The talk will investigate the formation of the modern Greek national state over the nineteenth century, focusing on its transformation from an imperial Ottoman domain into a nationalizing state. Central to this process was the emergence of a distinct modern Greek national identity, which departed from the broader Rum (Ρωμιοί) identity that had previously defined Orthodox Christian subjects of the empire. Drawing on the framework developed in his first book, The Politics of Nation-Building, Mylonas will argue that the policies of the emerging Greek state toward non-core groups—i.e., any aggregation of individuals perceived as unassimilated by the ruling elite of a state—were influenced by both its foreign policy goals and its relations with the external patrons of these groups. The talk will also trace key developments in nation- and state-building, including the establishment of a constitutional monarchy, territorial expansion aimed at incorporating co-ethnics living in the near abroad, and the creation of integrative institutions such as a national army, public education system, and autocephalous Orthodox Church. Although state elites followed a strategic logic in deciding which groups would be assimilated, accommodated, or excluded, the Greek case also reveals the dynamic nature of these processes. Internal divisions, external dependencies, and military setbacks—especially the unfulfilled irredentist project of the “Megali Idea” (Μεγάλη Ιδέα)—underscored Greece's incomplete national integration.
Harris Mylonas is an Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University and Editor-in-Chief of Nationalities Papers. His work contributes to our understanding of states’ management of diversity that may originate from national minorities, immigrants, diasporas, or refugees. Mylonas penned the award-winning The Politics of Nation-Building: Making Co-Nationals, Refugees, and Minorities (Cambridge University Press, 2012), and co-authored Varieties of Nationalism: Communities, Narratives, Identities (Cambridge University Press, 2023; with Maya Tudor). He has co-edited Enemies Within: Fifth Column Politics in Comparative Perspective (Oxford University Press, 2022; with Scott Radnitz) and The Microfoundations of Diaspora Politics (Routledge, 2022; with Alexandra Délano Alonso).
