Second generation Greek immigrants in Sudan: The experience of returning to Greece

Abstract

In the present study, we aim to explore the meaning of the experience of returning to Greece following socio-political change in the Arab world, through the lens of a very specific group: the Greek community living in Sudan. Six semi-structured interviews (n=6; F/M: 4/2; mean age: 65, 16) were carried out encompassing he views and experiences of second-generation Greek-Sudanese participants, providing us with important information regarding the transition from a perceived safe and trustful environment- as the one the Greek community cultivated while living in Sudan- to a less welcoming one in Greece. Issues of ethnic identity, acculturation strategies used upon their arrival to Greece, as well as intergroup relations between the Sudanese- Greek group and the local Greek group are also explored, while matters of mourning, nostalgia, personal growth are also examined. Findings of the current project point towards the need for a respectful, considerate and validating therapeutic stance from the part from professionals and organizations working with populations having been through cultural transitions and trauma.