The ideological contest between Greek-Cypriot nationalism and Cypriotism 1974-1995: politics, social memory and identity.

As a result of the division of Cyprus in 1974. and until the mid-1980s. Greek-Cypriot nationalism was suppressed at the expense of Cypriotism. an ideology that pledged support to the political independence of the island. The retreat of nationalism, however, was temporary and it soon resurfaced as a dominant ideology, albeit in a changed form. The new Greek-Cypriot nationalism does not go unopposed. Whereas the clash between Greek nationalism and Cypriotism is not a recent phenomenon, in the post-1974 years it has acquired a greater intensity and constitutes the major battle in the Greek-Cypriot contest over identity. This essay examines the post-1974 period and especially the revival of Greek-Cypriot nationalism since the mid-1980s. The aim is to analyse the ideological contest between Greek nationalism and Cypriotism as it becomes articulated in the social construction of cultural and political identity and the collective memory of the Greek-Cypriot community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]