Are you interested in sharing your childhood memories from the 1940s in Greece?

We invite you to take part in the research of the Greek-Canadian Archives of the HHF and the York University

Last year marked the eightieth anniversary of Greece’s entry into the Second World War. While the ongoing pandemic tampered commemorations of this anniversary, its memory and legacy are very much alive today. The 1940s was one of the deadliest decades in the history of the Greek state because of the Nazi German and Fascist Italian and Bulgarian occupation. As is well known, the occupation caused hunger that decimated hundreds of thousands, led to civilians’ deaths and destruction of whole villages, but also faced strong resistance by the Greek people. The Civil War that followed liberation in 1944, also resulted to thousands of deaths in the battlefields, and caused deep traumas in Greek society. Many of those who emigrated to Canada following these events witnessed first-hand the destruction of their homes and livelihoods, the tragic and needless death of loved ones, and the lack of opportunities that ensued following the destruction.

This study is seeking participants who were born in Greece in the late 1920s and the 1930s to document and archive their memories and experiences. Those of you who may be reading this article, or your parents and grandparents have lived through these devastating events, and it is the purpose of this study to recall some of those memories through one-on-one interviews. This study poses a significant generational issue and is time sensitive. The situation around this pandemic has made this more evident with the unfortunate passing of this generation and with them their stories and firsthand accounts. Your assistance in this project will ensure that the legacy of this generation remains alive as the interviews will be deposited into the HHF Greek- Canadian Archives at York University in perpetuity. The role of the research participant is to engage in a one-on-one interview based on a list of questions that the research team has prepared. The interviews will be conducted by either audio and or video recording and at a time/place that is convenient for them. The participants also have the option to remain anonymous and will receive a copy of the interview if they wish. The estimated time commitment for the participant will be approximately an hour to two hours of their time per interview session. Αny in- person interviews and conversations will follow strict safety protocols in light of Covid-19. The researcher will be masked and is vaccinated. If one feels more comfortable, the discussion can be done over the phone or virtually, however, preference is for in- person interviews at this time.

If you have questions about the research in general or about your prospective role in the study, please feel free to contact:

Angelo Laskaris, PhD candidate, York University at (647) 324-9342 or by email at laskang@yorku.ca or,

Professor Sakis Gekas at
agekas@yorku.ca and/or (647) 551-8622

This research has received ethics review and approval by the Delegated Ethics Review Committee, which is the entrusted authority to review research ethics protocols by the Human Participants Review Sub-Committee, York University’s Ethics Review Board, and conforms to the standards of the Canadian Tri-Council Research Ethics guideli
Your stories and memories will be a significant contribution to the history of your community, and we would be honoured to hear from you.