The Armenian Community in Thessaloniki: The Dynamics of Religion

This paper analyses the dynamics of the religious factor in both the establishment of the Armenian community in Thessaloniki and the local reproduction of Armenianness. The Armenian community of Thessaloniki presents a special interest because in addition to its historical significance it also includes two different groups: on the one hand, the descendants of the first refugees who arrived in Thessaloniki after the end of the First World War and the dramatic events that took place in Turkey; and on the other hand, the new immigrants who arrived in Thessaloniki after the dissolution of the former Soviet Union in the 1990s. Religion and ethnicity, ecclesiastical and communal institutions, old refugees and new immigrants are explored as multiple intersecting axes that structure identity construction within the contemporary Armenian community of Thessaloniki.