Date of Award

2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Philosophy (Ph.D)

Department

History

First Advisor

Elaine Carey

Second Advisor

Lara Vapnek

Third Advisor

Mauricio Borrero

Abstract

The Greek Resistance during World War II enabled the induction of women within the public sphere en masse. The opportunities the young women found in the 1940s were rooted in the struggles of feminist and socialist women in the pre-World War II era. During the interwar years, women organized within trade unions and political parties, influencing the next generation. This dissertation explores women’s participation in national and radical social movements and focuses on female partisans who joined the antifascist struggle, who as a result of their actions were internally exiled on the Greek islands of Chios, Trikeri, and Makronisos between 1948 and 1954. It examines the women’s motivation, defense mechanisms, and survival methods. Furthermore, it argues that while in exile they implemented ideals they fought for in the Resistance, maintained solidarity amongst each other, and demonstrated unwavering loyalty to the cause for equality and justice. Based on oral testimonies and archival material, this dissertation sheds new light on concentration camps and life in exile for women in Greece in the post-World War II period.

Included in

History Commons

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