingencies and broader long-term regional dynamics. Athens remains the only European capital without a mosque. Moreover, despite recent academic endeavors, there exists today no coherent Greek field of Islamic Studies. That these absences have been brought recently under political and academic scrutiny constitutes, however, a noteworthy change. Most important, the traditional exclusion of Islam from the field of Modern Greek Studies does not suggest lack of relevance between the two but, quite to the contrary, reveals a set of loaded and complex socieconomic, geopolitical, and historical links that deserve to be studied in their own right.
This paper discusses the inauguration of the Autonomous State of Crete in an attempt to address b... more This paper discusses the inauguration of the Autonomous State of Crete in an attempt to address both the specific contextual characteristics of its foundation and a few broader theoretical questions regarding the issues of interdependency and shared sovereignty in the context of modern state building. Specifically, the paper addresses the federal aspects of the Cretan polity by reference to region and religion. At a parallel level, it integrates this discussion with three political actors directly involved in the making of Autonomous Crete: the Great Powers, Greece and the Ottoman Empire. Moving away from acute dichotomies, this discussion suggests that autonomy reveals the blurry boundaries between nation-state and empire, as well as the origins of minority politics by reference to late 19th-century colonialist interventions